Group aims to make Low Point Lighthouse part of new Cape Breton tourism route

An historic Cape Breton lighthouse will bein the spotlight this yearas repairs and planning getunderway to protect it for years to come.

Low Point Lighthouse has beenin operation since 1832 andis located along Sydney Harbour near New Waterford, N.S.The Low Point Lighthouse Society, a community group managing the site, won $75,000 in anational crowdfunding contest.

The group plans to make repairs to the 22-metre lighthouse, enhance the property and hopes to eventuallybuild a new seawall.It also aimsto market the lighthouse as a tourist attraction and wedding venue.

Studying the seawall

"It sits at the mouth of Sydney Harbour, so tourists see it upon arrival into Sydney on cruise ships," said Debbie Lee Pearson, the society's director.

"It is significant also for navigation.It was more so in the past, but it's also used as a navigational aid for ships."

She says rebuilding the seawallis important to protect the lighthouse and part of the money will go toward a study needed on shoreline protection.

"The erosion that this particular piece of land faces is unbelievable with the force of winds and wave erosion."

Pearson says it will cost an estimated $400,000 to replace the seawall.

A tourism corridor

Other work on the site will include parking lots, interpretive panels and signage to direct visitors to the site.

"We foresee, long-term goal-wise, a campground, an RV park, a little gift shop, a little cafe, benches and a picnic area," Pearson said.

"The future goal is actually to build a new tourist route, if you will, beginning in [Whitney]Pier where there is a historical museum, and then to the Stone Church, to Fort Petrie, then to our lighthouse, culminating in New Waterford at the Colliery Lands Park."

Work on refurbishing the lighthouse is expected to start in the spring.

• Cape Breton lighthouses put contest winnings to good use

• Low Point Lighthouse society working towards restoration