Oswego (NY) Lighthouse Future Uncertain

[Bill Edwards]

www.pall-times.com/articles/2006/06/01/news.news1.txt

LIGHTHOUSE'S FUTURE SUDDENLY AN UNCERTAINTY
By ADELE DELSAVIO, Staff Writer
H. Lee White Marine Museum associate director Mercedes Niess dropped a bombshell on the audience, and the residents of the Port City, at the museum's “Write On!” and “Art & History Rule!” awards ceremony Wednesday evening.
“I received a call today from the New York State Historic Preservation Office. Our lighthouse is on the list for demolition,” she said.
The audience gasped.
“If we're going to save our lighthouse we're going to need a grassroots effort,” she said. “We need to put our thinking caps on.”
After the ceremony, Niess said that she'd based her announcement on a 4:30 p.m. phone call from a representative of the N.Y. State Historic Preservation Office who she knows to be reliable. Her assistant, she said, took the message.
“He (the representative) was definite about the word ‘demolition,'” she said.
The representative left the Web address of the U.S. General Services Administration with Niess' assistant. Niess said she had not been able to check the site before making the announcement at the ceremony.
A search of the site indicates that the Oswego lighthouse is offered, apparently for sale, “as is” and “where is,” as of today.
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will issue a Park and Recreation lease to the successful applicant for use of the abutting breakwater to allow access from land. The New York State Office of General Services will issue a license to the successful applicant for the submerged lands underneath the lighthouse,” a notice on the Web site says.
Niess said she will look into the discrepancy - demolition or sale? - today.
“I'm very concerned anyway. We thought that it's being on the National Register of Historic Places would protect it. It doesn't look like that's the case,” she said.
According to Lighthouse Digest Magazine, the current lighthouse was built in 1934. It is the fourth lighthouse for the city, which has had a lighthouse for almost 200 years.
Oswego's acting mayor Randy Bateman said, when contacted by The Palladium-Times Wednesday evening, that he had not heard anything about a prospective demolition.
His first reaction to the idea was: “We have to do everything we can to save the lighthouse! It's our landmark - our beacon to people coming into the Oswego harbor.”
Niess said the only way to save the lighthouse from demolition would be for the city of Oswego to take it over.
“This certainly is a shocker,” she said.
By the end of the ceremony she had collected 30 signatures. “I have a full sheet of names of people who are up in arms,” she said.

[Bill Edwards]

From 6/2 www.pall-times.com :

FEDS: IT'S ALL A MISUNDERSTANDING

GSA says it wants to give away Oswego's historical lighthouse

By ADELE DELSAVIO, Staff Writer

The Oswego lighthouse is not up for sale. At least, not yet. It was just presented that way on a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Web site. And it's definitely not up for demolition.

A notice on the GSA Web site appears to offer the lighthouse for sale.

“It was poorly worded,” GSA realty specialist Meta Cushing admitted Thursday. She said the GSA will reword the notice.

The lighthouse is actually being offered by the GSA under the national Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, to federal, state and local agencies and non-profit, educational and community development organizations.

The selected agency would become the steward of the lighthouse, acquiring it at no cost but assuming responsibility for its upkeep.

Although there is 60-day deadline for agencies to send a letter of interest to the GSA, Cushing said letters went out to city and state leaders, not-for-profits and agencies Thursday after The Palladium-Times reported the errant Web posting.

If no one expresses an interest, according to the GSA, the lighthouse will be put up for sale.

The lighthouse issue went public Wednesday night, after H. Lee White Marine Museum associate director Mercedes Niess announced at a children's award ceremony at the museum that the lighthouse is on a federal demolition list.

Her announcement was based on a telephone message her assistant took from a representative of the N.Y. State Historic Preservation Office.

When she checked a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Web address the representative had left, there was no mention of demolition.

“My assistant heard the word ‘disposal' and took it to mean ‘demolition,'” Niess said Thursday.

Still, even though the lighthouse will remain standing, there is cause for concern, Niess said.

“Sixty days is not a lot of time,” she said.

She said the museum will probably be willing to “partner with an entity like the city or the Port Authority.”

Would the city be willing to partner with a local non-profit agency?

“Absolutely,” said acting mayor Randy Bateman Thursday.

“This is an opportunity for the community to band together,” said Port Authority director of operations Jim Cloonan.

[epona]

60 days to get a letter of interest in to a government agency?

This being said most organizations and people tend to put off submitting paperwork until the last possible moment. I am sure it can be done in the 60 days allowed, that is if everyone works together.

However, personally I think 90 days would be a better length of time. I do not know what is asked in the letter of interest. I think a good deal would depend on what group currently is in control of the lighthouse and if they want to continue operating it.

Carole

[Grover1]

Followup from the Post Standard ...

Lighthouse, river walk work planned - City of Oswego, village of Phoenix will use state grants for repairs, improvements.

Monday, November 20, 2006
By Robert McClendon
Contributing writer

Officials in the city of Oswego and the village of Phoenix have big ideas for the $358,200 in state money headed their way, including plans by the Port City to take over care of the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse.
The ailing beacon, although still in use, has fallen into disrepair after years on the receiving end of massive waves from Lake Ontario, said Mary Vanouse, director of community development for the city.

"A lot of people don't understand just how ferocious our lake can be," she said. "There are times when you can't see the lighthouse because the waves are coming over it."

The federal government has been in possession of the lighthouse since it was built in the early 1930s but announced this year it was slated for disposal unless another entity took over its operation.

The city, which has been given a $225,000 Erie Canal Greenway grant for the lighthouse, plans to take it over and use the money for the building's restoration and maintenance.

Another Greenway grant, this one for $88,200, will be used to improve access to the Oswego River walk, Vanouse said.

The city's plans for that project include a stairway leading from West First Street to the river walk east, a pavilion and educational signs describing the importance of the river to Oswego's industrial past.

"We've been working on our river walks for a number of years, and this was just another piece of the puzzle," she said. "We will be able to bring people from downtown to the river walks."

Phoenix is also slated to receive $45,000 in grant money for improvements to its waterfront on the Oswego River and Oswego Canal.

"When we saw that we could get onboard with this grant, we really started to sharpen our pencils," said village Mayor Anthony Fratto. "We feel like that is what we need to do to get the village of Phoenix to where it needs to be."

Included in the village's plan is erosion control on the Henley Park shoreline, a kayak/canoe dock, a boat tie-up on North Island, lighted trails leading to the docking area, and other improvements.

Grants under the program that were announced last week include money for projects in Central New York totaling nearly $1.7 million.

{Boldface my edit!}

[Grover1]

Bringing the topic current ... from The Palladium Times Daily

http://www.pall-times.com/articles/2007 ... /news4.txt

[Grover1]

From News 10 Now

http://news10now.com/content/all_news/1 ... fault.aspx

[Grover1]

Looks like Channel 9 beat out Channel 10 ... from WSYR9 - TV

http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.a ... bf49a9f45f


(WYSR-TV PHOTO)

[Grover1]

Not anymore ... more than two years from the initial post ... from The Post-Standard

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/ ... or_li.html


(Photo/David Lassman)

[Bill Edwards]

There will be a story on it, in the July issue of Lighthouse Digest.

[Grover]

...
First post in the thread ... 6/2006 Today from The Oswegonian ..

http://www.oswegonian.com/news/new-life ... -1.1785878