Cochin village looking to restore lighthouse

Mayor Harvey Walker said the village doesn’t want to continue to deal with acts of graffiti and hopes the improvements will remedy the situation.

“The council of the resort village is most disturbed by the amount of graffiti on the lighthouse,” said Walker. “We have to devise a system, first of all, to cover up the existing graffiti, and put a siding on which will be graffiti resistant.”

He added parts of the siding of the lighthouse are rotting and need to be replaced, or covered.

“We’ve determined the most economic method of proceeding with that project is to sheet the lighthouse with metal sheeting, whether it’s aluminum or some other substance …,” the mayor said.

Tackling vandalism

Walker said adding lighting around the lighthouse might help prevent night-time vandals.

In the meantime, he hopes replacing the exterior will be a start to stopping vandalism.

Currently, the siding on the lighthouse is made of a type of compressed wood, so graffiti-resistant metal siding would be a suitable replacement.

Walker said the village has been dealing with graffiti as an ongoing problem, and over the years has applied paint to cover the markings.

But vandals continue to tarnish the exterior of the lighthouse, despite the village’s clean-up efforts.

“Graffiti is an issue for all public buildings and structures,” Walker said. “For some reason there is a segment of society who finds it thrilling. I think (it’s) malicious to leave a mark on something indicating that ‘I was here.’ We really don’t care that you were here, and in fact we hope you don’t come back.

“Graffiti on the lighthouse has been an issue since day one,” added the mayor.

Walker said the beloved lighthouse is a tourist attraction and is the village’s trademark.

There are 152 steps leading up to the quaint lighthouse on the hill. The lighthouse offers an optimal view of the lake and surrounding area from its patio and grassy landing.

“It’s well worth taking that trip up because the view is beautiful,” said Walker.

He said the picturesque lighthouse and the lake make the Cochin area an attractive place to visit.

“The lighthouse is a landmark, a unique feature,” said Walker. He added he believes the lighthouse may be the only land-locked lighthouse in North America.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

by Angela Brown

Cochin village looking to restore lighthouse

What's Trending