Hereford Lighthouse Locks Changed; ‘Friends’ Don’t Possess a Key

NORTH WILDWOOD ─ “Effective as of 5 p.m. today, the locks on the Lighthouse (Hereford Inlet) will be changed,” North Wildwood City Solicitor William Kaufmann wrote Nov. 27 to Friends of Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Committee Chairman Steve Murray. 
Kaufmann continued, “And no persons other than city employees or State of New Jersey personnel shall have access to the interior of the lighthouse until every artifact, document, or item of personal property…has been inventoried and cataloged and ownership of each item definitively is established.”
In the recent unrest between the city and the Friends, both parties have taken to social media; city officials have given official statements and provided links to a variety of documents that explain the city’s position. Murray and other volunteers post their dismay at the “latest atrocity.”
According to Mayor Patrick Rosenello, the locks on the lighthouse were changed because Murray allegedly wished to remove certain artifacts from the lighthouse.
Murray says the items were donated and should be returned to their owners. However, according to a Nov. 27 release, removal of the artifacts is a “violation of both the state lease to the City of North Wildwood and the management agreement between the City of North Wildwood and the Friends.”
In a post on the Lighthouse Friend’s Facebook page, Murray referred to Rosenello as a “hot-headed politician.” In previous statements, Murray told the Herald “Rosenello has had, I think, his eyes on the lighthouse for a long time.”
The Herald contacted Rosenello Nov. 30, and he said he has no regrets about the action taken by the city.
Kaufmann’s correspondence to Murray stated the city’s intention to create an inventory of every item. Returning items cannot take place until due diligence is carried out.
According to Rosenello, he was “sick to his stomach” when he saw a tax map of historical Anglesea (dated 1900) slated to be removed. Rosenello said the map once hung in City Hall.
Friends of the Lighthouse claim Rosenello looked through Murray’s desk in the lighthouse.
When asked if he did or did not “look through” Murray’s desk, Rosenello told the Herald that on Nov. 28 he and City Administrator Kevin Yecco, Administrative Assistant Ron Simone, City Clerk Scott Jett, and the head of Buildings and Grounds went to the lighthouse. Sitting atop a desk used by Murray, and in “plain sight,” was a list of items Murray wished to remove. According to Rosenello, a picture was taken of the list but was not disturbed.
The Herald contacted the Friends of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse. On Dec. 4, Murray spoke.
“I was on my way back,” said Murray, referring to the events of Nov. 27, “and I saw a couple of men.” The men in question were Chief of Police Matthew Gallagher and a detective. According to Murray, the letter from Kaufmann was handed to him. Murray said the denial of access came “with no warning” and claims the action is “highly illegal.”
In regard to the list of items slated for removal, Murray said the list is a 2015-2016 inventory list. Murray said he contacted Yecco, asking if he (Murray) could gain access to the Lighthouse if Gallagher accompanied him. According to Murray, his request was denied.
When asked why the request was denied, Yecco told the Herald that an archivist will be making a complete inventory of the Lighthouse. However, Yecco said the city offered to take a list, provided by Murray, of things to be “boxed up” for him (Murray). According to Yecco, Murray did not accept the offer. 
Murray said he was glad for the opportunity to explain the grant awarded by the DOT (Department of Transportation) in 2011; $17,000 was given toward lighthouse restoration, completed in late summer/early fall. The grant would provide the city reimbursement. 
Five years later, in the spring of 2016, the DOT contacted the city saying the grant had not been “closed out” properly. Murray said the Friends were unaware of this error since all paperwork had been handled by the architect of the project. In 2016, the architect had retired due to illness.
Murray said he contacted Yecco, asking why the DOT waited five years. According to Murray, an internal audit was the cause. TRIAD Associates worked with the retired architect to discover what was missing.
When asked what paperwork had been missing, Murray said it was “just forms.” Due to time elapsing, the grant was revoked and no reimbursement provided.
During this time, Murray said the city failed to pay the Friends a total of $15,000 ($5,000 per year), as stated in late Mayor William Henfey’s management agreement. According to Murray, the new CFO (chief financial officer) was not aware of the agreement.
“We forgave the city, we wanted to have good relations with the city,” Murray said. “I put my heart and soul into this (Lighthouse) for 32 years.”
Murray’s concern for the future of Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is shared by Nancy Patterson, president of the East Point Lighthouse in Cumberland County.
“Steve and the Friends should be rewarded, not replaced,” Patterson told the Herald in a recent interview. “Caring for a place like this has to come from the heart. I see no heart in replacing those who have devoted themselves and done so well.”
However, Rosenello said he has no plans to “kick the Friends out of the lighthouse,” according to previous comments. “The door is open,” Rosenello said, “to the Friends to continue to be a support organization to the lighthouse.”
Rosenello urges residents and those with questions to visit the city’s website and read through the documentation provided. “We have proof for everything,” Rosenello said.
Murray told the Herald the Friends await word from their solicitor, Frank Corrado, to see what steps can be taken to reclaim stewardship of Hereford Lighthouse. 
“We (Friends) have the support of the entire lighthouse community and the public,” Murray said.
To contact Rachel Rogish, email rrogish@cmcherald.com.