Future of Lighthouses to Be Discussed in Old Saybrook, CT

OLD SAYBROOK - The future of the town's two lighthouses will be discussed at a Jan. 30 conference between officials from the town, Coast Guard, General Services Administration, and Congressman Joe Courtney's office (CT-2).

The meeting was coordinated by Courtney's office who will act as a facilitator between the different stakeholders.

"It allows the First Selectman (Michael Pace) to speak directly to the GSA and Coast Guard and it allows them to speak directly to him and his administration...there are certain things (GSA and Coast Guard) can and cannot do and we will let the town administration know of that," said Brian Farber, spokesperson for Courtney.

At the Jan. 17 Board of Selectmen meeting, Pace said he hoped the meeting will shed light on the future plans of both lighthouses.

The Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, also known as the Outer Light, has been placed on a list of lighthouses deemed as excess property by the Coast Guard that will be divested under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.

The act allows federal agencies, state and local governments, and non-profit organizations to acquire and maintain the lighthouse.

While the lighthouse would no longer be owned by the Coast Guard, a future owner must give access to the Coast Guard so they can continue to maintain the automated flashing green light.

Pace wrote a letter in September to Courtney, U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, and U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman stating that his main concerns with the divesting of the lighthouse revolved around navigational safety, emergency management, and public access.

The beacon, at the mouth of the Connecticut River, has been used as a navigational guide to boaters since 1886.

Pace believes if the proposed Broadwater Liquefied Natural Gas facility is built, boats would be forced to steer closer to the lighthouse because of the new security perimeter.

He is particularly concerned since the town would act as the lighthouse's primary first responders in an emergency.

While the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act was meant to increase public access to lighthouses, Pace indicated this would be problematic since the lighthouse is only accessible by boat and a half-mile jetty which requires going through private property in the Borough of Fenwick.

According to a letter written by Courtney, the "GSA has not yet issued a notice of availability to date due to concerns of limited accessibility of the site."

Residents and officials at Fenwick have expressed safety concerns centering on lack of adequate parking and narrow roads that visitors would have to transverse.

According to Courtney, "the GSA is responsible for ensuring that a means of ingress and egress to the Old Saybrook Breakwater is provided at the time of conveyance."

"While GSA has authority over the physical structure of the lighthouse, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has authority over the breakwater that the lighthouse is built on, and it is likely that any new owner of the structure would need to receive licensing from them to access the lighthouse via the breakwater," Courtney wrote.

The town has the right to apply to acquire the lighthouse but has equal footing with federal and state governments as well as nonprofit and community development organizations who express interest in owning the lighthouse.

If the town successfully acquired the lighthouse, this could be quite costly for taxpayers.

Town Attorney Michael Cronin has indicated that "the legal problems would be insurmountable...I wonder how many layers of lead paint are on the lighthouse and how inadequate its septic system is, it should be left with the feds."

While Pace had hoped the lighthouse could be taken off the divesture list, the Coast Guard indicated in writing that, "the land and structures of the Old Saybrook Breakwater Light are excess and will be divested."

Pace hopes to get additional information at the meeting regarding the potential future of the town's other lighthouse, the 1803 Lynde Point Lighthouse, which is about a mile and a half away.

It is located next to a two-story lighthouse keeper house constructed in 1966.

That lighthouse is not currently on the excess property list by the Coast Guard and Pace hopes to keep it that way.