Sen. Charles Schumer (D-Brooklyn) on Friday called on the National Park Service to issue $165,000 in federal funding to restore the Stepping Stones Lighthouse.
The funding, Schumer said, would go towards necessary repairs to halt future deterioration, prepare the structure for rehabilitation and begin an educational campaign.
“There’s no doubt about it, the Stepping Stones Lighthouse is a keeper whose future is on the rocks unless the feds step in and make this historic site a national priority,” Schumer said. “That’s why I am pushing the National Parks Service to provide federal funding to preserve and protect the Stepping Stones Lighthouse — so it can be rehabilitated and remain a landmark structure on Long Island. A repaired and updated lighthouse will benefit the maritime community, the Town of North Hempstead and Long Island as a whole, and it will help educate the public about our region’s maritime history and preserve the stories of those who helped shape this community.”
The Town of North Hempstead acquired ownership of the lighthouse, which sits about 1,600 yards off the shore of Kings Point, from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2008 as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, agreeing to submit yearly reports to the National Park Service on “any capital improvements to preserve and restore the structure within its historical accuracy.”
The town conducted an evaluation in 2009 outlining $4 million needed to repair the lighthouse.
The National Park Service in 2012 said ownership of the lighthouse might be transferred to a new owner, citing a lack of response by the town to repair the structure.
Town officials said problems with the building include the outward shifting of the base’s foundation blocks and a crack in the basement floor leading to open water.
Additionally, the brick and granite on the top of the northern side of the lighthouse are leaning outward and roof damage caused by deteriorating gutters have impacted the structure significantly.
The town applied for the federal funds through the National Maritime Heritage Grant Program.
Schumer sent a letter to National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis in support of the application.
“We are very appreciative of Sen. Schumer’s support for the repair and restoration of our own Stepping Stones Lighthouse,” North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said. “While the town has completed the replacement of the crow’s nest portal door and other small repairs over the past year, this funding from the National Parks Service would allow us to address some of the major structural projects that need to be done. We are fully committed to restoring this local piece of Maritime history and we are very hopeful that with Sen. Schumer’s attention to this issue that our grant application will be accepted,”
The lighthouse was built in 1877 and was later modernized in 1944. Town officials said it remains a critical aid to navigation as it guards the approach to New York City’s East River, as well as warns ships and boats of rocks and shoals.
Before any work can be done on the lighthouse, the town said, construction of a temporary floating dock, ramp, boneyard and bracing must be in place to prevent further leaking of the tower’s west wall.
In total, the project would cost $330,000, according to Schumer’s office.
The town said they would match the grant through donations and local support.
Restoration efforts would take place in partnership with the town, the Great Neck Park District and the Great Neck Historical Society.
