Senator Martins Secures State Funding to Help Restore Stepping Stones Lighthouse in Great Neck

     Senator Jack M. Martins (R-7th Senate District) announced that he has secured $100,000 in state funding for the Great Neck Park District to help restore the historic Stepping Stones Lighthouse in Great Neck.

    “Stepping Stones Lighthouse is both an important, functional maritime safety mechanism and a window back into our history.  It must be preserved for future generations as both a navigational aid and educational resource.  This funding enables the restoration efforts to move another step forward,” said Senator Martins.    

    Stepping Stones Lighthouse has been a vital aid to navigation in the Long Island Sound since it first opened in 1877.  According to the Great Neck Historical Society, the Lighthouse was built to warn mariners of a shoal and extensive rocks that extend into Long Island Sound northward from Kings Point.  It was updated and modernized in 1944.  In 2005, the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  The Town of North Hempstead was given ownership of the lighthouse in 2008 under the federal National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. 

     However, the Lighthouse has serious structural damage; it has holes in its foundation and basement floor and is structurally unsound.  Without repairs, the historic structure is in danger of collapse or being torn down and replaced with a navigational beacon.

     The $100,000 in funding will be used to construct and create safe, permanent dock access to the lighthouse so that critical repairs and restorations can be accomplished.  Right now, the lighthouse can only be accessed by boat during high tide.

    “This grant is essential for creating permanent access to the Lighthouse so that repairs and restoration can go forward.  We in the Great Neck Park District and the Town of North Hempstead, as well  as the Great Neck Historical Society are extremely grateful to Senator Martins for securing these funds,” said Great Neck Park District Commissioner Dan Nachmanoff.