Town Might Give Up Claim For Beavertail Lighthouse
By Sue Clark on Sep 28, 2007 in Opinion 
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According to a story in the Jamestown, RI, Press, town administrator Bruce Keiser has recommended that the town give up its interest in Beavertail Lighthouse, opening the way for either the Department of Environmental Management or the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association to become its caretaker when the lighthouse is excessed. “I don’t see a role for the town” Keiser said in the story. The DEM is in control of the grounds the light is on, as part of the parks system, and the Beavertail Museum Association runs the museum in the former assistant keeper’s quarters.
The town was using the former lightkeeper’s residence as low cost housing units, until they were told by the US Coast Guard to cease and desist. In a letter from April of this year, J. J. Metcalf, commander of the USCG Civil Engineering Unit Providence, based in Warwick, wrote “we will not be permitting residential occupancy at Beavertail Lighthouse since this type of occupancy is not directly related to the maintenance of the property.” With that edict, the town has lost its only interest in owning the light. The town previously was engaged in talks with the DEM and BLMA, as a three way partnership for stewardship.
The lighthouse hasn’t been excessed yet, but it’s just a matter of time. And the Museum Association states in their online newsletter, “It’s not a case of if, but of when,” and “this gives us more time to get our ducks in a row.”
It’s too bad the town feels the need to pull out of the arrangement, as the future of lighthouse restoration and maintenance surely lies in creating working partnerships between governmental units and non-profit organizations. One group cannot do it all, and more entities should join in partnership to work to save our lights. A recent story about Whaleback Ledge, an offshore light in Maine, mentioned the town of Kittery perhaps working with the American Lighthouse Foundation. These kinds of efforts to join together will provide hope for our “American castles.”
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