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April 26, 2002Conference focuses on lighthouse preservation- Speaker said structures play an important part in the history of MichiganBy STACEY SMITHRecord-Eagle staff writer FRANKFORT - Benzie County's efforts to take control of the Point Betsie Lighthouse near here are exactly the types of preservation efforts members of the Michigan Lighthouse Project hope to see in other communities, project manager Steve Belko said Thursday. Belko was one of the speakers at the 22nd annual Michigan Preservation Conference at the Park Place Hotel Thursday. The conference continues today. Belko discussed the importance of lighthouse preservation at a time when the U.S. Coast Guard is relinquishing control of at least 77 of the historic structures to state, federal or local units of government, nonprofit organizations and private citizens. Lighthouses play an important part in the history of Michigan's technology, transportation and economy, Belko said. Without groups stepping forward to take care of the lighthouses, public access to the buildings could be lost forever, he said. "These are not just structures that someone is going to restore, they're a part of Michigan's history. These are technological wonders," Belko said of the large structures that have served as navigational lights for both commercial and recreational boaters since the 1850s. If left without caretakers, as some lighthouses have been, the structure will eventually be beyond repair, he said. "Sooner or later, climate and weather will destroy them," Belko said. The Michigan Lighthouse Project is helping communities find ways to take over their local lighthouse to preserve and protect the structure, he said. Benzie County's efforts at Point Betsie are the perfect example of a local unit of government working with a nonprofit group to protect a lighthouse, he said. Benzie County administrator Chuck Clarke said county residents and visitors have strong feelings about maintaining access to the lighthouse and preserving the structures near the lighthouse. "That passion exists with just about everyone in the county," Clarke said. Since learning two years ago that the Coast Guard was giving up Point Betsie, the county has formed a nonprofit group to raise money and operate the lighthouse and has obtained a 20-year lease from the Coast Guard while the process of taking title to the property continues, Clarke said. That can take several years, he said. Clarke said having a strong support group, like the nonprofit Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse, is an important part of the county's plan for the lighthouse. "We knew that we had to get a strong, grassroots organization going," he said. Currently, the county is in the process of having a feasibility study done to determine uses for the lighthouse that could include a conference/banquet facility, gift shop and educational center. 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
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