Nearly two years after a pair of ferocious, wind-driven winter storms pummeled Maine's coastline, steps are finally being taken to protect one of the state's most visited historic sites.
A permit has been filed and a $1 million matching grant requested to address severe erosion along the bluff at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park in Bristol.
While structural repairs to the 19th-century-built lighthouse and surrounding buildings have already been completed, park officials say one final — and critical — project remains: reinforcing the eroded bluff beneath the main parking area.
"They are going to cut back to the retaining wall to make it a more gradual slope," said Shelley Gallagher, the lighthouse park's director, in speaking with WMTW-TV in Portland.
On Jan. 11, 2024, the lighthouse's bell house, which was constructed in 1835 at the tip of the Pemaquid Neck, was largely destroyed by the first of two tempests over three days. A full restoration of the lighthouse and bell house was completed 8 months later.
The bluff upon which the two coastal structures rested, however, also suffered significant damage as a result of last year's storms, and engineers warned it could eventually collapse into the ocean if left unaddressed.
WMTW-TV noted recently that a damage survey has been completed, and a repair plan is in place, but Gallagher told a station reporter that the process is especially complicated due to the sensitive nature of the location.
"There's a lot to get through. It's coastal. We have to go through the [Maine Department of Environmental Protection] and through all of the environmental regulations but it's also going through the historic regulations," she said.
The project will be partially funded by the proposed $1 million matching grant, though the final cost could vary depending on what is discovered during the next phase of the project. Until all necessary permits are approved and a full damage assessment is completed, the timeline for repairs remains uncertain.
The long-awaited repairs are aimed at preserving both the historic value and natural beauty of the park for future generations.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park is both an environmentally protected area and a site listed on the National Historic Register.
In addition, the land is home to migrating bird species, which are protected by federal law. Due to that, no further testing or construction work can begin until the birds leave for their winter migration. Gallagher said that she expects the bluff's repair work to start shortly after that.
