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the Pemaquid Lighthouse." Other words spoken also revealed a genuine sense
of pride and caring for the well being of the lighthouse by the locals. I
was surprised to see even some of the younger folks in the audience express
these sentiments. As a matter of fact there was a unanimous agreement by
every one in attendance that the lighthouse should be preserved and cared
for. No one will give you an argument on this point!
Against this background, my sense is that the root cause of the issue is
that of control and ownership. The bone of contention rests on the notion
that the ALF and the US Coast Guard pulled a fast one a few years ago by not
giving the town of Bristol a chance to apply for a license to open the tower
structure to the public, assume responsibility for its maintenance, and
become stewards for the long term viability of the structure. The current
debate on the subject of who said what to whom and when will continue for
decades as the search for a "smoking gun" consumes more and more energy as
time passes. I frankly don't know the answer but I do feel that if it goes
on unchecked, the interests of preserving the lighthouse will not be served
I'm a native of Massachusetts and I won't pretend that I know how the locals
feel about the issues. They have had generations to develop their stand and
one can't help but admire them for it. As an away person I can only give you
my perception of how I see the facts. Let's briefly touch on some of the
facts at hand. First and foremost it should be recognized that the Coast
guard has been under the Secretary of Homeland defense for a number of
years and their priorities are clearly spelled out in their new mission
statement. Unfortunately lighthouses are not in the upper echelon of their
priorities. They are barely on the "radar scope". Furthermore, technology
has certainly relegated lighthouses to a secondary or tertiary status. I'd
venture to say that the reliability of a hand-held GPS is actually higher
that the operational elements that comprise a lighthouse system. Lighthouses
now reside in the domain of nostalgia and antique artifacts. Thank God that
there are a lot of people today (and the number is growing) who really care
for them. They not only love them for their charm and beauty, but for their
links to our past history. A good part of our country's history in
integrally linked to lighthouses.
Technology and the Coast Guard's new role have certainly left the care and
upkeep of lighthouses in a lonely place. And yet around the country
volunteers are stepping in to fill the gap and keep "America's Castles" from
crumbling. On group well known in the Northeast is the ALF. Under their
advice, council and leadership, with the brunt of the efforts being borne by
private citizens, over a dozen lighthouses have been restored and saved from
the scrap heap. This is a great record! One cannot deny the act that the ALF
knows how to do it and do it well indeed.
Let's continue with the facts. Using a well-proven professional formula, the
ALF in an above board manner applied for a Coast Guard license at Pemaquid
Lighthouse in early 2003. For whatever reasons or circumstances the town of
Bristol did not apply at that time. In 2003 a number of other events
transpired namely: the FPPL a chapter of the ALF was organized, the Maine 25
cent piece (showing an image of the Pemaquid Lighthouse) was released, and
the FPPL cleaned, painted and refurbished the interior of the structure
before opening it to the public. All expenses were carried by private
donations and the ALF took out and paid for a liability insurance policy and
has kept it in effect to date. Initially the FPPL was able to muster less
than a dozen volunteers, and for the 2003 season the lighthouse was opened
for only 1 1/2 days a week. It was a humble beginning but the public loved
it and clamored for more open hours. Year after year membership growth was
matched by increased public attendance. The schedule expanded to 3 days,
then to five days with attendance topping 25,000 in 2005. Finally for the
2006 season which ran from Memorial Day to Columbus day the FPPL was able to
answer the call with 35 volunteers and at the request of the Town of Bristol
expanded the hours from 9 to 5 seven days per week. Over 30,000 visitors
made the climb to the cupola during 2006.
Docents undergo an intensive training session and are very knowledgeable on
the history of Pemaquid Light, Fresnel lenses and lighthouses in general.
Visitor experiences are enhanced by the many visual displays that have been
produces by the FPPL and are on display at the base of the tower and in the
cupola. The FPPL/ALF have proven over the past four years that they can be
good stewards. When it was discovered last year that the tower would need
extensive maintenance work in excess of $100,000, the FPPL stepped up to the
line and launched a fund raising campaign that has raised over $25,000 to
date. All of these funds are earmarked for the lighthouse. Concurrent with
this the ALF has been busily applying for grants to provide the bulk of the
required restoration dollars. The FPPL have not approached the Town of
Bristol for any public funding.
As a person from "Away”, I can certainly empathize with some of the issues
raised by the locals, but the level of listening must be raised to start
to really explore possibilities. At the November 9th meeting an informal
agreement was reached to open a substantive dialogue between town officials
and the ALF/FPPL. My hopes are that this meeting takes place as soon as
possible and that the conversation be shifted from that of assessment to
that of facts, because without a basis of facts to move from there is no way
that possibilities can be explored and realized. So I say let the
conversation for possibilities begin because our grand children and their
grand children deserve it.
Joe Ponti
Chamberlain, ME / Andover, MA
To read about the ALF/FPPL efforts to work with the Town of
Bristol on the long-term preservation of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, go to
the story below…
ALF & FPPL Hold Public Meeting in Town of Bristol to Discuss Pemaquid Point
Lighthouse
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