By Sue Clark on Apr 21, 2009 in News Print This Post
Dock and Ramp Stolen
A posting in a Sound Off column at the Toledo Beacon told of a recent theft at the Toledo (Ohio) Harbor Lighthouse. Sometime between April 9 and April 11, the ramp, boat dock, rails and lifting mechanism put in place by the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Preservation Society were stolen by what the Beacon subsequently referred to as "Lake Erie Pirates." The Lighthouse Society and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association is offering a $500 $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of these thugs. The story at the Toledo Beacon mentions that the cost of these items totaled $40,000 and that there was no insurance on the ramp. If you have any information, please contact The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Society, 419-691-3788 or e-mail sandylakeerie@aol.com.
From the story:
The dock was 28 feet long and eight feet wide, the aluminum ramp was 4 feet wide and 40 feet long. These structures were installed in October 2008 and remained in an elevated position through the winter. As of April 9, 2009 the dock and ramp were in excellent condition. As of April 11 the dock, lift and ramp were gone. These are substantial structures that took a pretty large boat and gear to dismantle the dock and ramp. The cost of the stolen structures add up to nearly $40,000 which was paid for through a grant, festival proceeds and member contributions.
Now, is it just me, or does the idea someone took these for the worth of the aluminum doesn't ring true? At last check, the price of aluminum was way down, and it was never very high in the scrap metal thieving world anyway. And the 40 foot long ramp would be extremely heavy and nearly impossible to move without a crane of some type. And what would it be put on to haul it away? And the same with the 28 foot dock. My question is, has anyone checked to see if it was just vandalized? As in the bolts holding it cut and the dock and ramp allowed to drop off into the water? I'm guessing the depth around the lighthouse is around 25 feet, which would certainly be deep enough to hide the view of the dock and ramp.
Irregardless of whether it was stolen or just removed, it's another sad day for lighthouse associations. Working so hard to raise the money, applying for diminishing grants, just to see it all disappear when some yahoo decides it would be fun to steal something from or vandalize a piece of our maritime history. I do hope the perpetrators can be found and brought to justice, and the ramp, rails, lift and dock returned.
Added April 25: The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association has added $500 to the reward, bringing the total offered to $1,000. If you would like to add to this amount, making it more likely someone will come forward, tax deductible contributions can be made at any 5th 3rd bank. Just tell them it's for the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Society reward/dock benefit.
