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Lighthouse off Scituate draws potential suitors

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 2, 2009 06:30 PM

Globe File Photo

Rough seas pounding Minot Light in 2002.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Two towns and two non-profit groups have expressed interest in taking over Minot's Ledge Light, a 114-foot granite tower that juts out of the ocean off Scituate.

The towns of Cohasset and Scituate sent in letters of interest to the federal government, which is looking for someone to transfer the property to, said Paula Santangelo, New England spokeswoman for the US General Services Adminstration, the government's real estate arm. Two non-profit groups also sent letters, but Santangelo said she couldn't release their names.

David Ball, president of the Scituate Historical Society, said his group was one of the non-profits. He said it was possible that his group could ally with the two towns to try to maintain the lighthouse, but it was still very early in the process. The town administrators in Cohasset and Scituate couldn't be reached for comment this afternoon.

Ball said there were many unanswered questions about the lighthouse, including what the federal government expected the new owners to do with it and how much maintenance the lighthouse would need.

He said the lighthouse is completely surrounded by water and only accessible by a 30-foot ladder when surface conditions are calm, which could limit the options for its reuse.

The federal government has been trying to unload lighthouses for nine years, but has been slowed by contamination on the sites as well as difficult access and maintenance costs, the Globe reported last month.

The government's first choice is to transfer them to nonprofits, educational institutions, or local governments. But if that fails, they can be sold to private parties.

"If we can't find an appropriate steward through this process, then we would potentially sell it," Santangelo said.

The next step in the process? The groups interested in the lighthouse will get a tour of the structure. Santangelo said she thought the tours could happen within the next two weeks, but Ball said the weather might not be mild enough until the spring.