Light House to Light Up

Light House to Light Up
By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - Suisun City's leaders will be celebrating the lighting of their lighthouse not once, but twice.

The lighthouse near City Hall will be lit up for the first time, not on July 4, but on July 3 as part of an invitation-only dedication being held on the Harbor Plaza.

The public lighting will still be held on July 4 as a precursor to the city's annual fireworks show.

City leaders had long-touted the Fourth of July as the day when Suisun City's residents and visitors will get to see the beacon light up at the top of the 56-foot structure.

The Monday event starts at 9 p.m. with gourmet food and live music followed by a 10 p.m. dedication ceremony where councilmembers are expected to talk about the lighthouse and the downtown's redevelopment efforts.

The lighthouse is nearly ready for its premiere.

"For all intents and purposes the lighthouse is finished," said Scott Corey, Suisun City's public information officer. "The electrical contractor is doing final adjustments."

The black-and-white granite-sided structure is topped by a 150-watt lamp which has a series of six lenses that magnify the light so it can be seen up to 23 nautical miles away, according to Corey.

A series of spotlights on the ground and on poles will illuminate the lighthouse. The beacon itself will be lit up at night. Whether the beacon will be on during the day has not been determined.

Only July 4, the lighthouse will be lit up at 9:15 p.m. shortly before the 20-minute fireworks show kicks off at approximately 9:20 p.m.

The lighthouse was built next to the head of the Suisun Slough to be a distinctive icon for what Suisun City leaders' campaign to jump-start economic redevelopment efforts in the Old Town area.

Work on the $622,527 lighthouse was started in December. The money to build it comes from a special assessment on downtown land sold by the Redevelopment Agency.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.