Another historic light station has been made available under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. Here are the details from the General Servcies Administration:June 1, 2010
The light station (the “Property”) described on the attached sheet has been determined to be excess to the needs of the United States Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security. Pursuant to the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA)16 U.S.C. 470, this Property is being made available at no cost to eligible entities defined as Federal agencies, state and local agencies, non-profit corporations, educational agencies, or community development organizations for educational, park, recreational, cultural or historic preservation purposes. Any eligible entity with an interest in acquiring the described property for a use consistent with the purposes stated above should submit a letter of interest to the address listed below by 60 (sixty) days from the date of this Notice (June 1).
Letters of interest should include:
- Name of property
- Name of eligible entity
- Point of contact, title, address, phone and email
- Non-profit agencies must provide a copy of their state-certified articles of incorporation
Eligible entities which submit a written letter of interest will be sent an application from the United States Department of the Interior and given an opportunity to inspect the property. Building inspectors and/or contractors may accompany the applicant on the site visit. The completed application must be submitted to the National Park Service within 90 days after the site inspection. The National Park Service will review applications and may select a steward. The General Services Administration (GSA) will deed the Property to the selected steward.
In order to complete the conveyance, the selected steward must obtain a lease to occupy the submerged lands from the New Jersey Bureau of Tidelands Management (contact: jason.engelman@dep.state.nj.us). GSA will deed the historic light structure once it receives a copy of the State’s agreement from the new steward.
Letters of interest should be sent to:
U.S. General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service, Real Property Utilization and Disposal Division, 10 Causeway Street, Room 925, Boston, MA 02222 Attention: Meta Cushing or meta.cushing@gsa.gov
A copy of your letter of interest should be sent to:
State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection Historic Preservation Office, P.O. Box 404, Trenton, NJ 08625-0404 Attention: Dan Saunders, Deputy SHPO
For more information on lighthouses, please visit the NHLPA website: http: //www.nps.gov/history/maritime/nhlpa
GSA Control No. 1-U-NJ-0660
Property Identification: Romer Shoal Light Station (“the Property”) - offshore
Address: Located 3.8 miles north of Sandy Hook, Monmouth County, New Jersey in Lower New York Bay, on the north edge of Swash Channel at the entrance to New York Harbor. The closest city is Highlands Borough, NJ 07748.
The Property is situated about 500 feet south of the New York-New Jersey state boundary, seven miles south of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Approx. location: 40º 30’46.823” N 74º 0’48.672” W
Description: Romer Shoal Light Station, first lit in 1898, is a 54-foot “sparkplug” type lighthouse structure with a cast iron tower and a cylindrical, concrete caisson foundation which rises to 10 feet above sea level. It sits in approximately 14 feet of water and marks dangerous, shallow water for vessels using the Port of New York. Romer Shoal was first named after Colonel Wolfgang William Romer, who sounded the waters of New York Bay in 1700 by order of the governor of New York.
There are four stories in the tower with a watch room (5th story), a circular gallery and decagonal lantern. The tower’s interior is lined in brick up to the 3rd story. The 1st story is circular, 19 feet in diameter with a 7.5 foot ceiling. There are tall segmental-arch window openings (now covered with metal sheets). 2nd story is 18 feet in diameter; interior original wooden floor boards (some rotting). A metal stairway winds inside the tower’s perimeter wall up the 4th story. Metal ship’s ladders provide access to the watch room and lantern.
The Property is an active aid to navigation (ATON) owned by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Tower is marked with a white band and the caisson is painted black, surrounded by protective riprap. Access is by boat only.
Condition of Property: The Property is offered “AS IS’ and “WHERE IS” without representation, warranty, or guarantee as to quality, quantity, title, character, condition, size or kind.
Range of Possible Uses: Under the NHLPA, Property may be obtained for educational, park, recreational, cultural, or historic preservation purposes. Commercial activities are prohibited unless approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
Historical Information: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (#06001304) and must be maintained according to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Historic covenants will be incorporated into the deed.
Aid to Navigation (ATON): ATON will remain the personal property of USCG. Solar powered, (automated in 1966), with two flashing white signals every 15 seconds and a modern fog signal horn, which has a two-second blast every 15 seconds. Easements to be retained by the U.S. Coast Guard
1) The unrestricted right of the USCG to keep, locate, service, maintain, operate, repair and replace aids to navigation and any and all associated equipment, on the Property.
2) The unrestricted right of the USCG to relocate or add any aids to navigation and any and all associated equipment, or make changes on any portion of the Property as may be necessary for navigational purposes
3) A right of access in favor of the USCG for the purpose of servicing, maintaining, locating, operating, repairing and replacing navigational aids and any and all associated equipment on the Property. The USCG shall have the right to enter the Property at any time, with reasonable notice, for the purpose of maintaining the navigational aids and performing the other functions contemplated herein. Access shall be across any portion of the Property as necessary. Upon completion of the servicing, maintaining, operating, replacing of navigational aids and any associated equipment, the Property shall, at the sole cost of the USCG, subject to the availability of appropriated funds, be left as nearly as reasonably possible in the same condition before any such work began.
4) A reservation to the USCG for the purposes of preserving an Arc of Visibility from the Property to the shoreline within the radial arc of 360 degrees true and the stipulation that nothing will be constructed maintained or permitted of a height sufficient to interfere with or obstruct the Arc of Visibility of the Property.
5) An easement to the USCG for the purpose of sounding, in certain weather conditions, a fog signal horn.
Environmental Information: Due to the age of the structure, asbestos containing building materials and lead-based paint may be present.
Access/Inspection: Not open to the public. Inspection for eligible applicants only will be arranged by GSA after the 60-day screening period is completed. A Waiver of Liability must be signed in advance of the onsite inspection. Contact Meta Cushing @ (617) 565-5823 or meta.cushing@gsa.gov in Boston with any questions.
Beginning July 2 and continuing through September 3, the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and the Portsmouth Historical Society are presenting "Rescuing Whaleback Lighthouse: A Wave-Swept Sentinel." 
