Ron Leonardi: Presque Isle Lighthouse projects underway
May 2, 2019 at 12:01 AM May 2, 2019 at 2:40 PM
Masonry restoration work, installation of handicapped-accessible ramp, new roof and construction of outdoor porch set for lighthouse.
Michael Sullivan toured the grounds at the Presque Isle Lighthouse on a recent day, surveying masonry restoration work on the brick living quarters and chimneys of the peninsula landmark.
Sullivan, lighthouse executive director, is overseeing $140,000 of improvements, most of which are expected to be completed when the lighthouse opens for public tours May 23.
"The whole idea was to get the outside of the house buttoned up and to stop the leaking," Sullivan said. "We have some cracked walls and some cracked ceilings. When visitors come to the lighthouse this summer, they're going to see the house the way it was in the late 1800s. The brick is being taken back to the terra cotta color it was originally. There's no paint on it, there's no mold on it, there's no black acid rain. It looks absolutely gorgeous."
In early April, masonry crews began power-washing the structure's brick and stone, and are now repointing the structure.
When the mortar work is complete, crews will give the brick and stone another power-washing to remove dust and debris. Additional repointing to address leaking issues is scheduled for the lighthouse tower. The masonry improvements will cost $60,000.
Another project involves the installation of a handicap-accessible ramp on the west side of the lighthouse. A $15,000 grant awarded in 2018 by the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority is earmarked for construction of the ADA-compliant ramp.
That ramp will connect to a new outdoor porch, built of composite materials and measuring 6 feet wide and 22 feet long. Cost is $5,000. The lake room, an addition built onto the north side of the living quarters in the 1970s, has been torn down and the porch will be rebuilt in its place.
Crews also will complete construction on sidewalk areas around the perimeter ($5,200) and construction and renovation of cabinetry in the operations center's gift shop ($10,000).
The season's final major renovation project is targeted for mid-September, when crews will install a new thatched roof on the living quarters, new copper gutters and new copper flashing. That project carries a $45,000 price tag.
The improvements are funded through 2018 and 2019 operating capital from ticket and gift shop sales, Sullivan said.
Restoration of the interior — a project estimated at several hundred thousand dollars — is tentatively scheduled to begin next winter at the earliest, Sullivan said.
For the third straight year, the lighthouse will be open seven days a week from late May through Labor Day. A $300,000 operations center, including a gift shop, opened in 2018, which helped boost attendance by about 15 percent from 2017.
From May 24 through Labor Day in 2018, an estimated 45,000 visitors either toured the grounds for free, paid $3 to tour the house living quarters or paid $6 to climb the 78 stairs to the deck of the 68-foot tower.
Visitors from every state and 43 countries toured the grounds in 2018, Sullivan said. The latest batch of improvements should only enhance visitors' lighthouse experience this spring and summer.
Erie Times-News staff writers share their views from behind the scenes, stories and bylines. Ron Leonardi can be reached at 870-1680. Send email to ron.leonardi@timesnews.com.