The future is bright for Callander’s new lighthouse

The lighthouse project has received the green light, and yesterday, work began on the Farquhar Lighthouse Island, a small rocky island a stone’s throw from Callander’s Municipal Dock on Lansdowne Street.

Many residents have seen the action for themselves, as a large barge is transporting equipment and materials from the island to the mainland. Ryan Farquhar and his wife, Erin, own the island and last fall, she suggested they build a new lighthouse—and so it began, and now the project is well-underway.

Last fall, Ryan Farquhar worked with the municipality to re-zone the island, and since last November has been working through the process to ensure the vision of a new lighthouse would materialize.

See: Callander lighthouse on the horizon?

There used to be a lighthouse on the island, but it was destroyed during a wild storm in July of 2006. That lighthouse was both a landmark and an attraction, as people coming through town would often stop to have a look. It was never functional as a lighthouse, but it looked like a lighthouse, and people enjoyed having it around.

Reviving the local landmark will be good for the community, and “help attract attention to Callander,” Farquhar said. He hopes the Municipal Dock area “will become a destination” for locals and tourists alike, and the lighthouse will play a big part in attracting those people.

See: Callander’s new lighthouse one step closer to lighting up

As for the project, Farquhar gives thanks to Underground Solutions, which brought in the barge and all the equipment, including three excavators weighing three, six, and eight tonnes. “He’s been very helpful” making things happen on the island, he said.

So, what is happening? They are removing the old lighthouse’s foundation. There is a “a lot of scrap and wood” still on the island, and a lot of concrete. Currently, the crew is working to remove all of that. Then Farquhar is going to go over the site again with the architect and the structural engineer to “get a little more precise with the shop drawings.”

Overall, the plans for this summer are to remove the old foundation, solidify the final plans—and lay the foundation for the new lighthouse. This winter, “we’ll be building the skeleton of the frame,” and once those bones are solid, the plan is to wait until spring to complete the structure, which means the new lighthouse will be fully operational in the late spring or early summer of 2023.

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.