The crumbling exterior Point Clark lighthouse in Lake Huron, Ont., has closed the historic landmark, and maintenance workers fear that without more federal funding to restore it, it will stay closed.
When the Point Clark lighthouse received nearly $500,000 to restore its historic tower, lighthouse workers were thrilled. This, of course, was before they began work and realized the structure would have to be shut down because its exterior was crumbling.
"My initial reaction was just 'ugh,' " said Mike Fair, director of recreation and facilities for the Township of Huron-Kinloss. "It was a real sinking feeling." The tower, located on the east shore of Lake Huron, is owned by Parks Canada but operated by the township.
The federal government committed $495,000 earlier this year to the 150-year-old tower, enabling Parks Canada to complete an assessment and determine what work needed to be done. The engineer's report in late June, however, was worse than anticipated. It said the tower's stone exterior was crumbling and unsafe to keep open, at least for the rest of the summer.
Mr. Fair believes the total cost of restoring the tower to meet safety standards may exceed $495,000, and is concerned that, should no further funding become available, it could remain closed indefinitely. But, he said, both Parks Canada and the township are doing everything they can to ensure that doesn't happen. "I don't think it's,'If it will get done,' " he said. "I think it's 'When it'll get done.' "
Parks Canada is figuring out the cost for repairs. Despite those efforts, residents of Point Clark, to which the lighthouse helps attract thousands of visitors each summer, remain concerned.
"I can't imagine Point Clark without the tower and without being able to climb it," said Stacey Courtney, a student who's worked at the lighthouse for six summers. "It's upsetting to know that if it doesn't open again, there won't be a hub for the locals who can be proud of the history Point Clark has."
Ms. Courtney, whose family used to own the land the tower now sits on, said the tower has served as a backdrop for generations of wedding proposals, family pictures and storytelling sessions.
And, as with all lighthouses, this one is full of stories.
One of the most popular tales about the Point Clark lighthouse is the one about the MacDonald boys, said Ms. Courtney's family member, Bob Courtney. The MacDonalds were the mischievous sons of a 19th century lighthouse keeper. They allegedly sent a cat sailing off the top of the 26-metre high tower one day in a makeshift parachute fashioned out of an umbrella and an old fruit basket. "The cat, apparently, survived," said Mr. Courtney.
Point Clark is not the only lighthouse at risk these days. In May, the federal government declared about 970 lighthouses across the country "surplus," meaning they are cheaper to replace with automated lights, and offered them up for sale.
To lose historic lighthouses, said Mr. Fair, would be a shame.
"It's the mystery surrounded by it, the fog and the mist," he said. "Mariners in years past looked at lighthouses as their sign of hope for knowing where they were and where they were going."