Panmure Island Lighthouse gets make-over as community takes over
'To be part of restoring it has been a real honour'
"They just can't imagine how beautiful it is and what a wonderful, wonderful job has been done on it," saidSam Gallant, volunteer and board member with the Panmure Island Lighthouse Association.
Community group takes over
At the time of the transfer, the association received a one-time grant of about $80,000.
With that money in hand, the volunteer board sat down to come up with a checklistthat they completed earlier this week with the final touches of paint.
Renovations inside and out
"It gave them a really unique experience not just seeing a lighthouse and the oldest wooden lighthouse on P.E.I., but actually seeing what it takes to maintain a lighthouse," added Brown.
The main floor, that used to house the lighthouse's generator, had to be ripped apart to remove asbestos and reveal the wooden timbers behindthe walls.
"It was a pretty substantial effort because as you can see there's been a lot of work done other than the painting of the lighthouse," said Roger Gallant, another member of the lighthouse association.
"We had to do the fences, we re-did the parking lot, there's been a huge amount of work done on the ground floor of the lighthouse itself so many people have been involved," added Gallant.
Funding the upkeep
Now the group is looking for ways to maintain the lighthouse and continue the renovations on the upper levels of the building.
For Jackie Brown, the renovations to the lighthouse marka new era.
- MORE P.E.I. NEWS|P.E.I. cuts direct funding for elite athletes by 25%
- MORE P.E.I. NEWS|Instagram takeover: Al Douglas' photos 'spread the good word' about P.E.I.