Eroding West Point lighthouse property needs help now, says advocate

The vice-president of the P.E.I. Lighthouse Society, CarolLivingstone, says reinforcement of the eroding bank protecting the West Point lighthouse needs to happen quickly before spring because the lighthouse is at risk.

• PEI landmarks threatened by shore erosion

• Plan in place to fix lighthouse

The 1875 lighthouse, renovated at a cost of $2 million in 2010, has been under threat before in 2012, a seawall was built to protect its eroding shore.

Rocks that had been placed in front of a seawall to protect the shoreline have washed away, Livingstone said something she thinks likely happened during last week's storms.

'Absolutely shocked'

"When I went down Saturday, I was absolutely shocked, because the tide washed out all the rocks," said Livingstone, who lives in West Point within sight of the lighthouse and is known to many as "Mrs. Lighthouse" for her work to preserve the historic Island landmarks.

"If something isn't done, our lighthouse will be undermined." She believes the solution could be installing large rocks often used to shore up coastal areas.

A shoreline boadwalk to the beach in Cedar Dunes provincial park has also been damaged, Livingstone said.

The West Point Lighthouse is the first inn in Canada to be in a working lighthouse, managed by a local development corporation.

It's a designated heritage site.

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