Fisgard Lighthouse to get major upgrades
The Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic site will receive $1.56 million for infrastructure and facility upgrades, federal minister Gary Lunn announced yesterday.
Which is a good thing, as Lunn joked, since it is "falling apart as we speak."
Lunn, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, announced the lighthouse is one of three heritage sites in B.C. that will receive a total of more than $3.1 million for infrastructure improvements.
Lunn's comment was made after a pair of Parks Canada signs -- set up for the press conference -- crashed behind him after being blown down by the wind.
The other two heritage sites that will receive funding are the Pacific Rim National Park in Ucluelet ($1.1 million) and Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on the Queen Charlotte Islands ($375,000).
Lunn said the funding is an investment in tourism.
The funding at Fisgard Lighthouse will go toward new exhibits, upgrades to the park's accessibility, a new fire prevention system and electrical upgrades.
The lighthouse, built in 1860, is at Fort Rodd Hill, on the west side of Esquimalt Harbour.
It will be closed through the summer, and construction will begin immediately. John Aldag, manager of national historic sites with Parks Canada, said that he hopes to finish construction and reopen to the public next spring.
Aldag said the funding will make the site more visitor-friendly by adding amenities such as washrooms and water fountains.
Dave King, site manager at the lighthouse, was pleased with the news. King, who has worked at the site for more than 25 years, said this will be the biggest restoration project he's seen there.
To King, lighthouses such as Fisgard are a part of B.C.'s heritage worth preserving.
"They're an important part of our history, and represent a safe homecoming and warm welcoming," he said.
Greg Evans, executive director of the Maritime Museum of B.C., shared King's enthusiasm.
"There's always been a romance associated with lighthouses and lighthouse keepers," Evans said.
A lighthouse keeper's residence will be replicated inside.
ahui@tc.canwest.com
