Story & Photos By: Tim Sweet
Members of the Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands (FOPPI) met with Billy Winkleblack of Mihm Enterprises on August 21, 2024, to inspect and discuss progress on the rear range light painting project.
A three-man crew has been working on the lighthouse for nearly two months.
Scaffolding was erected in late June. Then the structure was shrouded to contain lead paint that was sandblasted and collected from all of the metal surfaces.
“We used a product called “Blastox”. It makes the lead inert,” Winkleblack explained. The waste product is then hauled away to a certified landfill that accepts such material.
Once the old paint has been removed down to bare metal, a zinc-based primer is applied. That is followed by an intermediate paint layer, and then two more coats of finish paint is rolled or brushed onto the surfaces.
The men have been staying on Plum Island in a trailer for most of the time.
“I love being on the water. This is the kind of place I like to be. I’ve even gotten used to taking a bath in the lake, although it’s a little cold at first,” said Winkleblack.
Mihm Enterprises has done restoration work on several other Great Lakes lighthouses including South Manitou Island and North Manitou Island Shoal in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The men do a very professional job, and they take pride in their work.
FOPPI is funding the $178,600-project with grants from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and the Great Lakes Foundation. Several FOPPI supporters also contributed private donations.
With a sense of purpose in his voice, Winkleblack stated, “We’re helping to restore and preserve historic landmarks.”
Indeed they are.
For more information on FOPPI, visit https://www.plumandpilot.org/.
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