Hagar Township Seeks Grant for Beach Restrooms

Township looks to upgrade facilities at popular Lake Michigan park and beach

Apr. 18, 2026 at 6:00am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

An impressionistic, out-of-focus photograph of people walking along a beach, with soft pools of warm color and light creating a dreamlike, atmospheric quality.A serene, sun-dappled scene at Hagar Park and Beach, where new restroom facilities could enhance the visitor experience.Three Rivers Today

Hagar Township has applied for a $296,000 grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to help construct permanent restrooms at Hagar Park and Beach. The $400,000 project would replace the current portable restrooms and provide new gender-neutral facilities to serve the park's 25,000 annual visitors.

Why it matters

Hagar Park and Beach is a popular destination for beachgoers and dog owners along the Lake Michigan coast, but its current restroom facilities are limited to portable toilets. Upgrading to permanent restrooms could enhance the visitor experience and enable the township to further develop a network of trails connecting the park to the broader coastal area.

The details

Township Supervisor Izzy DiMaggio says the electronic grant application has now been filed, and if approved, the township would be responsible for about $100,000 of the total project cost. The new restrooms would include around three to four public stalls that would be accessible to all genders.

  • Hagar Township filed the grant application in April 2026.
  • The township expects to learn if the grant is approved in December 2026.

The players

Izzy DiMaggio

Hagar Township Supervisor who oversaw the grant application process.

Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund

State agency that provides grants for outdoor recreation and natural resource protection projects.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Hagar Park and Beach, which is also a dog-friendly beach, gets tremendous use throughout the year, but especially during the summertime. So currently, we just use Porter Johns, but we put in an application for the project with the DNR Trust Fund.”

— Izzy DiMaggio, Hagar Township Supervisor

“Which would be about probably three to four public restrooms, gender neutral. So they would be for men and women and so forth. Anybody could use them. But it would be also a good staging point for all these trails.”

— Izzy DiMaggio, Hagar Township Supervisor

What’s next

The township will likely learn in December 2026 if its application for the grant has been approved.

The takeaway

Upgrading the restroom facilities at Hagar Park and Beach could enhance the visitor experience and enable the township to further develop a network of trails connecting the park to the broader Lake Michigan coastal area, building on the park's popularity as a destination for beachgoers and dog owners.