ATHENS — A report commissioned by the owners of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, which was struck by a barge in a hit-and-run last April, shows that the blow “significantly” exacerbated structural issues at the 19th-century beacon.
The examination was completed by Troy-based Proper & O’Leary Engineering. It found far greater damage to the base than previously known and estimates the necessary repairs could cost between $1.9 million and $3.6 million. The report also says that a tugboat pushing barges down the river slowed down and moved to the side to make way for another ship — a detail discovered by the U.S. Coast Guard that has not been previously reported and offers greater insight into why the crash occurred.
One or more barges hauled by a Carver Companies tugboat hit the lighthouse on the night of April 29, destroying its dock and exterior staircase. The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society, the nonprofit that owns the structure, contacted the Greene County Sheriff’s Office the next morning after contractors working on repairs saw the damage. Carver Companies said in a statement that it “immediately” contacted the U.S. Coast Guard after it learned of the crash the next morning…