It’s black and white
West Point lighthouse gets new coat of stripes with brighter red on top
West Point’s iconic lighthouse is getting a fresh coat of paint.
Mallard Painting from Pownal started the project on Monday and was expected to have the job completed by today.
Lighthouse general manager Scott Smith said the tower was last painted seven years ago, but this is the first time in several years the lantern deck and the canopy are getting a touchup. The red on top will be returned to its original colour. Mallard Painting’s owner, Wade Clements, described the colour as Coast Guard Red or Safety Red.
Bernard Campbell spent part of the day Wednesday standing on the cap while applying the red paint, making him the focal point for camera-toting tourists on the beach below.
The lighthouse’s recognizable horizontal black stripes are being retained.
The surface area being painted on the 69-foot lighthouse is about 4,900 square feet.
Clements said the lighthouse is the type of challenge his company likes to take on.
Smith said the lighthouse inn is enjoying its best summer ever, reporting a 98 per cent room occupancy rate in August, up from 95 per cent in July. With demand so strong, the inn is staying open until the end of the month, instead of its usual mid-September closing. The West Point Lighthouse, built in 1875, has been operational since 1876.