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Rockland Breakwater Light
Moves ‘Steady Ahead’ in 2008 towards the
Horizon of Complete Restoration
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Lighthouse preservation is a wonderful journey that is
built upon sustaining pillars such as dedication, sacrifice and
persistence. The attitude of ‘staying the course’ is vital to ensuring
the success of our efforts, for there is no substitute to progress
realized one determined step at a time. |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
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This kind of determination embodies the ongoing restoration of Rockland
Breakwater Lighthouse by the Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.
The year 2008 proved to be another milestone in the history of the 1902
sentinel, as the Friends of Rockland Breakwater (FORB), a chapter of the
American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), achieved a number of restoration and
maintenance goals throughout the iconic building.
One critical project completed by FORB this year was the exterior railing
project. “The replacement of the lower railing around the lighthouse,
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Photo by Ted Panayotoff
A view of the new lower railing
at the lighthouse
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which was begun at the end of the 2007 work season, was
completed in 2008,” says Ted Panayotoff, FORB assistant project
coordinator. “There is now a new, secure and architecturally appropriate
railing around the base of the lighthouse.”
Panayotoff goes on to |
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note, “This work was accomplished by Rockport Steel of Rockport, Maine. It
is interesting to note that this company is the direct descendent, and the
present owner, the grandson of the owner of the company that originally
built the lighthouse in 1902.”
All summer long, thousands of visitors toured the interior of Rockland
Breakwater Lighthouse and obtained a one-of-a-kind educational |
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experience,
but history wasn’t the only thing people learned at the site. FORB
volunteers also conveyed the importance of preserving the lighthouse for
future generations and explained the 2008 restoration efforts that were
plainly evident throughout the building.
A combination
of work projects completed by |
Photo by Ted Panayotoff
Maine Coast Construction completed finish
carpentry on the interior of the keeper's house
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Maine Coast Construction and volunteers from FORB and FMC Corporation in
Rockland yielded measurable inroads regarding the interior restoration of
the former keeper’s house. These projects included interior finish
carpentry, interior painting, electrical work and temporary repairs to the
storm-damaged boathouse.
Maine Coast Construction of Camden completed the necessary finish carpentry
work in the large second floor bedroom of the keeper’s house. According to
Ted Panayotoff, this included, “repairs to the window frames, ceilings and
walls.”
Panayotoff goes on to say, “This room is now ready for preparation, priming,
and painting. The ceiling was primed on the last suitable day for painting
this season.”
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Photo by Ted Panayotoff
FORB & FMC volunteers completed interior
priming & painting in the dining room
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Maine Coast Construction (MCC) also carried out temporary
repairs to protect the wooden boathouse by installing plywood on the
east side of the boathouse to help protect the building from additional
storm damage over the winter.
The Maine Historic Preservation Commission awarded ALF /
FORB an |
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$8,500 matching grant in 2008 to help fund the historic restoration of the
boathouse, which was damaged during the April 2007 Patriot’s Day Gale. MCC
will begin the work on the boathouse restoration project in 2009.
Though professional contracting firms, under the guidance of the Maine
Historic Preservation Commission, facilitate all the historic restoration
projects at Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, there are still plenty of
maintenance-type activities that volunteers can make a difference with.
FORB and FMC Corporation volunteers teamed up to accomplish interior |
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painting
projects in 2008. “The interiors of three of the four rooms in the
keeper’s quarters were painted,” says Panayotoff. “This included prep
work, priming, and painting of ceilings, woodwork and walls.”
According to
Panayotoff, there were a number of electrical improvements accomplished
in 2008 as well, including the wiring and installation of |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
FORB volunteers continue their work to
keep Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
'shining bright'
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electrical lighting in the basement by a volunteer licensed electrician.
Appropriate historic period lighting fixtures were also installed in the
rooms where painting projects were complete.
The 2008 season has now ended and “Old Man Winter” is knocking at the door,
but that doesn’t mean the restoration work at Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
will go into hibernation.
To the contrary,
the Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse remain busy planning for
additional projects in 2009 that will ensure the lighthouse systematically
draws ever closer to complete restoration and their ‘steady ahead’
persistence shines brightly on.
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Photo by Ted Panayotoff
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FORB & FMC volunteers
teamed up to prime and paint the living room
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FORB & FMC
volunteers primed and painted a second floor bedroom
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Photo by Ted Panayotoff
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
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A view of the
boathouse storm damage caused by the Patriot's Day Gale
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A view of the
protective plywood installed on the boathouse by MCC at the end of 2008
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Photo by Ted Panayotoff
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Posted: 11/13/08 |
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