Lighthouse Park icon likely to stay public

James Weldon -

West Vancouver's efforts to keep the iconic lighthouse at Lighthouse Park for public use appear to have been successful.

The 86-year-old building on Point Atkinson went up for sale last spring along with about 1,000 other lighthouses across the country, in a bid by the federal government to unload the cost of their upkeep. The idea was to sell the structures to businesses or communities while Ottawa retained control of the lights themselves, which would be maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard.

West Vancouver contacted Fisheries and Oceans Canada in December to propose what deputy administrative officer Brent Leigh termed a "community-based solution." When federal officials made it clear they would be open to the idea, West Vancouver submitted a formal letter.

Ottawa hasn't replied in writing, said Leigh, but given discussions he's had with both the FOC and Parks Canada, he is confident the site will remain public.

"Basically, the status is we're acknowledging jointly that Point Atkinson would be pulled out of the divestiture," said Leigh. "They've recognized it as a site of national interest."

Although the federal government is in charge of the sale, the municipality did receive calls from real-estate agents who said they had clients interested in the site, he added.

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