GSA Seeking Stewards for 12 Historic Lighthouses
Real property disposal program saves taxpayer money, preserves the past.
May 21, 2012
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. General Services Administration announced it is looking for caretakers of several historic lighthouses in an effort to save tax dollars while preserving the past. As part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program, the agency is offering 12 historic lighthouses along the Atlantic Seaboard and Great Lakes, at no cost, to eligible state or local governments, non-profit corporations, historic preservation groups, or community development organizations. This program helps move the government towards meeting the President’s goal of cutting real estate costs by over $1.5 billion and the government is on track to save $3.5 billion by the end of the year.
"GSA has a responsibility to dispose of excess government real estate assets, including historic lighthouses,” said GSA’s Acting Commissioner of Public Buildings Linda Chero. “Historic lighthouses are unique in that they have sentimental and tangible value as historic landmarks in local communities. Through the preservation program, GSA helps find new stewards for excess lighthouses that are no longer considered mission critical to the United States Coast Guard.”
In partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service, GSA administers the federal program that conveys historic lighthouses to caretakers through the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Since enactment of this legislation in 2000, GSA has conveyed 84 lighthouses to new stewards who are required to maintain historic preservation standards for these unique properties.
Proceeds from the public sales go back into the Coast Guard’s lighthouse fund to continue preservation and maintenance of lights that are still in federal ownership. Organizations interested in acquiring one of the lighthouses will have 60 days to submit a letter expressing interest in the property and complete a rigorous application process. If no suitable steward is identified, the lighthouses are then auctioned to the general public.
GSA will soon issue Notices of Availability for the following light stations: Ontonagon West Pierhead Light, Manistique Light, Stannard Rock Light, and Fourteen Foot Shoal Light in Michigan; Liston Rear Range Light in Delaware; American Shoal Light in Florida; Ashland Light in Wisconsin; Butler Flats Light, Graves Light, Edgartown Light in Massachusetts; and Halfway Rock Light and Boon Island Light in Maine.
To find out more information on these properties and how to submit a letter of interest, visit http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/nhlpa/nhlpa.htm.
Lighthouses available for public sale will be listed and auctioned at http://realestatesales.gov.
For more information about GSA’s Real Property Utilization and Disposal program, visit https://propertydisposal.gsa.gov.
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As the federal government's workplace solutions provider, the U.S. General Services Administration works to foster an effective, sustainable and transparent government for the American people. GSA’s expertise in government workplace solutions include:
- Effective management of government assets including more than 9,600 government- owned or leased buildings and 215,000 vehicles in the federal fleet, and preservation of historic federal properties;
- Leveraging the government’s buying power through responsible acquisition of products and services making up approximately 14 percent of the government’s total procurement dollars;
- Providing innovative technology solutions to enhance government efficiency and increase citizen engagement; and,
- Promoting responsible use of federal resources through development of government wide policies ranging from federal travel to property and management practices.
