$7 Million Dollars Earmarked For Montauk Point
By Sue Clark on Aug 2, 2007 in Restoration 
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The US House and Senate committee Committee on Thursday approved a $35 million dollar package for the Water Resource Development Project in New York, with 7 million dollars earmarked for rebuilding the point at Montauk Point Lighthouse, according to the EastHampton Star. Montauk Point Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in New York, having been commissioned by George Washington and built in 1796.
The point has eroded 200 feet into the Atlantic over the past two hundred years, and the Army Corps of Engineers has determined the best way to keep the light from tumbling into the sea would be to extend the point itself with a 12.6 ton quarry stone armor, 840 feet in length with a crest of 40 feet elevation. The bottom of the armor will be 12 feet below the existing level.
It had been suggested that the lighthouse should be moved back, away from the bluff, but the Corps’ engineering studies called that “precarious” at best. The lighthouse is made of sandstone, and fears that it might crumble during any move were a factor in the decision to lay stone down around it. The lighthouse is scheduled for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in the near future, and if it was moved, it might cause the eventual destruction of the bluff. Local surfers also objected to the rebuilding of the point, fearing it would interfere with wave action, but the study also included other factors, including wave motion, and stated the fears were unfounded.
The entire project will cost $14 million, with the remaining amount being paid for jointly between other agencies, including the State Department of Environmental Conservation. For more information on Montauk Point Light, visit its website at www.montauklighthouse.com/home.htm
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