Lighthouse gets fresh coat of paint

The Vermilion lighthouse, poised on the shore of Lake Erie at 480 Main St., was repainted after more than $15,000 was donated for the cause.

Service director Tony Valerius said during a June 15 City Council meeting that the project started that day and was projected for completion by the end of this week.

The Main Street Vermilion Lighthouse Preservation Committee organized the project and hired a contractor to paint the lighthouse, with the new coat projected to last 15 years.

“The lighthouse will be sandblasted to the bare metal, primed using industrial primer and painted with enamel gloss polyurethane,” Valerius said.

That new gloss will prevent debris and dirt from sticking to the structure and has been applied in compliance to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s guidelines.

The total cost of the project was a little over $17,000, said Valerius, who added that $15,500 of that came from donations from local foundations, including Sherwin-Williams, which donated 20 gallons of paint.

The sandblasting of the lighthouse began June 16, according to a City of

Vermilion Facebook page post.

As of June 18, the paint had been applied to the lighthouse, which was roped off with caution tape as it dried.

The Vermilion Lighthouse is a replica of the original lighthouse that was later moved to Lake Ontario, according to https://www.shoresandislands.com/.

Known as the “Town of Sea Captains,” Vermilion was without a lighthouse for 63 years.

The lighthouse is located next to Main Street Beach.

Visitors can walk up to, but not enter the lighthouse.

JORDANA JOY — THE MORNING JOURNAL New paint has been applied to the Vermilion lighthouse on the shore of Lake Erie. The project began June 15 and was slated to be finished by the end of the week.