MUKILTEO — The Coast Guard announced today that it wants to know if anyone still uses the Mukilteo Lighthouse as a navigational aid.
If nobody does, the Coast Guard may replace the historic lens with a zero-maintenance light, or even shut it down.
The lighthouse has beamed over the waters around Mukilteo since 1906. The lighthouse’s antique French lens is owned and operated by the Coast Guard and serves as a “federal aid to navigation,” a sort of road sign for mariners negotiating a safe course.
The city of Mukilteo already owns the land and the light tower and several adjacent buildings. The Coast Guard donated the land under the lighthouse to the city, which helps with grounds keeping and maintenance. The Mukilteo Historical Society, a volunteer organization, helps preserve the history of the site and assists with maintenance.
John Petroff, president of the historical society, said the society, the city and the Coast Guard have talked about privatizing the lighthouse. Petroff said the society would prefer to keep the current partnership in place. If the Coast Guard does decide to privatize the landmark, the city likely would get to keep the historic lens, made in France in 1852, and be responsible for maintaining a functioning light.
The Coast Guard could shut down the light in the tower and place another light on the seawall, on the tower or on the water nearby, Petroff said.
“The light as we know it would be gone,” he said.
Modern navigational systems allow mariners to negotiate the seas often without lighthouses and other historical aids, said Petroff.
“It’s often the people on the land who want the light,” he said.
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