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September 30, 2003POINT BETSIE: Grant will help restore beaconIt will pay for extensive restorationsByRecord-Eagle staff writer FRANKFORT - The Friends of Point Betsie are beaming about a $431,500 state grant to help restore the historic lighthouse. The Clean Michigan Initiative grant, announced Monday, eventually could lead the federal government to transfer the 145-year-old lighthouse to local ownership. Friends member Amy Ferris said the grant is a triumph for everyone who has worked on the project. "The grant is going to get us into the actual restoration and that's really what everybody is interested in," she said. The money is expected to pay for extensive restoration of the lighthouse and neighboring foghorn building. Repairs will include exterior masonry renovations, a new roof, security system, windows, and restored heat and water service. "It's just tremendous news," Benzie County Administrator Chuck Clarke said. "This is a great day for the future of Point Betsie." The lighthouse, built in 1858, helped ships navigate Lake Michigan through the Manitou Passage. "Within 25 years, Chicago was the busiest port in the world," Ferris said. "It just could not have happened without Point Betsie." The light was automated in 1983 and the building continued to serve as quarters for U.S. Coast Guard personnel until 1996. This spring marked the first season for public visits to the lighthouse, a key factor in securing the state grant, Ferris and Clarke said. The almost 7,000 visitors and donations from the 500-member Friends of Point Betsie helped raise a $143,000 match for the grant. "The clincher was the admission fees," Ferris said. The county continues to work with the Bureau of Land Management on becoming the property owner. Clarke said the grant for restoration work could seal the deal, which he expects to be complete within the next two months. "That's a parallel track to this Clean Michigan Initiative grant," he said. "We can do the renovations without having ownership, but that gets us into the ownership process."
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