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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 889
Wells, Maine 04090
207-646-0245
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the
preservation of America's historic
lighthouses & lightships and
their heritage.
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ALF & FPPL Hold Public Meeting in the Town of
Bristol to Discuss Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
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Often times a wonderful historic preservation project
like a lighthouse can be located in a community’s backyard and yet many
residents may not fully understand the entire value of the project or
the dedicated efforts being put forth by their neighbors to help save
the icon they share a mutual admiration for.
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
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Despite the many great accomplishments made by the Friends of Pemaquid Point
Lighthouse (FPPL), a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF),
over the past four years, the volunteers at Pemaquid Point Light have
continually discovered that such a lack of understanding, and even damaging
misconceptions about the project, exist with some of the Town of Bristol’s
residents and leadership alike.
Therefore, in a pro-active effort to enhance the communication and education
process, ALF and FPPL hosted a public meeting on November 9, 2006 at the
Bristol Consolidated School in Bristol, Maine, to share their passionate
story and ongoing successes with the community and allow for residents to
take part in a question & answer session following a PowerPoint presentation
entitled, “Pemaquid Point Lighthouse: A Shining Light along Maine’s Coast.”
The purpose of the meeting was three-fold. One, the Friends of Pemaquid
Point Lighthouse wanted to take the opportunity to explain to a broader |
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Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
ALF president Tim Harrison (left)
explains ALF's mission to the 60-plus people in the audience
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audience who the American Lighthouse Foundation is and
why the organization is a national leader in lighthouse preservation and
the finest of stewards in the effort to perpetuate the legacy of
Pemaquid Point Light.
Another goal of the public meeting was to convey the
accomplishments of the local chapter, which include a very successful
effort to staff the lighthouse with volunteers seven days a week from
Memorial Day through October 15th over the past two years – a
commitment that has allowed nearly 30,000 visitors to climb Pemaquid
Point Lighthouse each year for 2005 & 2006 alone. The FPPL’s dedication
to ensuring |
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public access to
the light tower has thus had a profound impact on the educational and
cultural aspects associated with forging a viable lighthouse preservation
ethic within the surrounding communities. In addition, the program explained
to the audience the critical restoration work that the light tower currently
requires, and the ALF / FPPL plans to facilitate the restoration on the 1835
historic structure as soon as possible – even as early as 2007.
The final purpose was to provide a platform for Town officials and residents
to voice any concerns they might have in regards to the project, as well as
an opportunity to express admiration for the efforts of the Friends of
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. As with any public meeting, the anticipated
reaction to the presence and work of the American Lighthouse Foundation and
its chapter was mixed. Individuals voiced a variety of emotional comments,
with both community members stating their full support of ALF and FPPL, and
of course those residents who would prefer that “outsiders” not be involved
with Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, but rather the tower be placed under the
control of the Town of Bristol.
ALF president Timothy Harrison, executive director Bob Trapani, Jr., and
FPPL president Marty Welt respectfully answered all questions, including |
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disagree with ALF’s involvement at the lighthouse. Much of the concern
centered around the fact that some Bristol officials and residents
believe the Town was slighted by the United States Coast Guard when they
originally granted ALF a license on Pemaquid Point Lighthouse back in
2000 – this despite the fact that Town officials are on record as
refusing |
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
(L to R) Tim Harrison, Bob Trapani and
Marty Welt represented ALF/FPPL and
answered the questions of the public
during a Q & A session
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stewardship of the
lighthouse back in 1993 when the U.S. Coast Guard made such an offer.
A few in the audience also stated that it was their strong desire to see the
Town of Bristol own the lighthouse when it is eventually deemed surplus
property under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse
Preservation Act. When queried about this topic and ALF’s intentions when
the ownership opportunity arises, Harrison and Trapani both noted that it
was the organization’s intent to work in partnership with the Town of
Bristol, but that if the Town refused ALF’s involvement, that indeed they
would apply for ownership, believing that their proven track record in
lighthouse preservation, and the accomplishments of their dedicated local
chapter, warranted such a pursuit.
“The meeting did not raise any real new issues” said Marty Welt of the
Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. “There was certainly acknowledgment of
the good work of FPPL and how smooth things went this year. We clearly heard
how strongly certain residents feel about who owns and controls the tower.”
My understanding is there are similar feelings with respect to Fort William
Henry (also in Bristol), but it is owned and controlled by the state of ME.”
Welt went on to
note, “Unfortunately there was no acknowledgment that there is value in
"experts" overseeing things in their areas of expertise (i.e., ALF). There
was no discussion of what the town would have to do if they were to take
over the tower.” For example recruiting volunteers, maintenance, training,
fund raising, preservation and the list goes on and on. There is lots of
emotion about people from somewhere else coming into Bristol and managing
the lighthouse.”
ALF and FPPL also fielded comments that the lighthouse was having an adverse
effect on the donations being received inside the adjacent Fisherman’s
Museum, which is housed in the light station’s former keeper’s house. ALF
and FPPL pointed out the fact that the Town of Bristol charges a $2.00
admission for every person entering Lighthouse Park and that the lighthouse
is open free to the public, with only suggested donations for climbing the
tower – all of which go directly back into the effort to preserve the
historic lighthouse.
FPPL president Marty Welt stated that “in the tower docents give a history
lesson, answer questions, and even give advice to visitors on |
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Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
FPPL president Marty Welt took the
opportunity to share the chapter's
educational initiatives with the
audience, efforts that enrich the public's learning experience at the
lighthouse
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where to eat. Visitors will pay for value
and the fact that we receive lots of donations is because they must
value what we offer them.” Welt also noted that though the perception by
some in the community is that FPPL is benefiting in a big way from
visitor donations, the opposite is actually the reality. He pointed out
that FPPL only receives an average of about 80 cents per person – a
figure that is not all that lucrative |
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in the scheme of
things, especially when considering the donations equate to about $24,000 a
year and that the exterior restoration of the masonry tower alone is a
$100,000 project.
A few individuals in the audience strongly suggested that ALF/FPPL and the
Town of Bristol commit to establishing a healthy dialogue that might
possibly identify a middle ground mutually agreeable to both sides – a
notion that the nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation welcomed
wholeheartedly. Though the concept of reestablishing a meaningful dialogue
was publicly embraced by Town officials and ALF/FPPL, the nonprofit noted
that they offered this option before when both parties met in June 2005, but
it was made clear to ALF that the Town’s position resisted any option that
did not cede control of the lighthouse over to the municipality –
effectively removing ALF from the equation.
Despite this fact, ALF / FPPL did not hesitate pursuing such a partnership
opportunity again. Marty Welt concluded by saying, “As president I hope a
dialogue will come from this meeting, which will lead somewhere positive.
However, I'm afraid that someone will have to step up from Bristol with a
more open mind for this to go anywhere. Maybe there were such people in the
audience last night, but most who spoke came across with the same emotional
arguments we heard before, I'm afraid.”
It is hoped that the American Lighthouse Foundation and its chapter, the
Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, will be able to arrange for such an
effort to occur with the Town of Bristol, and that the municipality
leadership and residents alike will indeed be sincere in exploring the
partnership concept through tangible and meaningful actions, not simply just
through words for public posturing purposes.
In the end, ALF and FPPL have only one goal – to preserve the Pemaquid Point
Lighthouse to its fullest and ensure that the historic tower is a unique
educational site that teaches present and future generations of the light’s
heritage and the vital importance of lighthouse preservation. The Town of
Bristol voices the same goals, thus this mutual vision offers up hope that
some sort of partnership can eventually be established and strengthen the
preservation and education goals for the lighthouse – but only if the
potential stumbling blocks of pride, power, control and greed can be
neutralized and put aside for the good of Pemaquid Point Light and all those
working so hard in the present to save this treasure for future generations.
Posted: 11/17/06 |
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