Aquinnah, MA – May 19, 2014 – The Save the Gay Head Lighthouse Committee today announced unanimous support from all six Martha’s Vineyard towns to direct Community Preservation Act funds to the move and restoration of the Gay Head Lighthouse, bringing total fundraising to more than $1.2 million of $3 million needed. The voting concluded Tuesday night in Aquinnah, the home of the lighthouse, at the last annual town meeting on the Vineyard this year. Voters in each town agreed on the requested amounts from the committee as follows: Aquinnah, $120,000; Chilmark, $51,854; Edgartown, $149,704; Oak Bluffs, $111,600; Tisbury, $50,000; West Tisbury, $80,738.
“We are thrilled with the unprecedented community support the towns of Martha’s Vineyard have displayed,” said Derrill Bazzy, chairman of the Aquinnah Community Preservation Committee. “The lighthouse is an iconic structure and this outpouring of support clearly adds an exclamation point to its importance to the island.”
The current Gay Head Lighthouse has stood on the westernmost tip of Martha’s Vineyard since 1854, but now sits 46 feet from the edge of the cliff due to erosion. The structure is slated to be moved next spring.
In other news, the committee has announced ticket availability to the general public for a July 1 Gay Head Lighthouse benefit concert featuring popular singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash. The concert will be held at the Flatbread Company in Edgartown. Tickets for the concert are available at ticketsMV.com, Alley’s General Store, the Aquinnah town hall and Midnight Farm for $200 in advance, or $250 at the door. Doors will open at 8 p.m.
Background
The Gay Head Lighthouse, a Martha’s Vineyard treasure and one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2013, currently sits 46 feet (Aug 2013) from an eroding cliff and geological experts recommend it should be moved in the next year or so or the area around it may not be stable enough to safely do so. The Save the Gay Head Lighthouse Committee is working to save this iconic structure, and working navigational beacon, which has stood at the picturesque cliffs of the western most tip of the island since 1799 and was replaced with the current brick lighthouse in 1854. The committee’s objective is to move and restore the Gay Head Lighthouse to a location which will sustain it for many generations. The fundraising goal to cover these costs is $3 million. For more information or to make a donation, visit http://gayheadlight.org/.
Press Contact:
Maura FitzGerald
(617) 426-2222
mfitzgerald@v2comms.com