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Sylvan lighthouse razed, quest starts

Sylvan Lake’s lighthouse was unceremoniously toppled recently and now the quest for a replacement for the local landmark has begun.

Sylvan Lake’s lighthouse was unceremoniously toppled recently and now the quest for a replacement for the local landmark has begun.

After the lighthouse’s fate was sealed, the Rotary Club of Sylvan Lake jumped in to head up efforts to find a replacement.

To that end, the club is hosting a community meeting on Nov. 8 to get local input. The meeting takes place at the Royal Canadian Legion beginning at 7:30 p.m.

“We’re mostly looking to get people on board to get public opinion on where they would like to see it built and the functionality of it,” said Trevor Sigfusson, who is chairing the Rotary Club’s lighthouse committee.

Among the options is building a lighthouse big enough that people could climb up to the top, which was not possible in the original.

There has also been talk of incorporating a bandshell or performing arts area into the project, or even using it as a site to house a water monitoring station for the province, said Sigfusson.

But the more elaborate the lighthouse gets, the higher costs will be.

“It’s going to be a balance between what we all want and we can afford with fundraising,” he said.

A number of people have weighed in with their opinions on the street and there appears to be support for replacing the lighthouse with something very similar.

Where it should go also remains unresolved. The former site, which was on private property, is to be turned over to the town by the developers and could tie in neatly with a proposed trail system.

It would also prove useful as a landmark for boaters.

“We’ve heard stories of people using that lighthouse to get back on foggy days — when the light was working,” he said.

However, the pier is also being considered as a potential location. One of the down sides there is it would take away land from a well-used recreational spot.

Fundraising options will also be discussed.

The Rotary Club has committed to putting in some money and there is $100,000 in a bank account donated to the town by the now-defunct Heart of Town Association, which might be eligible.

The key will be to draw on local fundraising efforts through donations from residents, community groups and businesses.

It only took a backhoe a few minutes to turn the iconic lighthouse into a pile of lumber about two weeks ago after wooden structure was deemed too decrepit to be salvageable. One enterprising resident even took a video of the lighthouse’s final moments and posted it to YouTube, where it has been viewed about 1,500 times. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfuTmSIzpfo)

Since it was built in 1988, the lighthouse had fallen into disrepair. The light no longer worked and building and fire inspections determined it couldn’t be saved.

The lighthouse is also located next to the marina, which is undergoing major upgrades to deepen it and rebuild the walls.

That work is part of a major condominium development that would see 55 units built in two buildings nearby.

pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com