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Save
Our Lights!
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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse
Foundation is a
Non-Profit
501(c)(3) Organization dedicated
to the preservation of America's
historic lighthouses.
SEARCH ALF WEB
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ALF Awarded $380,000 for Three
Maine Lighthouses
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The nonprofit
American Lighthouse Foundation has announced the organization will
receive $380,000 in Federal funding for three of Maine’s historic
lighthouses.
The funding,
secured by U.S. Senators Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, will
help support critical preservation work needed at Owls Head,
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Wood Island Lighthouse was built in 1858
and marks the entrance to the Saco
River
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Pemaquid Point and
Wood Island lighthouses.
The American
Lighthouse Foundation cares for 20 historic lighthouses from Connecticut to
Maine through a variety of public-private partnerships and is a national
leader in lighthouse preservation. Over the past decade, ALF has invested
over $2 million dollars in lighthouse preservation and facilitates a
successful adaptive re-use program, which utilizes these historic
lighthouses as cultural resources for the public.
“This Federal
appropriation is a huge boost to our lighthouse preservation efforts, but it
also represents a victory for Maine as well,” said Bob |
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was built
in 1835 and marks the entrance to
Muscongus Bay and John Bay
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Trapani, Jr.,
executive director for the American Lighthouse Foundation. “The
importance of this funding will far exceed face value – it’s also a
vital investment in what makes Maine so special to residents and
visitors alike.”
Trapani
further noted, “ALF is very grateful for the support our organization
received from Senators Collins |
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and Snowe
throughout the appropriation process. Any worthwhile effort that succeeds is
almost always the result of a team effort, and ALF’s mission to preserve our
lighthouse heritage is no exception. This funding will build on the
successes ALF has realized over the last decade and help forge a brighter
future for these cherished icons of our coast.”
The three
lighthouses that will benefit from this appropriation, which was contained
within the FY09 Omnibus Bill approved by Congress on March 10, 2009, are Federally owned and
licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation by the United States Coast
Guard for preservation and educational purposes. Owls Head, Pemaquid Point
and Wood Island are also publicly accessible for Mainers and visitors alike,
and each lighthouse remains an active aid to navigation.
Senator Susan
Collins touched on these facts, and the importance of funding for Maine’s
lighthouses saying,“The nonprofit American Lighthouse |
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Foundation in
Rockland, Maine, partners with the United States Coast Guard to protect,
restore and preserve Federally owned historic lighthouse properties. The
three Maine lighthouses that will directly benefit from that funding –
Owls Head, Pemaquid Point and Wood Island – are maintained by the U.S.
Coast Guard as active aids to navigation.”
Senator
Collins went on to say, “By working in |
Photo by Sean Murphy
"...this
is a wonderful public-private partnership (the U.S. Coast Guard & ALF).
It is the kind of partnership we in Congress like to see and that we
promote."
-- U.S. Senator Susan M. Collins
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partnership with
the Coast Guard, the Foundation has been able to raise funds from the
private sector. Over the past decade, the Foundation has invested more than
$2 million in restoring lighthouses throughout New England, and in the
process, saved the Federal Government much money by improving these sites
with private sector dollars. So this is a wonderful public-private
partnership. It is the kind of partnership we in Congress like to see and
that we promote.”
In addition to the
Federal funds assisting with critical preservation work at Owls Head,
Pemaquid Point and Wood Island lighthouses, the monies will also have a
positive impact on Maine’s economy.
Lighthouses are
vital pillars to Maine’s heritage tourism industry, which is a major
economic contributor to the vitality of many Maine businesses and
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Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
(L to R) Sean Murphy, FOWIL
vice-president, Brad Coupe, FOWIL
president, Senator Susan Collins, Bob Trapani, Jr., ALF executive
director, Jim Leslie, J.B. Leslie Masonry Company and Sheri
Poftak, FOWIL Historian at Wood Island
Lighthouse in August 2007
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the residents
they employ.
By preserving
lighthouses for the present and future, the effort is also an investment
in the future strength of the Pine Tree State’s heritage tourism
industry. The Federal funding will also employ skilled tradesmen through
professional restoration projects, which comes at a time in our nation’s
history when such opportunities are extremely important to Maine
companies and businesses.
“Lighthouse history and preservation is a key
component of Maine tourism,” says Vaughn Stinson, CTC, Maine Tourism
Association chief executive officer. “Since 1921, the Maine Tourism
Association has been Maine’s acknowledged tourism leader. We have
first-hand knowledge of how important historical sites and |
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preservation is to
Maine’s visitors. Our Association works very diligently for historic
preservation, and in the past, has supported the American Lighthouse
Foundation and their efforts.”
In speaking of
MTA’s support of ALF’s Federal appropriation for Maine’s lighthouses, Mr.
Stinson went on to say, “While I understand that there are many pressures on
the current economy, tourism remains the number one industry in Maine. (The)
funding will go a long way in helping keep Maine’s men and women in the
tourism industry employed. In addition to that, preservation work creates
many jobs and results in purchases that in turn, help stimulate Maine’s
economy.”
Two of the lighthouses –
Owls Head and Pemaquid Point, reside along Maine’s Midcoast, and each
attracts a host of visitors annually from all around the country.
“In this region,
lighthouses represent a vital economic component and attraction, and are an
integral part of our heritage,” says Shari Closter, |
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Penobscot Bay
Regional Chamber of Commerce interim executive director. “Lighthouses
authentically represent our history, both in the past and present. This
heritage tourism component is a very powerful economic development tool
that fosters new business opportunities, creates jobs and strengthens
our local economies.”
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Owls Head Lighthouse was built in 1825
and marks the entrance Rockland Harbor
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Ms. Closter goes
on to note, “With over 58,000 visitors per year in our visitor center, the
predominant request by these visitors is where they can see and visit
lighthouses in the region. Lighthouses are art, history and culture, and
represent one of the top attractions from a tourism perspective. This
Federal appropriation in support of the American Lighthouse Foundation’s
mission will certainly have a positive effect throughout the state of Maine
and we were very proud to support their request.”
Related
Links...
♦
Staff Members from U.S. Senator Susan Collins' Office
Visit
Wood Island Light Station
(August 14, 2006)
♦
Senator Collins Visits Wood Island Lighthouse in
Biddeford
(August 24, 2007)
♦
FOWIL Proudly Shares the Mystique of Wood Island
Lighthouse
with U.S. Senator Susan Collins
(August 24, 2007)
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Posted: 3/19/2009 |
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