The federal government is looking for a new caretaker for Minot’s Ledge Light, which is off Scituate.
(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/File 2007)
Towns, groups consider lighthouse job
Cohasset, Scituate express interest
The federal government is looking for a new caretaker for Minot’s Ledge Light, which is off Scituate.
(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/File 2007)
Two towns and two nonprofit groups have expressed interest in maintaining Minot’s Ledge Light, a 114-foot granite tower that juts out of the ocean off Scituate.
The towns of Cohasset and Scituate sent letters of interest to the federal government, which is looking for someone to take over the property and cover maintenance costs. Two nonprofit groups also sent letters, said Paula Santangelo, New England spokeswoman for the US General Services Administration, the federal government’s real estate arm. She would not disclose the names of the nonprofits.
David Ball, president of the Scituate Historical Society, said his group was one of the nonprofits. He said that it was possible that his group could join with the towns to try to maintain the lighthouse, but that it was still very early in the process.
Rick Murray, vice chairman of the Scituate Board of Selectmen, said that Scituate and Cohasset officials had met and discussed the lighthouse and that both towns were interested in exploring options. “We don’t know where this is going to take us, but at this point, we want to learn more,’’ he said.
Selectman Ralph Dormitzer of Cohasset said that it would be an “enormous commitment’’ to take over the 149-year-old structure and that state or federal funding might be needed.
“One way or the other, the town has to make sure that that structure is preserved for the indefinite future,’’ he said.
Ball said there are many questions about the lighthouse, including what the government expected the new owners to do with it and how much maintenance the structure would need.
He said the lighthouse is surrounded by water and only accessible by a 30-foot ladder from a boat when surface conditions are calm, which could limit options for its use.
The 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? 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.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
