Cape Lookout Lighthouse Paint Project Begins

Date: March 12, 2015
Contact: Katherine Cushinberry, 252-728-2250, ext. 3019

HARKERS ISLAND, NC –Cape Lookout National Seashore Superintendent Pat Kenney has announced that the Cape Lookout Lighthouse will be receiving a new coat of paint over the next few weeks. The exterior brick masonry of the lighthouse tower was last painted in 2004. The existing exterior paint is at the end of its life cycle due to the harsh weather environment and followed by three recent hurricanes, Irene, Sandy and Arthur, has furthered caused the paint to fail exposing the brick to moisture and deterioration. After Hurricane Sandy, the park submitted and received the funds to repaint the lighthouse.

Working closely with the National Park Service Historic Preservation Center in Maryland, Amidon Contracting Solutions from Wake Forest, NC was selected as the project prime contractor. H.I.S. Painting from Titusville, FL is the sub-contractor performing the painting work. H.I.S Painting has extensive high elevation painting experience working with Cape Hatteras and NASA painting a variety of tower structures in Florida. The painting crew is made-up of two painters and two ground tenders. The project will be starting this week and is scheduled to be completed by the end of April weather permitting.

The park is open during the project, however, the immediate area of the lighthouse will be closed to the public as all existing loose, peeling, and flaking paint is being removed to a smooth and paintable surface and a new paint coating, an exact match to the existing black and white diamond pattern visible on the lighthouse's exterior, is being applied. For your safety we ask that you stay outside the marked construction zone areas.

At this time the lighthouse is still planning to open to the public on May 12^th for scheduled climbs.

We hope you enjoy your visit to Cape Lookout National Seashore and do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.