From the American Lighthouse Foundation:
Help Us Open Little River Lighthouse
for Education & Public Tours! June 1, 2006:
The very thing that makes a light station like Little River so special -- its pristine and isolated location at the mouth of the river leading to the picturesque fishing village of Cutler Harbor in Downeast Maine, is also its biggest challenge. Though ALF has been successful to date in saving this historic treasure for future generations, the challenges stemming from a scant population in the Washington County region and a depressed local economy have offered very little hope for the beacon if not for the dedicated efforts of our organization.
Five years of hard work has allowed ALF to pull Little River Light Station back from the brink of being lost – and there is light at the end of the tunnel as we head into what is hoped to be the final phase of restoration in 2006. But we haven’t crossed that finish line just yet.
When you personally need something like a plumber for your home, you can usually call up and have someone show up within a few days. For a place like Little River Light Station, the exact opposite is true. The combination of the lack of tradesmen in the immediate Cutler area and its remoteness does not make scheduling simple work like plumbing an easy task at all.
Recently, a professional plumber agreed to work at Little River here in June 2006 – and it is an opportunity ALF can ill-afford to lose. As many of you know from similar restoration projects, the installation of new plumbing fixtures inside the keeper’s house will open up countless opportunities for education, marine science research and of course, comfortable lighthouse tours. Yet before we can enjoy such opportunities, ALF must meet the challenge at hand in funding this critical project.
ALF has discovered it needs $3,500 in the next two weeks to pay for this all-important work or else risk losing another year until we can complete the project. As you can imagine, rescheduling the plumbing work is not an option, for it could very well be another year before a plumber would agree to perform the work again. ALF has worked the past nine months simply to find someone willing to provide a scope of work and estimate for the project.
Therefore we need the financial support of our members and friends today to help ensure that the organization can fund the work – a project that has tremendous impact on the educational use of the historic site. Every donor that helps with this project will be listed on the ALF “Supporters” page as having lent a much-needed hand to opening the door for the public to experience and learn about such a special Downeast Maine lighthouse and the breathtaking environment that enhances its beauty. Please help today!
Donations may be made by sending your check to the American Lighthouse Foundation, PO Box 889, Wells, Maine 04090 or by calling 207-646-0245 to charge to your Visa or MasterCard. You may also donate online at
www.lighthousefoundation.org Thank you for your support! Sincerely,
Bob Trapani, Jr.
Executive Director,
American Lighthouse Foundation
