Fundraising efforts to restore an iconic lighthouse on Grand Manan Island have received a significant boost.
A weekend telethon on local television station CHCO-TV raised $55,000 for the Swallowtail Lighthouse.
That pushes the total amount of money raised for the restoration work so far to at least $210,000.
Volunteers are trying to raise close to $500,000 to restore the exterior of the lighthouse and the keepers’ house.
The 90-year-old shingles on the lighthouse can no longer withstand the kind of weather that routinely blows in from the Bay of Fundy.
Organizers had been hoping to complete the work before water damage began to impact the 160-year-old lighthouse’s interior.
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But in February, head light keeper Ken Ingersoll discovered second-floor damage to the lighthouse’s lath. Large pieces of the plaster ceiling had also fallen to the floor.
“We now have approximately nine to 12 months to secure the lighthouse’s exterior to prevent more extensive and potentially irreversible damage,” Ingersoll said in a Facebook post at the time.
“If we can meet that timeline then the current damage can be repaired.”
About $160,000 of the $479,000 needed for the restoration work had been raised as of late February.
Donations can be made by e-transfer to swallowtail.donations@gmail.com or by going to www.swallowtaillighthouse.com.
Water damage at the Swallowtail Lighthouse in Grand Manan. Image: Ken Ingersoll
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