Creative lighthouse rescue

Often, structures of historical or architectural value end up in the hands of a government agency whose mission has nothing to do with history or architecture. When that happens, everyone can lose.

Not so often, someone comes up with a viable solution. In the case of an 1857 lighthouse at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, the answer might be as painless for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as saying "yes."

That is thanks to McClellanville contractor Tommy Graham, a skilled craftsman and passionate conservator of old, significant structures.

Mr. Graham, in consultation with structural engineer John Moore, architect Glenn Keyes, the Clemson Restoration Institute and contractor Moby Marks, thinks the considerable damage to the lighthouse's lantern and iron stairs can be fixed for as little as $10,000 (which would pay for platforms to give workers access to areas in need of repair).

Sarah Dawsey, manager of the refuge, has been supportive of that effort.

Bureaucratic wheels grind slowly, and Mr. Graham would like to begin work on the lighthouse early in 2012 so he and his team of volunteers could finish before hurricane season. He has already contributed untold hours and work toward maintaining the lighthouse, and he is eager to give more.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a unique opportunity to see that an important structure is preserved without having to use money intended for its core mission at Cape Romain -- providing a habitat for threatened and endangered species.

By allowing Mr. Graham to proceed, the agency could give historians, boaters and bird-watchers an opportunity to appreciate the lighthouse for its beauty and mystery -- and to believe that it will be there for the next generation and the next.

Certainly the long, hard work by volunteers to save the much more impaired Morris Island Lighthouse off Folly Beach is an indication of how much the Lowcountry values symbols of its maritime heritage.

In the present depressed economy, the federal government will have to -- and should -- say "no" to many projects that have merit. This time, it can say "yes" by being willing to consider an innovative approach.

It would provide a sensible, low-cost way to protect a Lowcountry landmark that protected mariners for almost a century.