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The Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada town council recently decided that the Point Abino Lighthouse should belong to the community and purchased the lighthouse from the Canadian government.

The town will get the lighthouse for one dollar but will pay $150,000 for the keeper’s house. However, it will cost the town a bit more to take of removal of asbestos, lead paint and other hazardous materials at the site.

However, public access is still a problem and may cause the town to relinquish the lighthouse back to the government. The only road to the lighthouse is a private road owned by 30 or so local homeowners, mostly Americans, who maintain a locked security gate at the entrance to the road.

The homeowners Point Abino Association want an arrangement whereby they can limit public access to the lighthouse and require written permission from them for each and every tour or visit to the lighthouse. The Town Council is against this, with Mayor Wayne Redekop saying, “there is more than one way to skin a cat.” Exactly what he referring to is unclear, but the town may elect to choose a number of different options to force the homeowners to allow public access.

There has been a dispute for years between the Point Abino Association, representing the local homeowners who do not want the public on their street, which is the only road to and from the lighthouse, and the Point Abino Lighthouse Association who believe the road should be available to all who want to visit the historic structure.

The deed states that the town has the right to cancel the purchase of the lighthouse within one year of the date of closing if the problem with public access cannot be worked out.

This story appeared in the July 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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