Nova Scotia's most iconic lighthouse is getting a long-awaited facelift and both tourists and locals say it can’t come soon enough.
The beacon at Peggys Cove has been a popular spot for pictures for decades, but it hasn’t been picturesque lately.
“It’s very old and needs to be painted,” says one area resident.
“I’ve never seen it in this condition in all the years I’ve lived here,” says former Nova Scotia resident Joan Dehmel.
As of this week, there are signs work is getting started.
The federal and provincial governments couldn’t agree on whose responsibility it was to fix the lighthouse and a group of concerned tradespeople decided to step in. They began work yesterday.
“Yes, there was a group of men working on the lighthouse, scraping,” says local artist Paula Yanch.
The Atlantic chapter of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades is donating their product and time to the project. The Tourism Association of Nova Scotia, the St. Margaret’s Bay Tourism Association and the federal and provincial governments are also chipping in.
“Oh, it’s wonderful because we were all concerned,” says Yanch. “This is a great tourist area for Nova Scotia and even the tourists have commented on the state of the lighthouse this year.”
“I think it’s a crime to be in this condition for the tourist season because people go back from perhaps all over the world and that’s Nova Scotia,” says Dehmel.
Bad weather kept workers away Friday morning but they plan to continue their work Monday.
Weather permitting, they hope to have Peggys Cove back to being picture perfect by the end of the month.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster
