Work has begun on replacement of the New Point Comfort Lighthouse observation deck at Bavon.
On Tuesday afternoon, the previously existing 200-foot deck and walkway, completed in 1997, had already been demolished and heavy equipment was situated at the site. The replacement structure will be rebuilt with salt-treated lumber in the same footprint at a total cost of $152,000. Docks of the Bay, a White Stone based marine construction company, is doing the work.
The Mathews Rotary Club started raising the funds to provide the required local match for the grant to fund the deck replacement three years ago, said a press release, and on Thursday, Jan. 30, members presented a check for $30,750 to the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission. The grant was provided by the NOAA Office for Coastal Zone Management.
Karl Braun and Stan Allen, both residents of the New Point area, are co-chairs of the Mathews Rotary Overlook Project Committee, which worked in concert with over 11 different entities to bring the project to fruition, said the release.
Rotary members Jack White, Susan Murdoch, and Mike Pittman organized the fundraising efforts to make the project a reality, and the organization’s inaugural Party with a Purpose event in June 2022 played a key role in raising the funds.
Recognition was given to all members of Mathews Rotary, said the release, as well as to the MPPDC for the work that went into managing the project, which began last month and is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
The Mathews Rotary Club has long worked closely with the Nature Conservancy and VDOT on keeping the area around the deck maintained. Numerous Rotary workdays have taken place at the site, said the release, “as this is one of the most visited tourist sites in Mathews.”
The community can continue to support the club’s efforts by attending this Saturday’s Chili Cook-Off at the Piankatank Ruritan Club, the Flags for Heroes kick-off on Memorial Day, May 26, and this year’s Party with a Purpose on Saturday, May 31, at Williams Wharf.