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Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston
VOL. 66, NO. 30
JULY 20 - 26, 2016
GreatNeckRecord.com
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Lighthouse $100,000 Closer To Restoration BY SHERI ARBITALJACOBY
sarbitaljacoby@antonmediagroup.com
Senator Jack M. Martins has secured $100,000 in state funding for the Great Neck Park District to help restore the Stepping Stones Lighthouse. While this is certainly good news, an estimated $4 million is needed and, so far, only about one tenth of that has been raised for the historic lighthouse, which has been a vital aid to navigation in the Long Island Sound since it first opened in 1877. “The lighthouse needs so much that this is a very welcome influx of cash,” said Great Neck Historical President Alice Kasten. “Stepping Stones Lighthouse is both an important, functional maritime safety mechanism and a window back into our history,” said Martins. “It must be preserved for future generations as both a navigational aid and [an] educational resource.” As legend has it, back in the 1600s, the devil came down from Connecticut, which angered the
Long Island inhabitants, who chased the devil out. But, as he tried to get away, he threw boulders over his shoulder to stop them from catching him. While trying to escape, the devil supposedly built a path of stepping stones—like an underwater mountain range—to get away, according to Ronald B. Brinn from the Town of North Hempstead Committee to Restore Stepping Stones Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built to warn mariners of a shoal and extensive rocks that extend north of Kings Point, and was occupied by a succession of lighthouse keepers and their families, who had to keep the lamp full of oil and the glass continually cleaned. In 2005, the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Town of North Hempstead was given ownership in 2008 under the federal National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. In an effort to make the rehabilitation a reality, in 2014, the town partnered with the Great Neck Historical Society and the
Great Neck Park District in a unique public/private association. The lighthouse has serious structural damage. Without repairs, the structure is in danger of collapse or being torn down and replaced with a navigational beacon. The funding will be used to construct safe, permanent dock access to the lighthouse so that critical repairs can begin. Currently, the lighthouse can only be accessed by boat during high tide. “Right now, there is no way to really land at the lighthouse, and one certainly cannot offload construction materials. So, a dock is a very necessary first step in rehabilitation,” said Kasten. “This grant is essential for creating permanent access to the lighthouse so that repairs and restoration can go forward,” said Great Neck
Park District Commissioner Daniel M. Nachmanoff. “We in the Great Neck Park District and the Town of North Hempstead, as well as the Great Neck Historical Society, are extremely grateful to Senator Martins for securing these funds.” This past spring, the Town of North Hempstead was awarded a $165,000 National Park Service (NPS) grant to rehabilitate the lighthouse, and is responsible for matching the funding. The ultimate goal is to not only repair the crumbling foundation, masonry, roof and interior damage, but to restore the inside features and create an understanding of the lighthouse’s role as well as the role of its hardworking keepers. Hopefully, one day, the lighthouse will become a museum and educational resource, and groups will be able to visit it to
see LIGHTHOUSE on page 6
(Photo by Sheri ArbitalJacoby)
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