Plum Beach Lighthouse repainting

This just in from the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse in Rhode Island:

 

Last month, workers from Abcore Restoration of Narragansett, Rhode Island, arrived at Plum Beach Lighthouse and started preparation work for repainting the lighthouse.  They first had to build a safe work platform around the lighthouse base, then went about the task of removing the rusted areas of the basement level.  The north side of the lighthouse has taken the brunt of the decay since its 2003 renovation, and the paint had all but disappeared.  The south side of the structure is still in good shape, all the paint has been removed and the metal sealed with a special epoxy to insure it against new rusting.

Coast Guard volunteers lend a helping hand on Camden's Curtis Island

Curtis Island Light Station, located at the head of Camden Harbor, is one of the crown jewels of Midcoast Maine, but like all historic sites located in close proximity to the sea, it requires constant maintenance to keep it looking its best.

You can read the rest of this story by clicking here.

Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse auction extended

The closing date for the government's auction of Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse is now September 13 (Monday). At this moment, the high bid is $180,000.

According to news reports, Portland real estate developer Arthur Girard and Dr. Jeffrey Florman, a neurosurgeon from Windham, Maine, flipped a coin Friday to determine which one of them would drop out of the bidding.

Florman won the flip and put in a bid for $180,000.

You can follow the auction on this page.

Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse auction ends today

The government's auction of Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse, a 90-foot granite tower built off Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in 1905, ends today. The high bid at this moment is $85,000. Let's hope the high bidder has the best interests of the lighthouse at heart.

Click here for the auction page.

American Lighthouse Foundation Executive Director Bob Trapani aboard a Coast Guard vessel leaving Ram Island Ledge Light in February 2008.

New paint for the Nubble

Cape Neddick Lighthouse in York, Maine, affectionately known to lovers of lighthouses and the Maine coast as the Nubble Light, has just gotten a shiny new coat of paint thanks to the York Parks & Recreation Department. The painter in charge of the work was Gordon Lindquist.



Thanks to Mike Sullivan and Mike Lewis of the York Parks & Recreation Department, I got a ride out to the Nubble last Monday along with Bob Trapani and Ann Trapani of the American Lighthouse Foundation. Here  are some photos from that visit.

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse open house this Saturday, 9/4

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse in South Portland, Maine, is a unique example of an offshore caisson lighthouse that's often opened to the public. The lighthouse was once reachable only by boat, but in 1951 it was connected to shore by a 900-foot granite breakwater.

The Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse Trust opens it on Saturdays during the summer. There are only a couple of open houses left in 2010, including this coming Saturday -- check this site for details.

Innovative plan to buy Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse

 

I've just received the press release below from Bob Muller of the Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse Community. He's trying to acquire Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse off Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and he has a unique approach that could allow thousands of people to share in its ownership. The lighthouse is currently being auctioned under the guidelines of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. As of today, the high bid is $30,000. Final bids must be made by September 2.  


Contact:
R. Carey Gersten, Community Communications
The Ram Island Lighthouse Community
PO Box Brunswick, ME 04011
Telephone: +1 (206) 792-9044
Email: cgersten@RamIslandLighthouse.com

SOCIAL NETWORK COMMUNITY PROJECT TO PRESERVE HISTORIC RAM ISLAND LEDGE LIGHT HOUSE

Unique People’s Option Versus Private Ownership

August 30, 2010, Brunswick, ME – “We Can Keep The Beacon Burning” is the chant of the Ram Island Lighthouse Community which just launched a social networking project to preserve Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse. They’re aiming to be the highest bidder to acquire the lighthouse one mile offshore from Portland, Maine, as a “people’s option.” With a precious few 12 days to final bid, the Ram Island Lighthouse Community’s goal is to rapidly assemble a worldwide community of individuals finding charm in the ownership of a lighthouse, but never able to afford it as individuals. “Every kid and most adults would love to own a lighthouse?” says the Community Executive Director, Robert Muller. “Lighthouses have such a stoic, strong and gorgeous allure – a romantic icon standing in some of the most beautiful settings in nature.”

By creating a community of owners contributing $49 each for a ‘Keeper of the Lighthouse Membership Deed,’ the organization hopes to win the bid. Mr. Muller described the socially networked community as “a compelling people’s option to other potential purchasers from CT, NY and who knows where with different intentions to keep it in totally private hands. By joining our community with membership deed purchases, collectively the public will determine if our cooperative people’s model is a winner and gets the bid.”

This for-profit preservation model offers a unique twist where the members collectively assist in making the decisions through a voting process of how best to operate the lighthouse for the future. Muller continued, “We hope to crowd source ideas, especially how we want to sensorize the lighthouse with web, audio, weather, and other high tech equipment so people can actually experience the light through the internet.”

Mr. Muller has set up a corporate escrow account with Bath Savings Institute but needs to find a qualified agent for it.  If the bid is not won, escrow funds are either refunded or members vote to donate the funds to non-profits. The website is http://www.ramislandlighthouse.com to learn more.

The lighthouse, operating since 1905, has been put up for auction bid by the United States Coast Guard. It has major historical and navigation importance to the maritime community. Still a valued aid to navigation, the Coast Guard will continue to serve its navigational operation while the winning bidder will maintain the property under National Historic Registry Guidelines.

About The Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse Community:
An innovative for-profit preservation and conservation organization, it brings together socially networked communities of common interest to own, protect and steward treasured lands and sites of historical and cultural significance. Community members adopt an active voice through an interactive online presence and through persistent live internet feeds. Members together help determine the future of a property and build shared knowledge and experiences about all aspects including ecology, history, culture and local economy.    

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If you would like more information or to schedule an interview with Robert Muller, please contact him at +1 (207) 956-0699 or bmuller@RamIslandLighthouse.com