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The Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation Board of Directors has decided to no longer lease the Liston Range Rear Light in New Castle County.
“We don’t have the resources to take care of the light, especially given its distance from Sussex County,” said Judith Roales, foundation president.
Roales said the Liston Range Rear Light, on the Delaware River near Taylor’s Bridge, is an 80-mile trip from Sussex County.
She said the foundation board decided at its meeting this month to discontinue its lease of the light with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Roales said there was no money connected to the lease, which was an agreement that the foundation would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the light.
Roales said the light’s distant location, limited usefulness as a facility that could be toured by the public and circumstance of being surrounded by private property, combined to make continued leasing of the structure no longer a viable option.
“The lens in the lighthouse is spectacular and the view from the top is breathtaking,” Roales said. But she said seeing either the lens or the view isn’t easy. Liston light visitors have to climb a winding stairway, which Roales said is so narrow that only one person at a time fits.
“There’s no place to stop and rest and two people can’t pass. But it wasn’t designed for tours,” Roales said of the 120-foot climb to the top of the lighthouse.
“In our own minds we’ve confirmed the fact that we’re just really interested in Sussex County,” Roales said. She said the foundation would continue stewardship of the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse in Lewes Harbor and the Delaware Breakwater East End Lighthouse.
Roales said the foundation would soon hand the keys of the Liston light’s doors to the Coast Guard, ending its two-year stewardship.
“It was a sad decision for all of us. Everyone is fond of that light. We cried a little,” said Roales.
Contact Henry Evans at hevans@capegazette.com
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