Old Saybrook Lighthouse Quagmire?
For one Legal Eagle, Lighthouses are a vacation paradise yet, Old Saybrook Town Attorney Michael Cronin views 30-year old abandoned Lighthouses as insurmountable legal problems! Hmm… wonder who the Prosecutor and Defense Attorneys are?
On a serious note, the federal disposal of Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse is a growing concern for the town and rightfully so. The town of Old Saybrook has three major concerns: emergency management, navigational safety, and acquiring public access through the private property in the Borough of Fenwick. A previous post called Lighthouse Privacy explored the concerns of the Town and commented about providing agreeable public access in the spirit of Katharine Hepburn!
No matter who the federal government transfers ownership of the Lighthouse to, the town will have those major concerns to resolve for the safety of the private residents of Fenwick, the First Responders, mariners, and the public. Perhaps, the sound judgement of First Selectman Michael Pace who stated he hopes both lighthouses remain the property of the federal government, is the best solution to prevent a potential Lighthouse quagmire?
I understand why the federal government is transferring Lighthouse ownership because of manpower issues and high maintenance costs yet, our historic Lighthouses are currently Active Coast Guard Aids because Lighthouses continue to be important Backup Aids to navigation whenever a GPS navigation system fails on boats! Historic Lighthouses also provide visual comfort and guidance to mariners returning home in dark waters!
As long as American Lighthouses are needed, the future of our Coastal Castles will be bright! For every Lighthouse pending transfer of ownership, there is a solution. In the possible transfer of Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse and/or Lynde Point Lighthouse, the best solution to save both Lighthouses may be to transfer the federal Coast Guard ownership to the National Park Service.
For those just tuning in, the Legal Eagle mentioned above is Michael L. Gabriel who recently bought Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse and bought Bloody Point Lighthouse last year as noted by the previous post called Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse Buyer Revealed.
Map Location:
For Map Directions, please visit the Google Map of Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse
Related News Story:
A case of mistaken identity
Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Old Saybrook Lighthouse Quagmire, Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, Lynde Point Lighthouse, Saybrook Inner Lighthouse, Fenwick Point, Connecticut River, Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Tags: Old Saybrook Lighthouse, Politics, Preservation News
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July 23, 2008 at 4:23 pm
[...] is On Hold, June 4th, 2008 Old Saybrook Lighthouse Politics of Preservation, January 25th, 2008 Old Saybrook Lighthouse Quagmire?, September 20th, 2007 Old Saybrook Lighthouse Privacy, August 24th, 2007 Saybrook Breakwater Light [...]
June 4, 2008 at 12:28 pm
[...] Saybrook Lighthouse Politics of Preservation, January 25th, 2008 Old Saybrook Lighthouse Quagmire?, September 20th, 2007 Old Saybrook Lighthouse Privacy, August 24th, 2007 Saybrook Breakwater Light [...]
January 25, 2008 at 12:50 pm
[...] noted in a previous post, the best short term solution is to transfer ownership to the National Park Service until all the [...]
December 17, 2007 at 7:06 pm
[...] are the people administering our Lighthouse Preservation Act. For a related post about this, see Old Saybrook Lighthouse Quagmire? at the New England Lighthouse [...]
September 21, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I am not surprised!
Seems to me, the news article used a sensational controversy about the alleged Lighthouse mixup to keep the key major concerns of Old Saybrook alive in a public forum.
September 21, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Hi Debbie.
I tried to confirm with Saundra Robbins that the lighthouse originally listed was the wrong one, and this is her reply:
“Old Saybrook has been declared excess to the needs of the USCG. The property has not been offered as a Notice of Availability under the National Lighthouse Historic Preservation act of 2000. I don’t know anything about the other light Lynde Point.”
Now if I read the article correctly, she clearly stated there was a mixup. And these people are in charge of our lighthouse preservation act??? Talk about confusion.