The U.S. Lighthouse Society packed up its headquarters office and archives in San Francisco and is on its way up the coast to relocate in the former keeper’s quarters duplex at Point No Point.
“We’re very happy and a little tired,” said Jeff Gales, executive director of USLHS.
He expects that they’ll be rolling down Hansville Road March 3 and within a week or two be settled into the new digs. They’re bringing more than office furniture with them. Making the move is its large lighthouse archive of photos and artifacts, and an extensive library. USLHS has a database of 12,000 lighthouse aficionados and members all over the world.
“This is a very important move for our organization,” Gales said. “Our entire identity has always been associated with San Francisco. It’s a big deal for us after almost 25 years. But we’re so enthusiastic that it’s the right thing to do and we have the support of the County Commissioners, Washington Lightkeepers Association, Friends of Point No Point and the Hansville community. We think it’s going to work.”
The society is subletting half of the duplex, located adjacent to Point No Point Lighthouse in Point No Point County Park, from Kitsap County. The lease is before the U.S. Coast Guard for approval, which Gales expects soon.
Gales first visited the lighthouse in 2006 as he led a USLHS tour of Puget Sound lighthouses. When he found out the keeper’s quarters might be available to lease, he began considering the idea of moving here. In February 2007, more formal discussions began with the county, Washington Lightkeepers Association and Friends of Point No Point, according to WLA President Elinor DeWire.
Gales has made several trips here in the last year to iron out details of the lease, and already found a house to rent for himself and his wife, Melissa. Two other full-time staff members are relocating to the area including his brother Richard Gales, development director and Webmaster, and Chad Kaiser, director of education who signed a separate lease to live in the Maggs House adjacent to the duplex and former home of the lighthouse’s first keeper.
Gales thinks Point No Point is “an amazing location” not only for its lighthouse service history, but also for the “incredible American ndian history, geography and natural wildlife. It mixes all those things together.”
The half of the duplex used by the society is larger than their office in the downtown financial district of San Francisco where they’ve been based since the inception of the society in 1983, but Gales said much of the urban-style furniture would be replaced by more appropriate pieces.
“We want to maintain the historic integrity of the building inside and get a sense of the space,” he said. “Our plan is to move in with less than what we need and fill it in later.”
Portions of the office, including a library, will eventually be open to the public.
Another factor that helped make the decision to move, Gales said, was that for almost 25 years, the society has paid rent to a for-profit landlord. By moving to Point No Point, “the rent goes to support our core mission and is going back to a lighthouse.”
The county leases the lighthouse, keeper’s quarters, Maggs house and one other structure from the Coast Guard. The lease runs through 2012. It’s been waiting for several years for the Coast Guard to put the lighthouse on the excess list so it can apply to obtain it permanently.
County Commissioner Steve Bauer, who lives in Hansville, has been involved in the partnership with USLHS since he took office.
“I think they’re going to be a great asset and provide enormous assistance as we seek ownership of the lighthouse,” Bauer said. “It’s one more piece of stewardship to give the Coast Guard. It’s good for us all the way around.”
As part of its compensation to the county for subletting half of the duplex, the USLHS will manage the other half as a vacation rental, said Arvilla Ohlde, consultant for Kitsap County Facilities, Parks and Recreation who is helping with the transition. She said minor repairs to the structure are nearly complete.
“It’s a really good option for them,” she said. “Their vested interest is the same as everyone’s. What an amazing partnership – and a really important one.”
Gales said they plan to help rehabilitate the other half of the duplex into a “first-class vacation rental” that he expects will attract visitors from all over the country looking for an opportunity to stay at a real lighthouse.
The Friends of Point No Point Lighthouse, a non-profit group founded in 2006 to preserve and protect the lighthouse and support the county’s efforts to obtain the lighthouse once it’s excessed by the Coast Guard, will host the USLHS staff at a meeting March 27 (details above).
“I think it’s going to be a wonderful asset for us,” said Paulette Cziske of the Friends. “It just helps to get people excited about lighthouses – not just Point No Point.”
Initially, she hopes the society will support educational goals of the Friends and help move programs into local schools to help kids learn to appreciate and recognize lighthouses as something worth saving.
The society still owns and operates the historic lightship Relief and will maintain a presence there, Gales said. He expects to invite the public out to Point No Point for an official ceremony and celebration once they get settled.
For more information on the U.S. Lighthouse Society, go to www.uslhs.org.
Point No Point docents meet
Docents for the Point No Point Lighthouse and those interested in the program or the Friends of Point No Point Lighthouse, are invited to a meeting at 7 p.m. March 27 in the North Kitsap Fire & Rescue headquarters station on Miller Bay Road.
Members of the U.S. Lighthouse Society will be on hand to share their upcoming involvement with Point No Point. Friends of Point No Point Lighthouse will give an update on activities, and prospective docents can learn more about leading lighthouse tours that take place noon-4 p.m. on weekends, April through September.
For more information, call (360) 638-2535. Information on the Friends of Point No Point is at http://pointnopointlighthouse.com.
