The Sylvan Lake Lighthouse is well under construction with framing nearing completion and the lantern room having been added to the top ofthe structure earlier this week.
Project committee chair for the Rotary Club of Sylvan Lake Lighthouse Project, Trevor Sigfusson said he is happy with how the build is comingalong with no weather setbacks having taken place so far.
The lighthouse is being built by Falcon Homes, with framing being undertook by Pardy Contracting and the design/architectural layout beingdone by Bob Samson.
Sigfusson said the lighthouse is moving along quite nicely and is changing shape daily.
“It took a while to get things off the ground - both literally and figuratively - but we didn’t want to rush things and we knew we needed to do itright,” said Sigfusson. “We all have such a personal attachment to the project at this point and now that we have it started and in particular afterthe foundation got put down, it’s moving along quickly.”
The local Rotary Club had the idea to return the lighthouse to Sylvan Lake after noticing how many residents identified with the previouslighthouse, which had to be demolished a number of years ago due to safety concerns.
“When I first starting digging into it, I wasn’t sure how much the old lighthouse was really missed but I was truly overwhelmed by the supportand feedback showing just how much it really was,” said Sigfusson. “It became obvious once we got going that it was something the people ofSylvan Lake really wanted to have back.
“They indentified with it and people were heartbroken when the old one had to be knocked down for safety reasons.”
Jack Van Delden of the Sylvan Lake Rotary Club stated after the idea was brought forth it was up to the club to raise the funds needed to make ithappen. After a highly successful campaign allowing individuals to purchase a brick to be placed along the bottom of the lighthouse with theirname or in memory of a loved one, the neccessary funds were put in place and the foundations were laid.
Van Delden added now that the lighthouse is off the ground, more and more people are coming forth to say they want to purchase thier ownbrick which has led the Rotary Club to hold off placing them until spring of 2016 so everyone has the chance to purchase a brick.
“The lighthouse is the emblem of Sylvan Lake,” said Van Delden. “We’ve been known for our lighthouse for the last 25 years and we were alldeeply saddened to see it go - so we are extremely pleased to see it coming back.
“It will not be the Rotary lighthouse, it will be the Sylvan Lake Lighthouse - so many people in the community, ones who are not Rotarians, alsoplayed such a large role in this and we like to think if we hadn’t done it some one else would have stepped up and done it too.”
Sigfusson added due to the short life of the previous lighthouse, they wanted to ensure this time around they would leave a lasting legacy.
“Our mandate from day one was that we wanted to design a 100 year structure,” he explained. “We wanted this thing to last 100+ years andlooking at the design and the quality of the build it’s looking more towards the plus end of things.”
The lighthouse will feature a fully functioning LED lantern, which will pulse outwards towards the lake rather than in a traditional rotatingmanner. In addition, thanks to a suggestion from builders the lighthouse will also feature LED integrated lighting on the exterior of thestructure with the option to change the colour of the exterior lighting based on the season and local events taking place.
The Town itself has stepped forward following the Rotary’s announcement to reconstruct the lighthouse and offered to build Lighthouse Park,for which construction will begin in the spring. The park will feature pathways, benches and picnic tables in the area around the lighthouse.
For those still wishing to purchase bricks please contact Jack Van Delden by calling 403 597 0949 or by emailing jackvandelden@yahoo.ca
editor@sylvanlakenews.com