LAKETOWN TWP. —  The planned demolition of the Huyser House in Laketown Township was largely confirmed Wednesday, Jan. 17, following a vote from the parks commission to recommend a bid to the township board.

The commission also rejected a resident’s proposal to save the home through a long-term lease.

Commissioners voted unanimously in November to demolish the Huyser House, the former home of Manuel and Lilah Huyser, after nearly a year of back and forth. The home was donated to the township alongside 102 acres of land for a park in 2001 and has been unused since.

The commission received three bids for demolition, although one didn’t provide follow up information after concerns were raised during the bid process, according to Chair Brad Laninga.

Laninga, Anne Brand, Richard Becker and Tom Hoekman voted 4-0 to send all three bids to the township board, but recommended a bid from Specialized Demolition out of Hamilton for $29,845. Commissioner Karen Simmons attended the meeting via Zoom and participated in discussions, but could not vote.

Brand and Becker said the recommended bid was “the most complete.”

After forwarding the bids to the board, commissioners voted 4-0 to “disapprove” a proposal from Steven Ringelberg that would have preserved the house.

Ringelberg’s plan was to lease the house from the township and create a long-term rental property. Laninga said representatives from the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, which holds an easement on the property, were “not very excited” about the idea.

“We’ve heard from a majority of people… who don’t want the Huyser House there any longer,” Simmons said. “It doesn’t serve a purpose, we’ve tried for years to find one. They don’t want to pay for it. We’ve exhausted pretty much all avenues, and it’s come down to demolition as being our best option.”

“We’re tired of kicking the can down the road,” Becker added.

Commissioners thanked Ringelberg for his efforts prior to rejecting his proposal.

“We do thank Steve for his time and appreciate all the work he’s put in and the conversations we’ve had with him over the last few months,” Brand said.

Becker suggested the commission could look at building a gazebo or picnic area for public use once the home is demolished.

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Ringelberg shared in public comment that he was “disappointed” with the decision and said no current members of the board discussed the issue with him at length.

“Other than Jeremy Van Hoven (who resigned from the board in November), no one has ever have spoken to me about the specifics of the offer that I made,” he said. “Jeremy talked to me about that proposal for over 45 minutes, nobody else has ever talked to me about it, and you all just voted on it.”

The township board’s next regular meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 14.

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Last-ditch attempt to save Huyser House rejected