The Lightship Nantucket is now scrambling to find a new home, as the deal to make her the centerpiece of a $7billion waterfront hotel and restaurant complex in Stamford has come to an end. The National Lighthouse Museum, owner of the ship, has been trying for ten years to get a facility opened in Staten Island that would incorporate the lightship. Jerry Roberts, a board member of the National Lighthouse Museum, said in the story at Newsday.Com that it is imperative to find a new permanent home before the 72 year old vessel deteriorates beyond repair. He said he would like to find a site in New England, where the lightship had been based when operated by the Coast Guard. “We’re looking for a qualified nonprofit or civic organization that will look after the best interests of the ship because it is a national landmark.”

“I’m hopeful the lightship will find a solution elsewhere. But I have no problem giving the guy the balance of the calendar year and then we’ll re-evaluate things. I’m still holding myself out as the port of last resort,” John Venditto, Supervisor of Oyster Bay said in the article.

Oyster Bay Cites “Liability Issues.”

While I realize we live in a litigious society, I for one am getting tired of hearing the specter of “liability issues” raised whenever someone doesn’t want to do anything. And that’s exactly what Oyster Bay has raised in regards to providing a permanent home for one of our last remaining lightships. Except for Oyster Bay Supervisor, John Venditto, who has offered once again to try and convince the town to step up to the plate and become the owner. But the town is worried about “lawsuits and damages.”

“They are telling me ‘You have no idea of the amount of money involved,’” Venditto said in the story. “It’s many hundreds of thousands of dollars. They’re talking about the potential for damage to occur if the perfect storm pops up. And even without a storm they’re worried about damage that might be occurring to the dock.”

Talk about a “what if” mentality. That’s on the level of saying I’m not going to leave my house, because what if a cow falls out of the sky and hits me on the head and kills me. And if they’re worried about damage to the town owned dock, then maybe they should just get out of the dock ownership business, because any vessel can cause damage to a dock at any time.

I really can’t understand that type of thinking, and desperately hope some non-profit group can come up with a way to save this floating lighthouse. In the meantime, I want to say to John Venditto, if we only had more people like you willing to help with this problem, then historic preservation would be a whole lot easier. Keep trying, sir. And thank you.

Photo credit: The Lightship Nantucket by Fantasma4. Some rights reserved.

Post from: Lighthouse News

Nantucket Lightship Deal Falls Through

At one time, the Town of Dalhousie in New Brunswick, CA, had three lighthouses. One small wooden structure at the end of a wharf was sold and moved to a different town, Charlo, to stand next to a private residence. Another lighthouse, located on Douglas Island, was accidentally dropped (?) when being moved by apparently incompetent movers and smashed to pieces. One other on Rock Island was demolished when the island was destroyed to make room for a mill. Now, the only one left is Inch Arran, also known as Bon Ami Lighthouse, and the town residents want their council to facilitate its designation under the new Lighthouse Preservation Act, currently awaiting royal assent.

The lighthous, at the northernmost point of New Brunswick, has a lantern encased by an unusual iron birdcage design, not seen very often in lighthouses. Waugoshance Lighthouse in Lake Michigan is another with one of these birdcage lanterns. Inch Arran stands as one of the oldest buildings in town, and is owned by the Coast Guard, but already managed by the town. It is located in Inch Arran Park, near to downtown. The Council decided on June 16 to write to Member of Parliament, Jean-Claude D’Amours, for his help in having the lighthouse declared historic and provide for its preservation. The tower need to be scraped and painted, according to Councillor Bob Harquail.

Poor Reporting On This Story

A short story about it in the Tribune, however, is a little misleading, if not downright disturbing. In the article it states :

Legislation now before the Senate provides for preservation of a certain number of lighthouses as historic buildings. Others will either be turned over to municipalities or community organizations or will be demolished.

Not exactly accurate reporting. Although the legislation is waiting royal assent, and won’t take full effect until 2010 and communities will have a full two years to request designation of a lighthouse, no lighthouses will be harmed with this Act. In fact, the opposite is true, and Canadian lighthouses today have been at risk to be demolished.

From the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, which was instrumental in getting this passed, is a summary of the Act.
The new Act to Protect Heritage Lighthouses:

• Provides a means for the selection and designation of federal heritage lighthouses;
• Prevents the unauthorized alteration of federal heritage lighthouses;
• Requires that designated federal heritage lighthouses be maintained in a manner consistent with accepted conservation standards;
• Facilitates the sale or transfer of federal heritage lighthouses in order to ensure the lighthouses’ public purpose.

Significant features of the legislation:

• Increased protection of the heritage lighthouses under federal stewardship.
• A clear process for the identification, maintenance and divestiture of federal heritage lighthouses.
• New mechanisms for public involvement in the protection of federally owned lighthouses:
  • Public nominations of lighthouses to be considered for heritage designation;
  • Public consultation before alterations are made to heritage lighthouses;
  • Public notice of lighthouses considered surplus to the federal government;
  • Public notice of the transfer of a federal heritage lighthouse to a community group or municipality;
  • Public meeting if a lighthouse is considered for sale to a private owner;
  • Public notice and public meeting if a lighthouse is to be demolished.

It does our cause no good if reporters can’t get the facts right. I urge everyone to leave a comment at the Tribune story (free registration is required) to let Bill Clarke (reporter) know that it’s not a certain number of lighthouses that will only be protected, that all can be, and the rest will NOT be demolished.

Photo credit: Inch Arran Lighthouse by Hellien88 on Webshots.

Post from: Lighthouse News

Dalhousie Wants Inch Arran Lighthouse Preserved

Humboldt County (California) Fairgrounds is apparently home to a First Order Fresnel Lens, manufactured in France, that has been leased to the city of Ferndale since it was removed from Cape Mendocino Lighthouse in 1950. Regular CG inspections have not found anything untoward about this situation, at least not until recently. According to a story in the Times Standard, a Coast Guard housing resident, assigned to maintain records on west coast lighthouses, did a double take when he saw the priceless prism perched above the fairgrounds entrance. He took pictures, and told the fairgrounds manager that he would be contacted in regards to “managing” the rare work of art.

That was in 2006. A year and a half later, Titus said he received a call from a Washington, D.C. Coast Guard curator noting that there were concerns about the lens, including the possibility that the agency might want to take it back. An inspection is scheduled for Monday morning, June 23, to determine if the lens should stay where it’s at or be removed.

From the story:

Coast Guard Curator Arlyn Danielson confirmed Friday that the agency had concerns about how the valuable lens was being housed. She’s already sent a letter to Titus asking that certain steps be taken to safeguard the towering glass lens — including installing motion detection lights and an electronic security system, and upgrading the structure’s electrical wiring.

‘We are evaluating whether or not we want to allow the fairgrounds to keep it there or have it removed,” Danielson said.

The agency has issues with the construction materials used to build the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse replica and the condition of that structure.

“It doesn’t conform to our regulations and requirements for security and safety,” she said.

Entrance to Humboldt County Fairgrounds. Photo from Times-Standard

The lens was installed in a replica of the Lost Coast Lighthouse when the fairgrounds were remodeled. Danielson said that even though everything has been “hunky dory” for the past sixty years, doesn’t mean it’s okay.

It Gets Better (Or Rather Worse)…

Danielson also says that the Coast Guard does not allow lenses to be stored in lighthouse lantern rooms, because they’re exposed to environmental factors, such as the extremes of light and humidity, that can deteriorate lenses. In addition, the lens is not currently being displayed in a maritime situation, which is preferable, she stated.

Okay, maybe the keyword is “stored,” but there are plenty of Fresnel lenses, both active and inactive, “stored” in lighthouses around the world. And as long as the proper care is taken with them, they continue to serve and delight people all over the world. But wait, as if that’s not enough, Danielson reveals in the story that there is a potential buyer for this Fresnel, who has made an offer and has the money to restore this lens.

So Many Things Wrong Here

While I certainly agree the lens should not be stored where it’s susceptible to the weather, and more importantly, vandals, I do not see anything wrong with it being kept by Franklin County, as long as proper precautions are taken to protect it. At least it’s accessible (somewhat) to the public. I’d prefer to see it placed in a museum, where the curators, with proper training, can keep the light in good condition. But what I do not want to see, and I hope you don’t either, is that this jewel is taken away from the public and sold to someone who will add it to a private collection.

There Needs To Be a Public Outcry

Ms. Danielson’s superiors need to be pressured to put a stop to any potential sale of this gem, and to allow it to remain in public view. Depending on the outcome of the inspection, and the willingness of Ferndale to properly protect this irreplaceable lens, we need to get involved to preserve this for the public, and not for one person’s enjoyment. Lighthouse News will be following up on this story.

Photo Credit: Second Order lens on display at the Maine Lighthouse Museum by Sue Clark. Some rights reserved.

Post from: Lighthouse News

Coast Guard Wants Fresnel Lens Back

Earlier this year, Lighthouse News featured a story about the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse in Delaware, which has huge holes underneath its foundation and the breakwall it sits upon from the scouring action of waves. The Army Corps of Engineers conducted a side scan survey of the breakwall and discovered ten to twelve ton rocks displaced. But that’s not what this current article is about. A recent article at Delmarva.Com highlighted the fund raising efforts of the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation to raise $12,000 by the end of the year for some of the repairs. But that’s not what this article is about either. What caught the eye of Lighthouse News in the Delmarva story was a quote by Foundation President Judith Roales.

Here is the part of the story that made me think:

The foundation has about 140 members, but fewer than a dozen are active volunteers, Roales said. That core group has two retired members — Roales is one — and the rest work and have families, making the foundation’s job of preserving the lighthouses even harder.

Roales wishes the foundation had a younger base of supporters because a lot of the manual labor is done by its older volunteers. In 2004, some of the members repainted the Harbor of Refuge lighthouse, and it already needs more work in addition to replacing the door.

“Almost everyone is 50 and older. We need some young, strong muscle to do some of the work,” she said. “What we need are some 20-somethings, instead of us 60-somethings.”

This is not an uncommon scenario with lighthouse preservation groups. Many have a core group of volunteers that do most of the work, and the majority of them are older, retired. Although people are living longer and are healthy for longer, there’s no denying the aches and pains of age. What would take an older person all day to do, someone in their twenties can do it in half the time. I personally suffer from degenerative disc disease, and know others my age and even younger suffer from various other forms of arthritis or other physical problems.

Volunteers paint Head Harbor Lighthouse (East Quoddy)

The face of volunteerism is changing. It’s no longer the stay at home mom who needs something to do when the kids go off to school. That stay at home mom is off to work. Weekends are used for catching up on all the chores. Other agencies and organizations are recruiting volunteers heavily as budgets are cut, leaving lighthouse preservation wanting.

How Do We Capture the Younger Generation?

Organizations that can use a lot of manual labor (painting, scraping, repairing structures, hauling building supplies up rocky slopes, etc.) might want to start thinking outside the box. Volunteer recruiters may want to look at alternative young people. Besides going into schools with presentations on lighthouses (don’t forget the connection to pirates…everyone is fascinated by them now) and lighting the fire of involvement, perhaps a high school or middle school would like to take on a project for one of their history classes. It wouldn’t be that hard to set up with a school. Teachers are always looking for creative ideas to capture their students’ imaginations and keep the desire for learning alive.

What about teens and young adults sentenced in court to do Community Service? I’m not referring to violent criminals here, but those whose sentences are to do a stint of community service rather than detention time. Often these are things we did as youngsters and which were considered pranks, but now are considered minor crimes. Here in Maine, we have Volunteers of America, which runs the community service program. Your local court can direct you to the appropriate agency.

Involving Families

Whether it’s parents with their children, or grandparents with their grandkids, volunteering can be a family affair. Does your group have a family volunteering program yet? In a 1998 study of volunteer motivations among Baby Boomers and Generation X employees, 52% of non-volunteers reported that volunteering “takes me away from family and friends.” Yet 65% of Baby Boomers and 68% of Generation Xers were interested in volunteering when “a family member or friend is involved.” And 53% of Baby Boomers and 39% of Generation Xers were interested in “activities I can do with my family.”

These are just a few thoughts brought on by the story. If you have any suggestions, share them in comments at the end of this story, or if you prefer, just contact me. I’d like to do a series on alternate ways of volunteer recruitment and retention, and involving the younger generation is of major importance. We won’t be around forever, but our lighthouses will live on thanks to the work we’re doing today. But who will care for them when we’re gone?

Photo credits:

• Harbor of Refuge by CellPhoneSusie. Some rights reserved.
• Up With the Birds by headharbourlight. Some rights reserved.

Post from: Lighthouse News

Harbor Of Refuge Lighthouse Needs Money and Muscle

Kincardine Lighthouse, one of Ontario’s prettiest, has been getting some renovation work done to prevent water from leaking into the building. However, the solution by the town council was to cover the wood sided lighthouse with vinyl siding. This has understandably upset many residents of the town, including members of Heritage Kincardine, who appeared before the Council to protest the work and demand that historic details be left intact. The work was done before the lighthouse could be considered for historical designation.

Heritage Kincardine spokesperson Jane Rigby stated they were not consulted before the work commenced, and said the vinyl siding needs to be removed and the new vertical windows replaced with historically accurate four paned ones. In the story at the Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation, Rigby stated that she feels the lighthouse has been scarred by these changes.

Council Thought They Were Doing the Right Thing

In the story, Deputy Mayor Laura Haight, who also is the chair of the Public Works Committee that made the decision to replace the siding, said there was no intention to do anything bad to the lighthouse. She added that it looks better than might be expected. Well, that’s all well and good, but is “looking better than expected” the result we want for our historic structures? Whether it’s a lighthouse, a Victorian railroad station, an art deco office building, a stately old theater, the answer is NO.

This is a prime example of why there was a need for the Canadian Historic Preservation Act, and why it should have passed a long time ago. It also shows why there is a need for historic preservation guidelines. Perhaps some feel these guidelines are too restrictive on what a property owner can or can’t do, but there is a reason for this. These are historically important structures, and to preserve them we need to make sure that any corrective actions we take are historically correct, and more important, cause no damage. As an example, if you mix a modern mortar to repoint the brickwork, you run the risk of having the two disparate types react with each other, causing more problems further down the road.

Proper painting and replacement of any rotting wood would have been the correct way to maintain the tower. And to just put in modern windows, while they may be efficient, does not do anything to preserve the historical look, and actually harms educational efforts. The lighthouse, besides housing the offices of the Kincardine Yacht Club, is also home to a maritime display from the Bruce County Museum. Perhaps the museum should have stepped up and said something to the town about their lame attempts at waterproofing before the work began.

Authenticity Needs To Be Maintained

Even Jeld-Wen, whose business is to sell high efficiency doors and windows, provides the winning lighthouse in their grant program with historically accurate, and yet efficient, doors and windows. Which is a reminder, don’t forget to vote for the lighthouse you’d like to see win this year. There are twelve needy lighthouses that need new windows and doors, so be sure to let friends and family know about it, too. Perhaps the town of Kincardine should have researched their options a little better before slapping on some cheap vinyl siding.

The story at Bayshore Broadcasting quotes Deputy Mayor Haight as agreeing to have all parties involved in this misguided renovation sit down and discuss what to do with the lighthouse, and with all historic structures. Let’s hope that this is followed through on, and a town that normally prides itself on its history will do the right thing and actually preserve the past the way it is meant to be preserved.

Photo credit: Kincardine Lighthouse by *ASAP* on Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Post from: Lighthouse News

Kincardine Lighthouse Renovated - Or Not?