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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
Fax: 207-596-1091
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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“Do not go
where the path may lead, go instead
where there
is no path and leave a trail.”
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dedicated Preservationists Reap
Rewards for their Untiring Efforts to Save
New Canal Lighthouse
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
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The lighthouse
preservation movement all around the United States is in full swing,
with preservationists working harder than ever to save many of our
nation’s historic lights. Yet despite the wide ranging projects being
undertaken, it is probably a fair statement to say that no nonprofit
group has |
Photo by Bob & Sandra Shanklin
New Canal Lighthouse as it appeared
before Hurricane Katrina
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been forced to
endure more in the way of daunting challenges in saving a lighthouse than
the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In fact, right now
there may not be another restoration project in America that compares to the
structural damage, legal complexities and bureaucratic frustrations that
have combined to engulf the efforts to save |
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Photo courtesy of LPBF
The lighthouse was still standing after
the
two hurricanes, but a November cold
front finally toppled the structure
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the New Canal
Lighthouse. And we haven’t even touched on the unspeakable human
tragedies and community losses that abound in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina throughout the Gulf region. To say the least, unprecedented
challenge and calamity have unfortunately created a project that has no
equal.
The lighthouse
preservation community as a whole often |
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contemplates how
tough things can be with what seems like an ever-present lack of funds,
volunteers, time and resources – all of which are valid challenges and
concerns. Yet, even these undeniable challenges tend to pale in comparison
to what our Gulf Coast friends at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
have gone through to try and save a lighthouse that less-dedicated folks
might have long ago forsaken if presented with the same nearly
insurmountable nonprofit and personal challenges.
It is all but impossible to fathom, let alone gain a true understanding, of
the Gulf’s dire circumstances in the wake of the storm damage. Mere |
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| words and fleeting images are at a loss
to fully convey the physical and emotional depth of despair, especially
for those of us far removed from a catastrophe of this magnitude.
Through the insight of Anne Rheams, deputy director of the Lake
Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, we are able to gain a very small glimpse
into the incredible difficulties associated with carrying out a mission
like lighthouse preservation |
Photo courtesy of LPBF
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under such
storm-ravaged circumstances. Ms. Rheams’ comments come exactly one year to
the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf.
“It has been an emotional day for all of us,” said Rheams on August 29,
2006. “The lighthouse is a symbol of the bureaucratic mess that follows a
disaster the scale of Katrina. Many good-intentioned folks get stuck in
rules and regulations while things deteriorate daily. I will spare you the
gory details of all the red tape and ups and downs.”
Rheams went on to note, “On this day one year ago the New Canal Lighthouse
took its first hit from Hurricane Katrina. As you know, |
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Photo by Lewis Valdez
New Canal Lighthouse collapsed in
November 2005 following the devastating
impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita,
and a November cold front
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Hurricane Rita knocked it around a little
more and the last big blow came with a November cold front. Since then,
it has been slowly disintegrating. All
along we have fought to gain the legal entitlement to secure, stabilize
and restore it. Where we stand on this day is on two fronts. One, we
have written legislation that one of our U.S. Senators is attempting to
move |
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through. We first
must get our Orleans Levee Board (OLB) to release a reversionary clause that
would give title of a portion of land on the site back to the Federal
government. The U.S. Coast Guard requires the whole site to be under their
title in order to surplus it. We are working on this; however, the OLB is
soon to be dissolved and all of their resources passed on to the state –
another layer of government.”
“In the meantime, we are
negotiating with the U.S. Coast Guard on the lease,” said Rheams. “The
insurance they require is impossibly expensive and hard to come by in this
post-Katrina world – general liability alone is $23,000 a year! We will also
begin a huge capital campaign to obtain the estimated $2.7 million that will
be necessary to restore the lighthouse.”
The efforts and dedication of the LPBF to navigate through a sea of crushing
frustrations and complexities were finally rewarded on |
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September 20, 2006 when the Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Foundation and the United States Coast Guard signed a 5-year lease on
New Canal Lighthouse. The lease provides the nonprofit with the legal
authority to access the site and begin working towards the ravaged
beacon’s restoration.
No one was more elated than LPBF deputy director Rheams
who said, “The saying is true, I guess – that good things come to those
who wait.” Rheams went on to note that the nonprofit “will begin site
cleanup within the next few weeks. The next step is stabilization and
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Photo courtesy of LPBF
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protection for
which we will need about $75,000. Once we’ve secured the site we will begin
the restoration phase.”
According to a story in the 9/23/06 edition of The Times-Picayune
newspaper in New Orleans, “The deal ends more than a year of misery for
foundation deputy director Anne Rheams, who – on behalf of the foundation,
tried to launch a restoration effort after the beating by Katrina. The
nonprofit group, credited with restoring the water quality of Lake
Pontchartrain, had to sit idly by during the subsequent blows because the
foundation had no legal authority to enter the site or make repairs. ‘I feel
like I’ve been let out of prison,’ said a jubilant Rheams. ‘It’s a beautiful
moment for everyone who has worked so hard on this.’”
So what’s next for the 1890 New Canal Lighthouse? For starters, LPBF and
their professional architects and engineers will begin by shoring, leveling |
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Photo courtesy of LPBF
The lantern snapped off the top of
the lighthouse when it collapsed
in November 2005
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and repositioning the severely damaged
two-story, wood frame structure. The lighthouse, which was placed in the
National Register of Historic Places in 1985, will then move into the
next stabilization phase that entails establishing temporary steel beams
under the second floor joists to brace the still-intact sleeping
quarters level. In addition, heavy timbers will be used to |
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support the
remaining components until the restoration phase is commenced.
“The steel beams will be supported on shoring towers and the lighthouse will
be brought into a level position,” said Rheams. “Once level, the lighthouse
will be moved to the north end of the site and supported on wood cribbing.
The wood cribbing will be placed on a 12-inch-thick, compacted, crushed
limestone pad until the lighthouse can be fully evaluated…and
reconstructed.” In addition, Rheams noted, “ We will carefully stockpile all
historic materials and move them to a secure warehouse location for further
evaluation and possible reuse. We will close all openings with plywood and
seal them with caulking and paint, as well as cover all exposed wall framing
and sheathing with building paper and wood battens and metal flashing.”
Observing the passionate and determined efforts of the Lake Pontchartrain
Basin Foundation will quickly reveal that this courageous |
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| group of preservationists – led by Anne
Rheams, is truly up for the challenge that is nothing less than one for
the ages when it comes to saving lighthouses. Knowing that this group is
working so hard to resurrect a lighthouse at the same time they are
literally piecing |
Photo courtesy of LPBF
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every aspect of
their lives back together again goes well beyond the meaning of
“dedication.”
Yet though the LPBF has done yeoman’s work to help save New Canal
Lighthouse, they have not totally had to “go it alone.” As Anne Rheams is
quick to remind everyone, the effort to save New Canal Lighthouse has been a
team effort that includes invaluable contributions from Kathy Fleming,
executive director for the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida, Cullen
Chambers of the Tybee Island Lighthouse in Georgia, and Pat Dixon of the
U.S. Coast Guard in Miami, Florida.
For all the focus on the storm damage and subsequent valiant efforts by the
LPBF to save New Canal Lighthouse, this story goes well beyond |
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Photo courtesy of LPBF
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tangible
challenges and accomplishments. As we all know, lighthouses mean so many
things to different people. From romance to strength and as a source of
inspiration to the spiritual connotation of the light against the
darkness, individuals from all walks of life derive an indescribable
peace from lighthouses. |
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As our friends
from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation are clearly showing, we can add
at least one more definition to what lighthouses can mean to people.
For residents in New Orleans, the New Canal Lighthouse seems to have become
one of the community’s “shining lights,” that reaches far beyond its
one-time function as an aid to navigation. The “heartbeat” of the
lighthouse, though it has temporarily fallen to the ravages of the sea,
continues to send out an emotional “light” – one that must be felt rather
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than seen, which serves to inspire the local residents to
keep the faith and to push forward toward a brighter tomorrow.
This amazing story of a community and its beloved
lighthouse is nothing short of a true inspiration for those of us in the
lighthouse preservation
field that continue to witness the unshakeable
determination of the LPBF. The New Canal Lighthouse has become an icon
for the community to rally around while they work to rebuild their
lives, hopes, dreams, and yes – their lighthouse, which will undoubtedly
stand tall again in the future as a glowing testament to the indomitable
spirit and uncommon courage of a people who absolutely refuse to quit.
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Photo by Bob & Sandra Shanklin
There is no question that the courageous
efforts of the LPBF
will ensure that New Canal
Lighthouse rises and shines
brightly once again in the future
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To learn more about the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and how you can
help support this amazing project, visit
www.saveourlake.org/lighthouse.htm or write:
Attn: Save Our Lighthouse
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
P.O. Box 6965
Metairie, LA 70009
Posted: 10/10/06 |
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