The sun is out and the weather is beautiful, but the mood in the SUV parked at Illinois Beach State Park is subdued. Beach Park Fire Chief Tom Stahl and Winthrop Harbor Fire Chief Rocco Campanella sit, looking out at Lake Michigan, where a half-dozen boats trawl along the beachfront around the boulders of the breakwaters.
It’s July 23, and somewhere under the waves is the body of a 14-year-old boy, the second drowning victim at the park this summer. The sun sits almost directly above, and Stahl has been there for hours. He politely but firmly pushes away questions while helping direct recovery operations.
“Our sympathy goes out to the family and friends of the victim,” Stahl said in a press release. “This is a deeply saddening event that also bothers the rescuers involved.”
The month before, three of the area’s fire departments had come together for a news conference after the drowning of a 20-year-old man, issuing a call for help from state and federal sources to help address the increase in water calls they had seen at the beach since the completion of a massive restoration project.
The news conference was another page in a saga of what they believe to be lackluster support. Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that Winthrop Harbor applied for federal funding in June of 2024 for a new rescue boat, but was denied. This is despite a similar request that same year by Highland Park to the same grant program, also for a new rescue boat, being approved.
Why was Winthrop Harbor overlooked for the funding?
FEMA’s Port Security Grant
The funding in question is through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Port Security Grant, which is meant to enhance security at ports and other maritime facilities.
Last year, it provided about $90 million to applicants across the country, including about $470,000 to Highland Park, which according to city documents was used to help pay for a $663,000 Metal Shark 29 Defiant Fire-Rescue vessel.
Winthrop Harbor’s request was for about $430,000 in federal funding to help pay for a roughly $509,000 vessel and $50,000 in training, according to the fire department’s application. Department officials previously said their current vessel, built in the 1980s, is not suited for the work.
The request seemingly enjoyed area, state and federal support. The application included letters from Stahl, Zion Fire Chief Justin Stried and U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, as well as IDNR Site Superintendent Damon Cederberg. According to the documents, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth had both indicated an intent to provide letters of support, but could not do so by the submission deadline.
In Cederberg’s letter, written before the completion of the beach’s $73 million restoration, he said he had “no doubt” the project would increase Winthrop Harbor’s callouts. Since the village also includes the North Point Marina, the largest on all of the Great Lakes, and the Coast Guard was consolidating its resources in the area, Cederberg gave his backing to Winthrop Harbor’s application.
“Ultimately, all of this will put more pressure on local communities such as Winthrop Harbor, and they will require the resources to do their jobs safely and effectively,” Cederberg said in the letter.
Missing explanation
Exactly why Winthrop Harbor’s request was denied while Highland Park’s was approved is difficult to determine, with federal agencies pointing fingers at one another.
When asked about the discrepancy, a FEMA representative pointed to the Coast Guard, saying it provides subject matter expertise and makes the determinations on which applications to choose for funding.
However, Coast Guard officials were adamant that FEMA makes the ultimate decision, and that FEMA’s choices may differ from the Coast Guard’s recommendations. Whether this is the case for Highland Park and Winthrop Harbor is unclear.
Port Security Specialist Tom Lake with the Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan said his office oversees its participation in FEMA’s grant program. This is done through an extensive field review of all applicants and their requests by a team of officials. The scores and rankings are then sent to FEMA.
In response to questions about whether Winthrop Harbor received a favorable ranking during the review, or was ranked above or below Highland Park, Lake said limited information regarding the Coast Guard’s review can only be shared with the applicant.
The FEMA representative did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment or clarification.
Back in Lake County, Winthrop Harbor is continuing to have to fundraise for water rescue equipment, with its “Big Lebowski” themed bowling event scheduled for Aug. 9.
Kyle Williams
According to a Beach Park Fire Department news release, on July 22 at around 4 p.m., the 14-year-old boy had been in thigh to waist deep water when he was struck by a wave and didn’t return to the surface. Neighboring departments arrived within minutes of getting the call. Swimmers, divers, boats and drones were deployed.
Later, a MABAS Box Alarm brought in more divers, more boats and sonar techs. Hours later, the operation went from rescue to recovery before ending for the day, and restarting the following morning.
They didn’t find his body that day either. The body of the boy, later identified as Kyle Williams of Milwaukee, was found on July 25 after days of exhaustive searching.
