Lighthouse News

Get your bids in for Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse. The General Services Administration has set October 26 as the soft close. A soft close means the sale will close on that date unless another, higher bid is received before their set time. Currently, as of today, the bids sit at $30,000.

For that money, you get one of the prettier lighthouses that have gone up for auction. And it’s relatively accessible, at the end of a breakwater in an Ohio State park. This lighthouse has so much potential, if you are looking to buy, this is the one to get. It’s an absolute beauty.

Some good news out of Canada…the planned de-staffing of several lighthouses has been put off indefinitely. The voices of the lighthouse keepers, the public outcry, and the intervention of the Fisheries Minister and Members of Parliament has stopped, for now, the loss of jobs.

The review, which has no specified timeline for completion, will be undertaken by the Coast Guard, who made the decision to destaff them in the first place. But at least for now, the lighthouse keepers will remain and continue to provide assistance to mariners and maintenance to the buildings.

For those that have wondered, the newsletter is not dead. Ongoing health problems this summer and fall have made it difficult to be at a computer. Stand by for more regular updates. And thanks for reading.

The Green Island Light Station being de-staffed is the one in Newfoundland. The Green Island in BC is due for the cuts in the second round. An open letter from the President of the BC Lightkeepers Local 20232 PSAC follows:

OPEN LETTER TO CANADIAN CITIZENS FROM LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS

Once again, government bureaucrats are attempting to remove the services of  Lightkeepers from the Canadian people. They are working quickly to implement a plan to de-staff the remaining 27staffed lightstations on the west coast and the remaining 9 on the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The list of lighthouses available to non-profits and municipalities has been updated to reflect one addition, Race Rock Light in New York, Also added the notices of availability and fact sheets (if online). Please visit the original post for the information and to download the documents.

The auction for East Charity Shoal Lighthouse ended today with a final bid of $25,501 offered by someone using the name nylight. That’s a fairly small price for the lighthouse, although it’s offshore in Lake Ontario. Still, it’s a nice light. I will, as always, try to determine the name of the winner, but oftentimes the buyer requests that their name not be released.

If you’re interested in the next one, the Fairport Harbor West Breakwall Lighthouse is coming up for auction in September.

Although not officially accepted by St. Clair County yet, the city of Port Huron has voted to transfer the lighthouse over to them. And better yet, the council also voted to transfer the $370,000 federal grant it was given, along with the matching funds to the county. The vote, on August 17, was 5-2 in favor.

A committee hearing has been scheduled for July 22, 2009 at 2:30 PM EDT for the purpose of discussing Senate Bill 715, an act to establish a pilot program to provide for the preservation and rehabilitation of historic lighthouses. Now is the time to contact the members of the Energy Subcommittee to voice your support for the bill, which would establish a funding mechanism to states that have lighthouses, based on the number of lighthouses in the respective state. Click here for the list of Committee members. This bill was cosponsored by Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine.

One bid has been received for the East Charity Shoal Lighthouse, for $10,001. There is still no closing date set for the auction.

The next lighthouse to go on sale will be the Kenosha (WI) North Pierhead. There is no starting date for the bidding, but you can check out a preview here. And after that, the Fairport (OH) Harbor Lighthouse (preview here).

I cannot believe the Fairport Harbor went unwanted by a local group or non-profit. That is one lighthouse where there is actually a real possibility of living in it.

Thanks to Noah for finding the preview links.

With the city of Port Huron’s refusal to accept the transfer of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, the Museum has enlisted the aid of St. Clair County. On July 1, county commissioners toured the lighthouse and grounds and all indications are that they appear to be ready to accept it from the GSA. I daresay the GSA will be willing to transfer to the county rather than the city, just to bring this long running saga to an end. Port Huron has also indicated its willingness to transfer the grant money it has in reserve to the county.