Long-planned renovations to New Point Lighthouse are finally on the horizon.

Mathews County advertised last week for bids from contractors who are interested in performing the renovations, which will include specialized sandstone and metal work and will require the use of a barge, a crane, and enough scaffolding to reach to the top of the 63-foot-tall structure. The deadline for bidding is Dec. 6, and a pre-bid meeting will be held on Nov. 20 for interested contractors.

Mathews County Planning and Zoning Director Thomas Jenkins said he had been working on the project with McPherson Design Group in Norfolk for two years, and that a manual has now been developed with over 400 pages of detailed instructions on what needs to be done to restore the historic lighthouse.

The door and windows, which were installed in the 1960s or 1970s, will all be replaced with new ones that will be replicas of the original door and windows, said Jenkins, and the rusted iron lantern parts that connect the ...