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Letter of Support OBC Online Submission July 4, 2002 Dear friends, It is fitting that I write this letter on Independence Day. If the American way is to be proven alive and well, then the Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. by all rights should be granted ownership of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. For the first time in history, the amended National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act 2000 places nonprofits on equal footing with government organizations applying for ownership of lighthouses. There is no better application of this wise legislation than in the transfer of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse to the current caretakers, the Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. The mission of the organization which I represent, the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society (OBLHS), is to aid in the preservation of North Carolina Lighthouses. It is our wish that future generations have the opportunity to see, climb, and understand the history of lighthouses and their vital role in the development of our state and nation. OBLHS will work with any entity that is achieving these goals at NC lighthouses. Foremost, our concern is that each lighthouse is in the hands of a group that cares about the structure, its history, and preservation. Therefore, the OBLHS board of directors has voted to support the nonprofit Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. (OBC) to continue as stewards of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Our public support for the OBC is based on their 21 years of work at the light station that realized complete restoration of the tower, keeper's quarters, and other buildings, and publication of oral histories of their keepers' families. What a feat! They accomplished remarkable restoration without much support from government entities at a time when lighthouses were not considered worthy of public attention . Obviously, lighthouses have now captured the imagination of Americans. And equally, lighthouses have become a great point of pride for the citizens of North Carolina, which is home to some of the finest examples of coastal lighthouses in the nation. OBLHS believes that diversity of ownership is key to the survival of lighthouses. When the economy slows, as now, it takes little time for the cutbacks in funding, which dictate priority of federal projects, to reach the doorsteps of our government-owned lighthouses. Nonprofits are often in a better position to raise funds privately and accomplish repairs in a timely fashion. Consider some of the finest restoration projects on the East Coast, and to name some: Montauk Point, Currituck Beach, Bald Head Island, Tybee Island, St. Augustine, Ponce de Leon Inlet, and Key West- these are all restored, preserved, and maintained by NONPROFITS. Other nonprofits all over America that have poured years of work and emotion into restoration of lighthouses are watching this case involving the transfer of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse was the last in a string of pearls built along the treacherous NC coast. It was built with the best materials that the nation could procure in order to light a treacherous, dark part of the coast. This American lighthouse deserves the best and the Outer Banks Conservationists has fulfilled every need of this light station. Why change something that works and why not reward hard work with stewardship for that which has been meticulously cared? If the Currituck County commissioners had done this work for the past two decades, could OBC step in and simply take over? If OBC is not granted the transfer of the lighthouse, then, in our board's opinion, it is modern-day privateering with a letter of marque from the U.S. government. We hope that the correct decision is made concerning ownership with the future of this lighthouse as the determining factor in that decision. Sincerely, Cheryl Shelton-Roberts |
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