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February 17, 2001

Safeguarding lighthouses

- Pt. Betsie Lightstation, GT Lighthouse Museum receive state grants for restoration, preservation
By STACEY SMITH
Record-Eagle staff writer

      LANSING - State grants will aid in the preservation and restoration of two of the region's landmark lighthouses.
     
photo
Photo by John L. Russell
Benzie County’s Point Betsie Lighthouse will have a comprehensive study done by the county with money awarded from a grant.
Benzie County received $10,000 from the Michigan Historical Center for the Pt. Betsie Lighthouse near Frankfort and the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum $14,500 for the Grand Traverse Lighthouse near Northport.
      The grants, which were announced Feb. 13, are part of $250,000 awarded across the state for lighthouse preservation.
      Benzie County signed a lease with the U.S. Coast Guard in January to act as temporary caretaker of Pt. Betsie. The county is working on a long-range plan to permanently take charge of the lighthouse.
      "These funds will greatly assist the county in addressing the long-term needs of a significant landmark for Benzie County such as the Pt. Betsie Lightstation," said Pat Cudney, director of the county's Michigan State University Extension office.
      Cudney, along with county administrator Chuck Clarke, wrote the grant application.
      Benzie County will use the grant money to prepare a comprehensive plan for the lighthouse, including:
      - A total building study consistent with the criteria of historical structures to determine the priority of work and cost estimates.
      - An evaluation of infrastructure improvements necessary and subsequent timelines.
      - A baseline environmental assessment.
      - A feasibility study to determine the best use for the lighthouse.
      The Coast Guard is in the process of relinquishing the lighthouse to the federal Bureau of Land Management. The Bureau will then turn the lighthouse over to an interested governmental unit or nonprofit agency, most likely Benzie County.
      Grant money received by the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum, a nonprofit that operates the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, will be used "to preserve exterior masonry of the lighthouse, which means, basically, that we're going to repaint it," said Museum director Stephanie Staley.
      The actual cost to repaint the structure is $29,000, Staley said, but the museum was able to raise half that through donations. The grant covers the other half.
      Repainting the lighthouse is expensive, Staley said, because a professional familiar with restoring historic structures must be hired to ensure the painting helps preserve the lighthouse.
      "We want to preserve it for the next 150 years," Staley said.
      The two northern Michigan lighthouses were among eight to receive grants from the Center through the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance program. Michigan is home to 124 lighthouses.
      Stacey Smith is the reporter for Leelanau, Manistee and Benzie counties. She can be reached at (231) 933-1408, or at ssmith@record-eagle.com