The Public’s Radio — Town of Westerly will request ownership of Watch Hill Lighthouse property

The Watch Hill Lighthouse property.. Alex Nunes - The Public’s Radio

July 31, 2023

By Alex Nunes — The move comes three weeks after U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced the property was slated to be transferred to a private non-profit in Watch Hill.

The Westerly Town Council is formally requesting that the U.S. government transfer ownership of a roughly 4-acre shoreline property in Watch Hall to the town instead of the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association.

The decision to seek ownership of the Watch Hill Lighthouse property came in a 5-1 vote during a special meeting convened Monday night to consider a resolution that would also support giving the lighthouse building and other structures on the property to the Lighthouse Keepers and exempting them from town property taxes.

A copy of the resolution will now be sent to U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, whose district includes Westerly, state lawmakers representing the area, the National Parks Service, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the state Coastal Resources Management Council.

Councilor William Aiello, who authored the resolution, called it “a great opportunity for everyone involved.”

Councilor Joy Cordio said she supported the move as a way to ensure public access to the property in the years to come and that passage of the resolution shouldn’t be interpreted as a reflection on the Lighthouse Keepers.

“This is about the land, and it’s not about the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association,” Cordio said. “I’m hopeful that we’re going to have a great partnership that will benefit the public.”

…