NININI — The visiting couple were impressed, Saturday, stopping at various points to get photographs at Ninini Point Lighthouse.
“This is such an amazing site,” they said, wondering if work would take place on repairing the huge potholes and uneven terrain. “The guys are doing a great service with the work they’re doing.”
Members of The Rotary Club of Kaua‘i gathered at Ninini Point Lighthouse, along with volunteers from the U.S. Coast Guard, to repaint portions of the 86-foot structure that was erected in 1932.
David Lister, of The Rotary Club of Kaua‘i, said the project would involve two parts, with each taking place on different days.
On Saturday, the group met to wash down the sections that would be repainted, and apply primer over the graffiti.
“This shouldn’t take that long,” Lister said. “Then, we’ll let everything dry out and repaint the section, probably from the top of the arch at the entrance, down to the base. That repainting will take place on another day.”
While Rotarians worked to scrub the bottom section of the lighthouse, others spent time cleaning the surrounding area of large ‘opala.
“Someone, or some people must’ve been here,” one Rotarian said. “Look, there’s some shoes, and open containers of milk and coffee.”
The Ninini Point Lighthouse is on the listing of The National Park Service, Park History Program under the Maritime Heritage Program that seeks to document and protect nationally significant maritime resources.
According to information the program provides, the concrete lighthouse was built in 1932 to replace a lighthouse that was built in 1897 as a navigational aid for Nawiliwili Bay that was dredged to open up Kaua‘i to shipping.
During World War II, the 86-foot structure was shelled by the Japanese, and reopened following the end of WWII. At that time, the beacon was automated in 1953, and in 1984 the lantern room and Fresnel lens were removed.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
