The Village of Grand Manan will decide Monday night if it will reconsider the future of the property surrounding one of New Brunswick's most famous lighthouses.

The village council voted in December to sell the lightkeeper's house and the property surrounding the island's Swallowtail Lighthouse after deciding the upkeep was too expensive.

The lighthouse, considered one of the most photographed in the Maritimes, sits on a spit of land on the north head of Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy.

The lighthouse was built in 1858, but following its automation in 1986, the lightkeeper's house, which is owned by the village, was turned into a bed and breakfast.

Vandalism created costly upkeep: mayor

The repairs to the keeper's building and surrounding property have cost the village more than $80,000 over recent years and the area continues to be vandalized, Mayor Dennis Greene told CBC News.

The mayor announced in March that the village had been seeking requests for proposals on the future of the keeper's house and had been approached by a potential buyer from South Carolina.
 
"The house is 50 years old. We had an appraiser do an evaluation of the property a couple of weeks ago and the figure was as high as a half a million," Greene said last week.

But the community was never consulted on the council's decision to put the keeper's house and surrounding property on the market, said resident Theresa McFarland.

"It's our lighthouse. It's our keeper's house. It's our public property," said McFarland, who will be running for council in May's municipal elections. "Why weren't we asked?"

Almost 250 people in the community have signed a petition urging against the sale of the keeper's house, and more than 100 people from the community met last Thursday to discuss ways to protect the area.

One of the terms of sale for the keeper's house would require continued public access to the lighthouse.

But the village would lose control of the property, which includes tourist parking and a trail that goes out to the lighthouse, McFarland said.

McFarland will be making a presentation to the village council on Monday night to oppose the sale.

Lighthouse museum proposed

Saving and restoring the keeper's house is the best option for the community, she said.

The lighthouse and the area surrounding it represent home for many of the island's residents, and it has also become a national icon, she added.

McFarland said that part of the keeper's house should be converted into a museum about the lighthouse and its keepers. The other half of the building could continue to be used as a rental facility, she said.

After McFarland's presentation the council will vote on whether it wants to reopen the issue to public debate.

McFarland said if it is reopened to public discussion, she wants to establish a preservation society to examine the property's future. The group could also take on the responsibility of raising money for needed repairs to the keeper's house and to pay the property taxes, she said.