Anne W. Webster
Introduction: In Maine we are fortunate to have a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) which is probably fairly unique due to the longevity of key people and a demonstrated concern about the preservation of lighthouses. Earle Shettleworth, Jr. has served as the State Historic Preservation Officer for over 30 years and Assistant Director Kirk Mohney has been with the Office for over 20 years. Kirk prepared the National Register Nomination Papers for all Maine lighthouses that they deemed eligible for the designation and were not currently designated. At that time Maine had 67 active lighthouses. Maine's SHPO was active in the development of the First National Lighthouse Conference held in Rockland, Maine in 1985. Seguin Island As the Founder and President of the Friends of Seguin Island, I have had an extensive and extremely positive relationship with Maine's SHPO at the grassroots level. The Friends of Seguin Island was incorporated in 1986 for the purpose of the preservation of the Seguin Island Light Station, located 2 1/2 miles from the mouth of the Kennebec River in Georgetown, Maine. Since that time we have worked closely with the Maine Historic Preservation Office. Prior to obtaining the 10 year lease from the Coast Guard in 1989, the Friends of Seguin Island started preparation for the application for a grant from the Lighthouse Preservation Act of 1996, which was administered through the state SHPO's. The Friends established the historic period for target renovations, had architectural drawings completed for exterior renovations, plans drawn for appropriate grey water septic, obtained renovation cost estimates, and prepared packets for a competitive bid process. In April of 1989, the Friends of Seguin Island obtained a 10 year from the Coast Guard and almost simultaneously submitted our grant application. In May 1989, we received the grant and began work in early June 1989. IN-kind matches were allowed and the grant was extended through 1990 to complete the prescribed renovations. During this period, a close working relation was developed between the Friends of Seguin Island and the Maine State Historic Preservation Office. While the ability to assist lighthouse preservation efforts across the country may vary from state to state, the following are a list of consultation areas generally from state SHPO's.
The Maine's State Historic Preservation Officer was active in the development and implementation of the Maine Lights Program, the concept of which was the forerunner of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA). The five person Maine Lighthouse Selection Committee was responsible for the recommendations for conveyance of 36 lighthouses designated as available for transfer under Section 1002 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996. The Selection Committee was chaired by RADM Richard Rybacki, USCG Ret.; SHPO, Earle Shettleworth, Jr.; a representative from the Department of Interior; a representative from the Maine maritime historical community; and a representative from a community in which one of the 36 lighthouses was located. This a role now executed by the National Park Service for lights conveyed under the NHLPA. Both the SHPO and the Assistant Director, Kirk Mohney participated in the development of the selection criteria and weighed grading and assessing the application. Much of this has been incorporated in the selection criteria currently used by the National Park Service. SHPO's particular focus was on the station's historical importance and the organization's preservation plan for the light station; including how the plan met the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and compliance with Section 103 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The result of this ground-breaking program conceived of and funded by the Island Institute of Rockland, Maine successfully transferred 28 lighthouses from the Coast Guard to other Federal agencies, sate agencies, municipalities, non-profits and one educational institution. As required by the enacting legislation this process took place within two years of the passage of the Act. To the credit of the Selection Committee, all transfers went smoothly. There were only two competing applications and there were no complaints. The State Historic Preservation Office has an ongoing historic consulting process and set up a process for monitoring compliance with the historic preservation language in the deeds. SHPO planned site visits every two years with submissions of annual historic preservation covenant reviews to be submitted by the lighthouses transferred under the Maine Lights Program. The one major concern that Maine's State Historic Preservation Office has expressed regarding the National Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 is that they believe that consulting and compliance with the terms of the deeds is best done at the local level by the State Historic Preservation Office and that the language in the deeds authorized by Act is not strong enough regarding responsibilities and actions that may be required when a property transferred does not comply with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Squirrel Point: The transfer of Squirrel Point has become an embarrassment to all involved in the entire lighthouse transfer process. I would like to clearly note that the transfer of the Squirrel Point Light was not part of the Maine Lights Program. It was identified as a direct transfer (along with six other lights) in Section 1001 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996, the Section directly preceding Section 1002 that authorized the Maine Lights Program. However, the deed for the transfer of Squirrel Point contains the same strong deed language regarding compliance as did those for the Maine Lights Program. From the beginning when there was knowledge of the legislated transfer of Squirrel Point to Squirrel Point Associates, there was serious local concern about the validity and appropriateness of the organization receiving ownership of the light station. SHPO began monitoring and documenting the conditions at Squirrel Point when that office began the monitoring process for those light stations transferred under the Maine Lights Program. In addition, it became clear to the public that Squirrel Point Associates (SPA), essentially a one person non-profit, was out to make a profit from a lighthouse received from the Federal government at no cost. The property includes a lighthouse, keeper's house, boat house and oil storage building on 4.3 acres surrounded by a State of Maine wildlife refuge. A synopsis of the chronology of this claim is detailed below:
In October of 2004, the Coast Guard filed its own motion for summary judgment. An except from their brief appears below:
Squirrel Point is a clear example of how difficult it is to correct an inappropriate transfer no matter the strength of the deed language deed and the vigilant oversight of the State Historic Preservation Office and concern of local citizens. Well thought out and documented qualifications of organizations proposing to take stewardship of excess federal lighthouse property is imperative if we are to preserve these national treasurers. This underlines the goal of the National Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 as opposed to direct Congressional transfers.
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