LIGHTHOUSE MOVE SUBJECT TO WILD RUMORS
Following the Dare County Commissioners move to file an injunction with a
federal judge and the "anger" of the Dare County Commissioners who claim
they have not been kept apprised of the move process, the National Park
Service has issued a news release.
Lighthouse News Release:
Wild rumors are one way to put pizzazz in an otherwise routine
process, especially when it involves the highly visible Cape Hatteras
Lighthouse, which has caught world attention in recent months. The fact
that the lighthouse also lies close to the heart of many of the inhabitants
on Hatteras Island and Dare County, North Carolina have made it an
emotional issue as well.
"If I wasn't as confident as I am of the integrity of folks on all
sides of this issue, I would almost believe that a deliberate effort of
misinformation was being conducted in an effort to delay or abort the
saving of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse," said Bob Reynolds, Superintendent
of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Most recent rumors have swirled around "Mom and Pop House Movers", the
dissection of the lighthouse into three or more parts, hold-harmless
contract clauses that relieve any accountability, and Park Service secret
agendas to hide alarming facts. The rumors were supposedly gathered from
"highly placed state and federal officials" attending a recent Coastal
Resources Commission meeting.
"None of the rumors are true," stated Reynolds.
"First, the idea that the lighthouse would be sawed into three pieces
is ludicrous, hardly believable, and certainly would be an action adverse
to the whole purpose of this project - the long-term protection of the
lighthouse. The lighthouse will be moved as a single unit, absent the
external staircase that will be labeled, disassembled, transported and
reassembled in the new location. The lighthouse will be separated at its
base about two courses below ground level and moved to a new foundation.
The old foundation remnants will be left in place for interpretation."
"The contract requires the contractor to accept full liability for the
lighthouse and associated structures. The requirement that the contractor
hold a catastrophic insurance policy remains in the contract and there have
been no negotiations to alter that fact. Neither will there be any
negotiations on this point."
Our contractor, International Chimney Corporation (ICC), is using
conventional technologies that are standard in the industry and has pulled
together a team of specialists (subcontractors) who will focus on various
aspects of the construction project. The design/build contract was awarded
in two phases. The first was the design option that was awarded in June
1998. The second phase, exercising the construction option, was awarded in
November for $8,035,000. The work to be accomplished remains essentially as
proposed with subtle changes that respond to findings from geotechnical and
structural examination. The accepted proposal has been and still is
available at Park Headquarters for the public. A small amount of the
proposal has been redacted (blacked out). Those portions represent
proprietary information owned by the contractor, which addresses specific
mechanical technologies to be utilized in the move of the lighthouse.
While the Park Service has reviewed the informtion, the contractor does not
wish to make its methods public and thus available to competitors."
"There is no reason to cover-up any of the details of this project,"
said Reynolds. "We have been and remain ready and eager to answer
questions any citizen or official might have about the project. No rumor
should go unquestioned. Call us at 252-473-2111."
End of lighthouse news release
