This Land, Your Land

The National Park Service has confirmed that work to refurbish the Bodie Island Lighthouse will resume next month with completion anticipated in October.

Work was suspended last spring after the Park Service concluded it did not have the money to repair the extent of damage discovered after work had begun the previous year.

But this week's announcement of a $1.89 million contract award confirms Outer Banks Group Deputy Superintendent Darrell Echols' statement to the Outer Banks Voice newspaper in December that funds had been secured.

The work is to include the following renovations:

  * Restore deteriorated metal.
  * Restore components on the lantern level (support beams, masonry, railing/ladder).
  * Replace galley cornice segments.
  * Paint interior and exterior masonry.
  * Replace windows and glass on lantern level.
  * Paint all newly installed metals/wood.
  * Install fire suppression system and rehabilitate electrical power.
  * Install stair strengtheners.

The existing lighthouse, which stands near Oregon Inlet on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, is actually the third Bodie Island Lighthouse, each of which has had a troubled history.

Work on the Bodie Island Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which was halted in March, could resume soon, according to a report in The Outer Banks Voice.

National Park Service Outer Banks Group Deputy Superintendent Darrell Echols told the newspaper that funding for repairs to the lighthouse has been secured and a contract to continue the restoration could be signed in a matter of weeks.

A $3.09 million project to refurbish the lighthouse that began in December 2009 was halted in January 2010 when damage that exceeded expectations was discovered. After an extra $1.6 million couldn't be found, the project was shelved in March 2011.

The newspaper's report, which focuses on protection of the tower as it sits open to the elements, provides no other details, but Echols said an announcement on the particulars would be made soon.

Delayed work on the Bodie Island Lighthouse, below, could resume soon.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore has belatedly posted a news release stating that its Oregon Inlet Campground reopened on Saturday.

Beach Ramp 4 at the campground is also open, and the news release lists several other open ramps for OHV access to the beach.

Coquina Beach, north of Oregon Inlet, opened late last week, including the bathhouse and parking, and lifeguards are on duty during regular hours.

The three other Cape Hatteras campgrounds remain closed due to damages from Hurricane Irene, the September 2 news release says. Bodie Island Lighthouse and all other park facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands remain closed, as well.

Hatteras Island south of Oregon Inlet and Ocracoke Island are closed to the public, and residents began a staggered return Sunday.

Storm damage in the park includes water damage to numerous facilities, damaged rooftops, scattered debris and tree limbs, and missing or damaged boardwalks, signs, posts and fencing materials.

Get details here of work to repair facilities and restore services at Cape Lookout, which has mostly reopened, and the National Parks Service's Outer Banks Group of sites, which includes Hatteras.

The visitor center at Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills was to reopen this morning after a small fire Wednesday, the National Park Service said Friday.

A fire in an air handling unit motor at mid-morning Wednesday caused evacuation of staff and park visitors from the building. No one was injured, and the rest of the park, including the Wright Brothers Pavilion with interpretive exhibits about man's first powered flight, remained open.

The visitor center's normal hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A little ways south, the visitor center complex at the Bodie Island lighthouse reopened Thursday after repairs to the entrance road and parking lot at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore site. The complex had closed Monday.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse visitor center is also open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse complex, below, will close for three days next week beginning Monday morning for work on the entrance road and parking lot, the National Park Service said Thursday.

The entrance road, which is to be repaved, and parking areas, visitor center, lighthouse grounds, wildlife viewing platform, and access road to the Off-Island Hunt Club will all be temporarily closed to the public, a news release says.

The 15-acre site on the northern end of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is to reopen as soon as work is completed.