Mallard Painting from Pownal started the project on Monday and is expected to have the job completed by Saturday.
General manager of the lighthouse, Scott Smith said the tower was last painted seven years ago but this is the first time in several years that the lantern deck and the canopy are getting a touchup, with the red on top now going back to its original colour.
Mallard Painting’s owner Wade Clements described the colour as Coast Guard Red or Safety Red.
Bernard Campbell spent part of the day Wednesday standing on the cap while applying the red paint, making him the focal point for camera-toting tourists on the beach below.
The lighthouse’s very recognizable horizontal black stripes are being retained.
The surface area being painted on the 69-foot lighthouse is approximately 4,900 square feet, Clements reported. He said the lighthouse is the type of challenge his company likes to take on.
Smith reported the lighthouse inn is enjoying its best summer ever, reporting a 98 per cent room occupancy rate in August, up from 95 per cent in July. With demand so strong, the inn is staying open until the end of the month, instead of its usual mid-September closing, Visitors appeared content to photograph the painters from the beach area.
The West Point Lighthouse, built in 1875, has been operational since 1876.