Lighthouse, trail remain closed; virus stalls work
The village plans to put up signs reminding local residents and visitors that the trail to the Saugerties Lighthouse remains closed, as does the lighthouse itself.
The shutdowns began in November so repairs to the half-mile trail could be made. But that work and the reopenings have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic also has prevented a $180,000 dockreplacement project from starting.
Village Mayor Bill Murphy said on Monday that “a lot of traffic ... [is] heading down Lighthouse Drive and turning around. Of course, that’s upsetting the neighbors because people get all the way down there and it’s closed, they’re pissed off, and they fly back up the street.”
The trail project that began last fall was in response to increased erosion in recent years. Some 125 seedling plants and more than 200 young growth trees were purchased with the goal of securing an area that has been particularly susceptible to tides and storms.
“We’re addressing some of the flood-prone areas with treatments to the boardwalks and address some other muddy areas,” said lighthouse keeper Patrick Landewe.
The dock and the end of the trail was to be replaced early this year, but the pandemic forced a construction halt, as well as breaks in the supply chain. Landewe said the work would take four to six weeks under normal conditions, but in light of the delay, he was not willing to estimate when the project might start or be finished.
“We’re waiting on the contractor ... to mobilize and get underway,” Landewe said. “They were shut down like everybody else and are picking up where they left off. I don’t have a definite timeline ....
They’re communicating with their suppliers to see when they can get deliveries of materials.”
The virus-related shutdowns also have cut off revenue generated by the lighthouse because the bedand-breakfast there has not been allowed to operate.
“We’re trying to make ends meet like everybody else during this time,” Landewe said.
The Saugerties Lighthouse, located where the Esopus Creek flows into the Hudson River, draws 50,000 to 60,000 visitors per year, and the trail is used by as many as 300 people per day in the summer.
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