Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Newspaper Articles

Reprinted by permission of The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina

March 16, 1999

The News & Observer

Judge delays decision in suit opposing lighthouse relocation

By JERRY ALLEGOOD; STAFF WRITER

Page: A3

ELIZABETH CITY -- Moving the Cape Hatteras lighthouse away from the ocean will result in damage to the beach nearby and to the historic lighthouse, an attorney for relocation opponents told a federal judge Monday.

U.S. Judge Terrence Boyle of Elizabeth City took the arguments under advisement after a 1 1/2-hour hearing, but took no action on a request to halt the work. The judge did not indicate when he would rule.

Bryan Graham, a Raleigh lawyer who represents Dare County residents fighting the relocation, said the lighthouse should not be moved from the beach at Buxton without further study. And he said the National Park Service had not followed requirements of federal environmental law.

Graham said Park Service plans to halt maintenance on three groins - sand-trapping walls built into the water near the lighthouse - would allow erosion to destroy the beach and, eventually, threaten N.C. 12. In addition, he said, moving the 130-year-old lighthouse would destroy its historical significance.

But government attorneys said federal agencies prepared an environmental assessment 10 years ago and had continued to review possible impacts of the move. Rudy Renfer, a Park Service attorney, said International Chimney Co. of Buffalo, N.Y., had developed a design that will safely lift and move the lighthouse to a new spot about 2,900 feet to the southwest.

"The sophistication of the engineering in this is phenomenal," he said.

When Boyle asked what would happen if a major storm hit the lighthouse, Renfer said the structure would be safer than it is now because it will rest on a platform of steel that will better distribute its 4,800-ton weight.

Renfer said the Park Service announced in 1984 that it would no longer attempt to stabilize the beach with groins and that opponents should have challenged the decision earlier instead of linking concerns about erosion to the lighthouse move.

Boyle sharply questioned Graham about why opponents waited so long before requesting a court order to halt the work. The judge said at one point it appeared that filing a lawsuit was just a "public relations opportunity." He said that waiting until work was well under way undercut the contention that residents would be harmed.

About 40 percent of the tower already has been severed from its granite base, and about 25 percent of the underlying stone has been removed.

Section: News
Edition: Final
Estimated Printed Pages: 2

Index Terms:
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
environment
coast

Copyright 1999 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.

Record Number: 1999074021