Nobska Lighthouse in Falmouth
WOODS HOLE – An extensive renovation project is set to begin on Nobska Light in Woods Hole in the coming weeks.
The endeavor is being overseen by The Friends of Nobska Light, a non-profit organization formed to preserve and protect the more than century-old landmark.
The group hired an architect last summer with plans to restore the light and open it up to the public, and have now signed an agreement with New Hampshire contracting company Enviro Vantage for phase one of the project.
The initial phase is scheduled to include extensive rehabilitation work and painting on the light tower itself, and is funded through grants from the Falmouth Community Preservation Fund, the Falmouth Road Race, various private foundations, and a number of other donations in amounts both large and small.
“We are going to be doing some painting and working on metal parts that have rusted and corroded in the weather in the last 140 year,” said Catherine Bumpus, Executive Director of the Friends of Nobska Light, “so it is in need of a good going over at this point”
The ultimate goal of the effort is the restoration of the entire property and the eventual opening of the Keepers’ House as a Maritime Museum.
The Friends of Nobska Light say that they expect final approval to come this week from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, to ensure that the work is done in a historically appropriate manner, with work to actually begin shortly after Labor Day.
During the work, the tower will be encircled in staging and encased to provide a controlled environment for the rehabilitation.
Before the work commences the Coast Guard will issues a Local Notice to Mariners and temporarily extinguish the light.
According to Friends of Nobska Light, timing the start of the work in the fall has allowed well more than 1,000 visitors the opportunity to tour the inside of the tower this summer.
By DAVID BEATTY, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
