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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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The following letters from Marty Welt, president of the Friends of Pemaquid
Point Lighthouse (FPPL), and Joseph Ponti, FPPL board member, have been
submitted to the Lincoln County News in an effort to clarify some local
misconceptions within the Town of Bristol that have arisen in relation to
the stewardship of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.
From Marty Welt, FPPL President:
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Belongs to the People
I recently sent the letter below to Chad Hanna, Bristol
Selectman, to move us forward in light of all of the recent press on who
should own the lighthouse. It is clear that emotions are running high among
some Bristol |
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residents since the ALF currently holds the Coast Guard
lease on the tower. The Friends of Pemaquid Point Light, a chapter of
ALF, has full local oversight of the tower. We are an all-volunteer
group of almost 30 people from Bristol and surrounding towns. Everyone
in the group is dedicated to preserving the lighthouse and keeping it
open for the public to enjoy. We believe the lighthouse belongs to
all the people who value it. At least the recent articles have
acknowledged the good work by FPPL, whose volunteers work very hard from
Memorial Day to Columbus Day |
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
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keeping the tower open from 9-5 seven days a week.
November 14, 2006
Dear Mr. Hanna,
Although we didn’t get a chance to speak to one another at the Pemaquid
Lighthouse meeting last Thursday evening, Bob Kline briefed me on his
discussion with you. Reflecting on the meeting, it is clear that people are
confused by the fact that different groups run the tower and the museum.
Charging a gate fee while also encouraging donations adds to the confusion.
I have a suggestion for a first step in working together to clarify matters.
What I propose is that we jointly create a new single Pemaquid |
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Lighthouse
Park brochure. The brochure would cover the gate fee, hours when the
park is open and the various venues that can be visited (museum, tower,
gallery, bell tower, picnic area, etc.). The brochure could explain in a
note what the gate fee covers and also mention that some of the venues
do |
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have donation
boxes to cover specific restoration/maintenance projects at those venues.
A unified brochure would project a single Bristol Town park with many
historic things to see. Who owns/oversees the various parts would not be
specified. If the Town of Bristol would like to create such a brochure, FPPL
would be willing to prepare a draft for your review. FPPL is also happy to
share the cost of production.
I look forward to your response and to working together.
Marty Welt
President - FPPL
Nobleboro
From Joseph Ponti, FPPL Board Member:
Letter to the Editor
Lincoln County News
For the past 25 years my wife and I have spent most of our discretionary
vacation time in Maine, specifically in Chamberlain, and we've loved being a
part of the Maine experience. Four years ago we had the good fortune of
finally being able to buy our own second home in Chamberlain and now with
both of us being retired we now spend the entire summer there. We pay taxes
like everyone else and don't complain about the services we get or don't
get. We are just happy to be part of a wonderful neighborhood full of great
friends. As payback to the community at large we have involved ourselves in
a number of community efforts such as CHIP, the Bristol Library, the Long
Cove Point Association (current president), St. Patrick's church, and last
but not least the Friends of Pemaquid Point Light (FPPL) where I served a
vice-president, board member, and an active docent.
My wife and I are saddened to see the current situation surrounding Pemaquid
Light that is polarizing the town of Bristol. At a November 9th
informational meeting held at the Bristol School on Rt 130 we observed many
of the local towns people expressing their frustration, resentment, |
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| and even anger. The question was raised:
"How could it be that the stewardship of the lighthouse now rests with
the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF) and not with the town of
Bristol?" We also heard the words: " We have lived here all our lives
and now strangers are in the process of usurping our most precious
heritage, |
Fresnel Lens inside
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
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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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Posted: 11/24/06 |
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