The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society (ERLS) plans to finish the restoration of its historic lighthouse by November.

Heather Forde-Prosa, president of the society, told Tribune Business that restoration efforts are costing more than $1m. They have already completed significant restoration efforts from crack repairs to masonry work along with repainting the lighthouse with silicate paint which would allow the tower to “breathe”, and further protects the masonry for years to come.

Ms Forde-Prosa said this work would not have been made possible had it not been for the generosity of the US Embassy and a $472,000 grant. “I would say that the US Embassy has done us a huge service by helping us to repair our lighthouse. I’d also say that when reflected on Bahamian independence, the country must try to maintain these structures,” Ms Forde-Prosa said.

Without the support from the US Embassy, the lighthouse restoration efforts would be a “struggle”, because the fundraising would not have been enough to complete all of the projected $1m worth of restoration required.

She added: “There are 11 British Imperial Lighthouses and this is the only one that’s been restored and we know how you know how to do it and we know how to have fun. We can pass off our information to others who might want to their lighthouses restored in The Bahamas. After the British handed over these lighthouses... we need to not let things fall into disrepair.”

The lighthouse is already open to the public and tourists, with gift shops adding value to ERLS efforts to develop long-term sustainability. “We’re thinking about how we’re going to pass this on to the next generation and we’re starting to think about creating archives and taking everything we’ve learned and writing it down and having everything organised so that the next generation would have this history of this whole project,” Ms Forde-Prosa said.

Ms Forde-Prosa added: “The tourists are visiting throughout the week from the hours of 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday and it’s closed on Sunday because the keepers deserve to have a day of rest.

“We have two retail stores that fund what we do. So all of the money that comes in through out retail stores is directed at the project. We have one by the lighthouse and one by the town side.”

The lighthouse has become “quite the attraction”, on the island for locals and tourists alike and has boosted the spirits of the town after Hurricane Dorian had broken the hearts of the people. “To the people that live here, to see it decimated by a hurricane and to see it restored just goes to the hearts of everyone who lives here,” she said.