Deadline set for lighthouse plan

The National Park Service, concerned about deteriorating conditions at the historic Stepping Stones Lighthouse, has given the Town of North Hempstead six weeks to develop a new preservation timeline and financial plan for restoring the structure.

The agency also set a June 15 deadline for the town to address safety concerns raised by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The lighthouse in Long Island Sound 1,600 yards off Kings Point was turned over to the town in 2008 as part of a national preservation program.

In September, the town filed a three-page report -- one year late -- about its condition. Town officials wrote that the economic downturn had delayed efforts to preserve, rehabilitate and open Stepping Stones to the public.

The park service late last week sent a letter to North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman criticizing the town for not following through on several initiatives it proposed for the red brick and granite-trim lighthouse, first lit in 1877 and still an active beacon for boats in the rocky waters.

"We are very concerned that in the years since the town has accepted stewardship of the Stepping Stones Lighthouse that so very little progress has been made," the Oct. 25 letter states. "In fact, its condition has deteriorated in this time."

The Coast Guard's safety concerns were not detailed in the letter. The agency did not return calls for comment.

SEE PHOTOSLI lighthouses

Kaiman said the town would not spend taxpayer money on what he called a "failed lighthouse," but it would reach out to the park service to try to find common ground.

"It's simply not appropriate for us to spend town dollars on this situation," he said yesterday. "We're more than happy to let the federal government dedicate the dollars or find somebody else to fix the lighthouse."

In its application to take over stewardship of the lighthouse, the town said it would seek grants to fund restoration and work with partners to provide educational programming. Neither has occurred.

Town employees make monthly inspections of the lighthouse. Kaiman said no major repairs have been needed and the building is sound.

The park service letter urges the town to find a partner to help with preservation and fundraising or find an entity to take over the lighthouse -- with federal approval.

If the town doesn't comply, ownership could revert to the U.S. government, park service spokesman Phil Sheridan said.

"The idea is to work with a community or entity . . . to get them back on track," he said.

Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000 to convey working lighthouses to municipalities or nonprofits. The intent was to preserve navigational aids and allow communities to highlight maritime history.

Ownerships of 83 lighthouses have been transferred; none have been taken back, a General Services Administration spokeswoman said.