Funds secured for restoration of Bodie Lighthouse

Five years after chunks of metal fell from the balcony of the Bodie Island Lighthouse, funds have finally been secured to restore what many consider a national treasure.

The $3 million estimated cost for complete restoration of the 1872 tower is included in the fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Budget Bill, the National Park Service Outer Banks Group announced Wednesday.

Tucked in the marshlands north of Oregon Inlet, the 156-foot lighthouse was already badly corroded when the National Park Service acquired it from the Coast Guard in 2000. Pieces of cast-iron metalwork were missing from the top, and the remaining metalwork in the lantern room, gallery deck and support brackets was deteriorating. The 205 steps of the spiral staircase also were corroding.

In ensuing years, the brick beacon, painted in black-and-white bands, was surveyed and examined by high-tech equipment.

But attempts to fund its restoration were unsuccessful. In 2008, the funds made it into the president's budget, but were pulled out at the last moment.

In addition to repair and replacement of the metalwork, the restoration will repair masonry and stone, rehabilitate portions of floors, windows and framing and upgrade electrical systems, according to a Park Service news release.

The project is expected to start in August and be completed in 18 months, the statement said.

The rare 1st Order Fresnel lens atop the lighthouse also is slated for restoration. The $100,000 cost to repair the lens was funded earlier this year.

Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com