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Judith Roales, president of the foundation, said
this is the worst damage at Harbor of Refuge since the preservation
group began working there 11 years ago.
There’s hardly a piece of the dock framework left above water,
and the group is concerned about the stability of the dock pilings and
support beams underwater, she explained.
She said the group has not yet been able to get
inside the lighthouse to inspect for interior damage.
The group’s Board of Directors met in an
emergency session April 10 to make plans for obtaining an underwater
condition assessment, structural testing, and the engineering support
for work that will have to be done to construct a new landing.
The light at Harbor of Refuge was automated in 1972
and the historic 1926 lighthouse sat empty and deteriorating until the
foundation began working on it in 1999.
They opened it to public tours in 2002 and, under an agreement
with the Delaware River & Bay Authority, added Delaware Breakwater
lighthouse to the tours in 2006. The
tours have been highly successful, with enthusiasts coming to the Lewes
area specifically for the tours from as far away as Florida and Canada.
Keeping a dock at Harbor of Refuge so tour
participants can safely get onto the lighthouse has been one of the
foundation’s biggest challenges. With
its offshore location where Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean come
together, Harbor of Refuge is constantly buffeted by heavy seas and
strong currents. The
foundation quickly became accustomed to replacing the docks’ decking,
railings, and stairs regularly. In
recent years heavy metal grids were used as decking, and they were
removed and stored in the lighthouse during the winter to prevent storm
damage.
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