Town Joins Effort To Rethink New Chatham Light Beacon

CHATHAM – Both residents and mariners are not happy with the new beacon installed recently in the Chatham Lighthouse.

 The new LED lamp in the tower does not have the range or “loom,” or on-shore sweep, of the previous light, critics say, making it less effective in a region with some of the most dangerous waters on the east coast.

 “We’re not against modern materials; we’re not against LED technology,” said Seth Perretta, an Old Village resident and organizer of Chatham First Light, a group formed to advocate for restoration of the old lamp. But for safety and the historic integrity of the light, the old lamp should be restored, he said. The lighthouse turns 150 next year and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 Select board member Stuart Smith saw the impact of the new lamp himself recently. “I was coming back from Nantucket the other night, and I wish I had the old lighthouse, even with GPS,” he said at the board’s Aug. 25 meeting.

 The select board last week asked Harbormaster Jason Holm and the waterways advisory committee to work with the Coast Guard to determine if it is possible to restore the previous lamp. The board will take a parallel tack and contact federal legislators to get their support for the move.

 “If we need firepower, we’ll get firepower, as much as we can,” said select board Chair Jefrey Dykens.

 The new $15,000 compact LED rotating beacon replaced the previous Carlisle and Finch DCB-224 rotating aerobeacon in July. The Coast Guard has said the new beacon is more efficient and uses less energy. The previous beacon had recurring failures, required extensive maintenance and parts were difficult to find. 

 However, the new lamp reduces the visibility of the beacon from 24 nautical miles to 19 nautical miles and does not have the “loom,” or in-shore reach, to illuminate the inner shoreline. This is critical, the Chatham First Light group says, because of the constantly changing shoals in and around the harbor. It rotates in a different pattern than the previous light, and is equipped with a light sensor so that it shuts down during daylight hours. The previous beach operated more or less 24 hours a day.

 The group is recommending that the LED light be retrofitted to increase its visibility and improve the sweep. Kits to do so cost from $7,000 to $12,000 and could up the range of the light to 23 nautical miles, according to information supplied by Chatham First Light.

 Perretta said the Chatham Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association, Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance and Old Village Association support restoring the light’s previous range and sweep.

 “Let’s relight the light, come together with the Coast Guard and town, and ultimately put back the light in terms of its intensity,” he said.

 While the Coast Guard had put out a notice to mariners about the reduction in the nautical range, many of the “side effects” of the new lamp only became evident after it was installed, said Holm. He added that the notice about the lamp replacement flew somewhat under the radar because it was issued at the same time the Coast Guard had proposed eliminating a number of navigation buoys, including several in the region, a plan that was later dropped.

 John Brigden, an organizing member of Chatham First Light, said the group has done considerable outreach on the issue, including contacting retired Coast Guard members, and suggested the best approach would be to open up a dialog with the agency to “let them know that the town cares a lot about this issue.” Holm added that similar issues have been raised in other communities and the Coast Guard has been receptive to making changes. He said he’d ask for a meeting with Coast Guard officials.

 “I can certainly follow up with you on how that goes and whether I think it’s going to be something that’s going to be useful or somewhat of an uphill battle,” he told the select board.