After years of planning and fundraising, the East End Seaport Museum & Marine Foundation has reached a major milestone in the effort to restore Long Beach Bar Lighthouse — better known as Bug Light — securing the full $880,000 needed to begin the first construction phase of the project.
Museum officials announced on Friday that funding is now in place for the so-called “Rock and Dock” phase, which focuses on stabilizing the lighthouse’s rockpile foundation and building a new landing dock and access ramp. Construction is scheduled to begin in February, with completion anticipated by mid-June, in time for the museum’s summer lighthouse cruises.
The funding package combines $690,000 in foundational gifts from individual community donors with matching grants from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation and New York’s Empire State Development through its Regional Economic Development Council Capital Funds Program.
“Our committee is grateful to the generous community members whose early, meaningful commitments made this project possible,” Heather Wolf, co-chair of the Keep Bug Light Shining Campaign, said in a statement. “They represent this community’s love for the lighthouse and a desire to preserve it for generations to come.”
Marine construction will be led by Chesterfield Associates, a coastal engineering firm with experience on marine projects along the Eastern Seaboard. Work will take place on the small, weather-exposed island where Bug Light sits in Gardiners Bay, requiring daily transport of crews and materials by boat and the use of heavy marine equipment.
The Rock and Dock phase includes construction of a new 40-foot, two-level pier using environmentally friendly Greenheart lumber, a 20-foot wave-mitigation screen on the pier’s south side, five dolphin structures to support docking and manage ice flow and a new 161-foot walkway created by placing two-ton granite blocks along the existing perimeter, according to project plans. Crews will also reinforce the lighthouse’s rockpile foundation using multi-ton stone positioned by high-capacity cranes.
“Preserving Bug Light begins with its foundation,” museum executive director Erin Kimmel said in the statement. “This critical first step stabilizes the structure and sets the stage for Bug Light’s return as a community landmark for education, culture, and inspiration.”
Bug Light has long been a defining feature of the North Fork’s waterfront, marking the entrance to Greenport Harbor and Peconic Bay. But decades of exposure to tides, storms and saltwater have taken a toll on both the foundation and access structures, museum officials said, making intervention increasingly urgent.
The ability to move forward with construction reflects what museum leaders described as an unusual alignment of grassroots philanthropy and institutional support. Early private donations unlocked a $293,840 matching grant from the Gardiner Foundation and $139,000 in matching funds from Empire State Development.
“The matching grants are a powerful affirmation of what our community has already shown — that Bug Light matters,” Paul Kreiling, a museum trustee emeritus and leader of the Keep Bug Light Shining campaign, said in the statement. Board Chair Sarah Sands added that community investment allowed the museum “to move from planning to action.”
The Rock and Dock work represents the first phase of a multi-year restoration strategy launched in 2024. Sands said the phased approach was designed to allow visible progress, responsible fundraising and improved public access as early as summer 2026, while preserving the historic integrity of the site.
Subsequent phases will focus on restoring the lighthouse structure itself, followed by upgrades to support exhibitions, tours and educational programming. Longer-term plans include a wraparound balcony with panoramic views of Peconic Bay, a patio at the lighthouse base for gatherings, upgraded visitor amenities and solar power to make the site energy-independent.
Founded in 1993, the East End Seaport Museum is based in the former Long Island Rail Road terminal on Greenport Harbor’s fishing wharf. Through exhibits, lectures, youth programs, cruises and community events, the museum promotes the maritime history of the East End, a mission closely tied to the future of Bug Light.
With construction now imminent, museum officials said fundraising will continue for the remaining phases, with the goal of returning Bug Light to service not only as a working navigational aid, but as a fully accessible living history site for the public.
