By Stowell P. Watters
Staff Writer
    This summer the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust (KCT) is hoping to restore the light station at Goat Island to match pictures of its visage from the 1950s. Simultaneously the Coast Guard in Maine is planning to completely solarize the island as a part of an initiative involving the solarization of five lighthouses along the coast of Maine.
    Currently, the project is in the planning stages. KCT Executive Director, Tom Bradbury, said a vote has been taken by the board of trustees at the KCT to proceed with the 1950s design and the permitting for the various buildings to be constructed has already begun. The pace, Bradbury said, will be set by fundraising.
    “I estimate this project will cost us anywhere from $800,000 to $1 million,” Bradbury said. “We will do work as we receive the funding to do so.”
    Because the island takes such a beating from the sea, Bradbury said, there is already need for constant repair. The windows must be all winterized and restored to exactly match those of the 1950s style, Bradbury said. The home must be further winterized and completely restored and upgraded, a pyramid-shaped bell-tower will be erected, a 125 foot walkway between the keeper’s quarters and the main out-building – which was swept away by the tempestuous Atlantic in 1978 – must be completely rebuilt, the boathouse will be repaired, a new outbuilding will be built and the ways at the head of the island will all be replaced. The septic system has to be converted from an outflow system to a leeching system. A new docking system will be implemented; all of this work, Bradbury said, is to maintain the coastal integrity of Goat Island.
    “We want to keep the lighthouse the focal point of the harbor, a predominant part of the history of Cape Porpoise,” Bradbury said.
    After sitting down with members of the Maine Historical Preservation Commission it became obvious to Bradbury and the board of trustees they would need to pick an era for their target restoration. They chose the 1950s, when the island first received power. The light itself was automated in 1990, one of the last to do so in the United States after Boston Light in Massachusetts, according to a historical pamphlet published by the KCT.
    Currently the island is provided electricity through a submarine wire. Official keeper of the light station and member of the KCT, Scott Dombrowski, said a review of the cable, which is still uncompleted, has shown “sufficient breaches, damage done by propellers.”
    “We are at a very pivotal point in the history of the light station,” Dombrowski said. “The plan to meet the power needs of the island is really in its infancy, we would like to get involved with people who are familiar with alternative energy, hook up some grants, and maybe even use Goat Island as an education center to promote alternative energy.”
    He said the board of trustees has discussed the possibility of wind and tidal power supplies along with the solarization planned by the Coast Guard. Although these sources are reliable, Dombrowski said, he believes the island will still need a backup diesel generator.
    “We have to be certain that some of the higher power-using equipment, like the boathouse winch and the water pumps, will keep running,” Dombrowski said.
    Mike Weston of the KCT has been involved in the ongoing project since day one. He said his first concern is to deal with the docking system at the island. Currently there is a narrow passageway, but this, he said, is a far cry from inviting.
    “We need something stable but also something that doesn’t have to be out there all year,” Weston said. “And every aspect of this project is like that, you have to consider so many different angles before moving forward – we want to do this right the first time around.”
    The KCT is currently working on the fundraising aspect of the project, and if all goes as planned Bradbury said they will begin work as soon as weather permits. As a part of thee KCT’s Island Stewardship Program Bradbury said he wants the lighthouse to serve as a historical and educational conduit for the community.
    “Part of our goal is maintaining the integrity, the beauty, the history and the character of or town,” Bradbury said. To check up on the project as it develops or to view a live camera feed of the island visit www.kennebunkportconservationtrust.com
    To contact Stowell call 282-4337, ext. 219 or email him at news@kennebunkpost.com