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09/03/2015 12:00 AMThe Saybrook Breakwater Light — the Connecticut lighthouse rendered on some motor vehicle license plates — has drawn a high bid of $290,000 in an online auction, lower than a previous auction conducted in 2013.
The identity of the high bidder or their plans for the lighthouse may not be known for weeks. Typically, the federal government's General Services Administration, which oversees the sale of lighthouses for the Coast Guard, will release the buyer's name once the sale is completed.
The sale cannot close until the bidder negotiates a lease with the state for submerged lands under the lighthouse, which is controlled by the state of Connecticut.
In 2013, Kelly K. Navarro agreed to pay $340,000 for the 127-year-old Old Saybrook lighthouse, also known as the Saybrook Outer Light, through a limited liability company. The "spark-plug" style lighthouse near the borough of Fenwick was within view of two residences also owned by Navarro's company and not far from the former estate of the late actress Katharine Hepburn.
Navarro backed out of the deal because she couldn't negotiate a lease for the submerged or so-called "bottom lands." Since then, the state legislature enacted a law smoothing the way for negotiating such leases.
Even though the new bid is lower, Patrick Sclafani, a GSA spokesman, said Wednesday, "We're pleased with it."
A second lighthouse — Pecks Ledge Light, at the northeast end of the Norwalk Islands — also is on the auction block, with a Sept. 9 bid deadline. Extensions in the auction are possible under certain conditions. So far, no bids have been submitted for the lighthouse, also known as Peck Ledge, according to the GSA website.
Both Saybrook and Pecks Ledge are in the second stage of a two-step process established to transfer ownership of U.S. lighthouses.
First, a lighthouse is offered to nonprofits and public agencies, essentially for $1, if the "buyer" agrees to preserve it and use it for cultural or educational purposes. If no suitable organization is found, the second step is an auction to the general public. The auctions are not restricted to individuals; local towns and cities may bid as well.
Two lighthouses — Greens Ledge Light, near the entrance of the Five Mile River in the Rowayton section of Norwalk, and Southwest Ledge Light, at the entrance to New Haven Harbor — entered the first step this year. Sclafani said Wednesday interest has been expressed in each, which may result in formal proposals later this year.
A proposal from a nonprofit group for the Stratford Shoal Light, offered last year, is being evaluated by the National Park Service.