Photo by Tony Pasek
Thomas Point Lighthouse
The 2018 Thomas Point Preservation season has begun. The weekend work days are listed on the bottom of this post. A small group of volunteers headed out in early May followed by a larger group in the middle of the month. One of the first tasks was to complete work started last year and also to the straighten up the light and prepare it for the 2018 preservation and tour season. Volunteers will make sure the light is in tip top shape from top to bottom, or maybe bottom to top. (Did the photo get your attention?)
One of the main goals this season is to complete the work in what we refer to as the equipment room – the room we use for storing a lot of the tools of the preservation and maintenance program.
The first two days were unofficial and focused on this main project. A small crew went out during the week on Wednesday, May 9th to continue installation of paneling on the ceiling that had been started last fall. Though small, the crew of three made some significant progress .
Another crew returned on Tuesday, May 15, and despite what Tony described as “monsoon-like weather” the seven volunteers headed out to open up the light for the preservation season. Because of the exceedingly humid conditions they did not do any painting, but they did deliver the paint for future work days. So if you are anxious to do some painting out on the bay, there will be opportunities for you as long as you are a Chapter member. The volunteers concentrated their efforts on two rooms this time out – the sitting room and the equipment room.
Photo by Tony Pasek
Juan nails the final board in the ceiling – YAY!
The equipment room is last of the four rooms on the first floor to be completed. Work on this room has been on-going for a couple of seasons now . The installation of paneling on the walls was completed last year and the more demanding work on the ceiling was begun as soon as that was done. After many dedicated hours of work, volunteers achieved a true milestone on a rainy overcast May 15th, when they completed the installation of the very last board on the ceiling.
To give it a more completed look, they added dowel-type molding to the ceiling in both the sitting and equipment rooms. Then they caulked below and above the molding in both rooms until they exhausted the supply of caulk.
Photo by Tony Pasek
Katie & Virginia fill nail head holes and seams in ceiling with putty
They also added a few sections of baseboard to the equipment room walls and filled in the nail holes and siding seams with putty. Before leaving they vacuumed the sawdust from their carpentry work on the first floor. They also vacuumed the second floor for good measure.
On the final workday for this busy month volunteers reinstalled the floor trim in the sitting room and installation was started in the workroom. The workroom door was also repaired so that it now closes!
The ceiling and trim has all been primed in the workroom and the trim was primed in the sitting room. The kitchen and other areas were also cleaned and dusted (well it is spring after all!) And I suppose it is not surprising that the main deck and railings were in need of cleaning. The crew pressure washed the storage deck and the benches that had been stored there over he winter as well as the dock.
Cathy Howard reports that the Woodworkers Guild volunteers have been very busy. They have repaired some of the exterior siding. This seems to be one of those tasks that never seems to end. They also took a template of some of the trim that has to be repaired.
Last – but not least, Howard has installed a new ladder on the dock.
Tours start on June 9th. So if you are not a member of the Chapter, this is the only way to see the light. To book a tour visit the United States Lighthouse Society web page (uslhs.org) for the list of tour dates and instructions on how to get tickets.
Photo curtesy of Tony Pasek The “Three Amigo’s” – (L to R)Tony, Hobie & Juan and the new equipment room ceiling
Photo by Tony PasekDick cuts dowel molding.
Photo by Tony PasekHobie & Dick use the power saws
Photo by Tony Pasek
Plaque at Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
Photo curtesy of Tony Pasek
The “Three Amigos” (L to R) Tony, Hobie, and Juan and the new equipment room ceiling.
Future work dates for Thomas Point are now on the website calendar and preservation schedule post. They are June 23rd, July 21st, August 11th, September 22nd, October 13th, and November 3rd.
Volunteers:
Juan Castillo
Virginia Crespo
Richard Kuhlman
Cathy Lewis
Howard Lewis
Tony Pasek
Dick Moale
John Potvin
Katie Potvin
Hobie Statzer
