Letter to the Editor:

You are no doubt aware of the restoration and placement of the Port Clinton Lighthouse on the waterfront in August 2016. In 2017 we obtained sponsorship for the initial five permanent benches immediately adjacent to the Lighthouse. Then, we completed the Boathouse and pathways. We added 11 more sponsored benches around Derby Pond and the pathways extending to the waterfront toward the Jefferson pier parking lot.

Over the past year we unfortunately have had to decline requests for additional benches (there is an attached plaque on each bench with a memoriam or family/business name) because our Board felt the current configuration is sufficient. We do not want to visually crowd the area.

If you have passed the lighthouse area recently you may have noticed how popular the beachfront has become. Working with Port Clinton Mayor Mike Snider and Safety Service Director Tracy Colston we have developed a spring project to add sponsored picnic tables to this area that are compatible in design with the existing benches and the Lighthouse/Boathouse.

The picnic tables now in place would be relocated to other city parks. We would like this project completed by this Memorial Day.

We anticipate the cost of each sponsored picnic table with inscription to be $3,000. Yes, we realize this is expensive and it is still likely the Conservancy will need to subsidize each bench to some extent. There was a cost of $2,500 for each of the sponsored benches.

If you are interested in potential sponsorship of a picnic table or want more details, please respond to contact@portclintonlighthouse.org or call 419-797-2504. This is an ideal opportunity to perpetuate the memory of a loved one or to demonstrate the support of a local family or a business while continuing to beautify the Port Clinton waterfront.

We hope this beneficial project will be of interest to you will support this initiative.

Richard Norgard, President
Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy