By Barbara Rayner, The Courier
GREEN’S POINT • The Green’s Point Light Association (GPLA) has come a long way since its formation in 1996 and Michael Strong’s book “The Magic of Green’s Point”, with its beautiful images, provides a glimpse of what it takes to maintain the site.
The association was incorporated as a not-for-profit community foundation with the mandate to maintain the infrastructure of the site for the use and enjoyment of the community as an educational and recreational facility.
News of the planned de-staffing at Green’s Point in 1995 prompted the formation of the GPLA which was the brainchild of founder and first chairperson Maria-Ines Buzeta. She felt Green’s Point should be kept for use by the community.
Once the association was formed, it had to compete with other federal and provincial agencies as well as private developers to acquire the property and the process took more than a decade. In the interim, GPLA leased the property from 1996 until its purchase in 2008.
While ownership of the lighthouse and buildings was transferred to GPLA in July 2008, parts of the property are leased back to Real Property for use by the Coast Guard. These include the helicopter pad, generator station, foghorn, the Channel 14 VHF building and the transmission tower. The lease is in effect for 100 years from July 2008.
Restoration of the light tower, which was in dire need of repair, began in 1999. Excavation around the foundation was done by hand and it was discovered the walls were made of rubble below ground level with no mortar evident so stone mason Brian Frost was hired and over a period of three months the exterior walls were repointed.
The cupola was leaking badly due to cracked glass in six of the eight panes which were held in place by cast iron stops fastened with brass machine screws. It was decided to remove each of the 550 screws and replace the stops with 316 alloy stainless bars and screws, tapping out every hole in the process. It took Strong three months to do the work.
One day, while vacuuming, Strong fell through the bottom floor of the building and it was decided a complete rebuild was necessary. A team of volunteers removed the old floor and replaced it exactly as it had been built in 1903 using lumber from Alan Matheson’s nearby mill.
The final jobs in the light tower restoration were replacing the outside stairs, replacing the roofing on the widow’s walk, a fresh paint job and rewiring the entire structure. The last task was provided by the Coast Guard in consideration of all the work already done by GPLA.
However, the light tower has not been reactivated as a navigational aid due to legal requirements and the solar powered beacon on Morgan’s Ledge now functions in that capacity.
In order to have the site available to the public and cover the cost of maintaining the grounds and buildings as well as having the mandatory liability insurance, it was decided to renovate the monitor building as a vacation rental cottage.
Extensive renovations were needed and many volunteer and contractor hours over the years have gone into the work done on the cottage which is the main source of revenue. It has a panoramic view of the Bay of Fundy and Big L’Etete Passage with guaranteed sightings of whales, harbour porpoises, seals and a variety of seabirds.
The Marine and Coastal Interpretive Centre, founded in 1997, is housed in the former light keeper’s residence and has evolved over the years to include a wide range of exhibits. It also has a gift shop selling a variety of lighthouse memorabilia as well as a marine library.
It is staffed during the summer months by local students funded by the provincial SEED program and the federal Summer Works Program. Since 1997 GPLA has employed more than 70 students.
Strong said many people have volunteered or contributed in some way to the GPLA project over the years. Every year, since 1997, the association has hosted an annual picnic for its members and the community.
In order to support this wonderful project, donors can go to the GPLA website and donate online via Canada Helps. The cost of “The Magic of Green’s Point” is $30 and Strong wrote it to capture the history of the lighthouse as well as document its current status.
Strong, who worked for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans from 1976 until his retirement in 2008, has been chair of GPLA for 20 years. A diver and underwater photographer, he also enjoys building wooden boats, canoes and kayaks and has published a series of books on building small boats titled “Tiny Ship of Dreams” and a book on how to build a teardrop trailer.
