Photos: Rust and Access Complicates Sakonnet Lighthouse Renovation

Progress continues with the Sakonnet Lighthouse renovation project. While previous completion target dates of Labor Day may have been optimistic, Project Manager Scott Brown maintains that the bulk of the work will be finished by the end of summer.

The renovation project requires a variety of work, ranging from hydroblasters and steel workers to bricklayers and painters. Work is further complicated by two factors: the difficulty of getting workers to and from the jobsite of Little Cormorant Rock, and the vertical nature of the project itself. The rock is completely surrounded by water and requires a small shuttle boat for access, while the lighthouse stands 66 feet (seven stories) in the air and demands multilayered exterior scaffolding.

In fact, the vertical nature of the project is the reason behind one of the most unusual jobs of the project. When it becomes time to complete the case-on roof, the cement will be poured on from a helicopter, said Brown, and if all goes to schedule, this will happen sometime in the second week of August.

The lighthouse, which was first was used 127 years ago in 1884, has been unoccupied since it was decommissioned in 1954 due to damages incurred by Hurricane Carol. It serves a purpose as a channel marker, even now in its degraded state. 

“Fishermen do use it as a visual," Brown said.

Despite the project's natural obstacles, Brown insists that the greatest impediment to the project was “unquestionably the degradation of the metal."

"It was much worse than we expected," he said in a recent interview.

This was especially troublesome on the lighthouse’s lower levels, which receive much more exposure to the surrounding ocean water.

“Rust expands," said Brown. "It's like ice. When we finally got in there, the structure was only being held together by rust in places; the rivets were busted. It was fortunate that the original masonry was very good. It was the only thing that kept it sturdy in places.”

The lighthouse's rusting presents a huge problem, as much of its “skeleton” consists of cast-iron plates bolted together, something that will become visually evident through some of the pictures attached to this post. Years of exposure to rough weather has lead to extreme structural rust, particularly on the storm-battered south side, leading to cracked plates and failed fasteners.

To combat this, work crews are replacing many of the plates and bolts that are no longer functioning. Unfortunately, this required taking out the original masonry, as well as relaying much of the brick that supports much of the interior.

Regardless of these obstacles, the rate of progress has noticeably increased this year from last.

“We identified the problems last year, and went into this year with an idea of how to deal with them,” said Bill Nightingale, president of the Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse.

This work is being done by contracted crews from the Joseph Gnazzo Company of Union, CT.

“They are here 9 to 10 hours a day, 7 days a week," Brown noted. “There are two crews. One week on, one week off.”

The project picked up thanks to an approximate $844,000 grant from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation in 2005. The grant is supplemented by the fundraising efforts of Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse, which has been raising awareness and funding for the past 25 years toward the cause. The project finances are being managed by the RI Foundation, who “have really done a great job," according to Nightingale.

“We’ve had to really dig into our reserves to complete this project," he said.

Fundraising, both to complete the project and for future lighthouse maintenance, is ongoing. To contribute or learn more, visit http://www.sakonnetlighthouse.org/