Point Lookout Lighthouse Preservation Society (PLLPS), Inc.



May 15, 2010 May Workday Completes Many Tasks

May 15, 2010



Volunteers from the Point Lookout Lighthouse Preservation Society and the Chesapeake Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society spent a breezy but sunny day working on a number of projects. We also had PowerTech Electric of Hollywood, Maryland on-site to install a new panel and outlets in the lighthouse!

We had the great fortune to have volunteers from the Chesapeake Chapter help us at our remote location. We welcomed new volunteers Mary and Cecil Shepard, who drove from Richmond, Virginia, as well as Joan Speice, who drove from Pennsylvania! We appreciate everyone's commitment and willingness to drive to our remote location to help out our beautiful lighthouse.

Work included scraping, sanding and painting of both Potomac River and Bay side porches. We repaired some rotten wood on the Bay side porch, scraped and put a first coat of paint on the walls around the porch. This work gives us empathy and understanding of the non-stop entries in the lighthouse logs; keepers were constantly painting to keep up with the damage caused by being out in the harsh elements at Point Lookout. The yard also received some much needed grooming!

We also had Brandon Thomas and his crew from PowerTech Electric finish a task that has kept many of us awake at night- the installation of a new electrical panel, along with 5 branch circuits to provide power for our restoration projects. Brandon and his team worked hard to complete the job in a single day, with no impact on our work. We were very impressed that Brandon brought his generator to be sure there would be no impact to our work. And it was a good thing he did bring the generator, as power was out a little longer than expected due to the corrosion found on the old equipment. We did have to insist that they take a short lunch break and enjoy some burgers on the grill, but as soon as they finished eating they were back to work. This task took over a year to accomplish and represents a major milestone in our restoration of this majestic lighthouse. Please consider PowerTech Electric for your next electrical project! PowerTech is a local Southern Maryland business, visit them at www.powertechelec.com


The porch in desperate need of paint.

The Bay side porch, looking very shabby at the start of the workday.


Scraping the porch.

Missy scrapes the paint from the Bay Side porch.


Ryan scrapes the porch.

Ryan scrapes the Bay side porch.


Everyone scraping.

Scraping is a team sport!


Lucas on the Bay side porch.

Lucas points to the wood repair on the Bay side porch.


Sandra Scraping the Bay Side porch.

Sandra scraping the Bay Side porch.


Sanding the Potomac River Porch

Tony sands while Cecil vacuums the Potomac River side porch.


After painting.

One coat of paint and a lot of scraping makes a world of difference!


Chesapeake Chapter Volunteer Cecil Shepard works to clean up the lighthouse grounds.


Removing debris from under the porch.

Mary Shepard and Joan Spiece clean up under the porches.


Lunch is served.

After a hard morning's work, volunteers enjoy burgers and dogs from the grill.


Outside Disconnect is installed.

The new disconnect and feeder wire are installed.


Second Story is a long way up.

Brandon from PowerTech Electric scales the ladder to the second story.


Living Room outlet.

PowerTech replaces an existing outlet in the north side living room.


Wiring the new panel.

The New panel wiring begins.


PowerTech Truck.

For all your electrical needs, contact PowerTech. Visit their website at:

www.Powertechelec.com

and tell them you heard about them from their work at


Photos by Robert Hall