Three members of the nonprofit that supports restoration efforts of the Cuckolds Fog and Light Signal Station off Southport Island have resigned, but according to those involved, the project is moving forward at a rapid pace, Gerald Gamage would not say why he and the two other members, Edwin Green and Martin Moore, resigned. Gamage is chairman of the Southport Board of Selectmen was instrumental in the initial stages of the Cuckolds Council formation back in 2007.

Moore is president of Coastal Designers and Consultants, Inc. in Southport and Green has served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Cuckolds Council.

“They needed some new blood to get going, so we stepped aside,” Gamage said. “There's not really a story; I would prefer there wasn't one.” 

Gamage added that the group as it currently stands, with three new members, is moving ahead with plans to open the lighthouse station to the public by spring 2013. 

“There were some internal differences,” Janet Reingold, vice president of the Cuckolds Council, said. “We believe Gerry Gamage will always be there for the Cuckolds. He is an honorable and respectable leader. We want and need his support in the future.”

Member turnover is common among nonprofits such as theirs, Reingold said. She added that people get busy or often wish to put their energies into other endeavors after having spent time in one organization.

The group has new talent that has bolstered the building activities on the lighthouse island: Tracy Davis, interior designer and principal of Urban Dwellings out of Portland and New York City; senior landscape architect Arek Galle from Rhode Island-based Gates, Leighton and Associates; and builder Steve Malcom, owner and CEO of the Knickerbocker Group in Boothbay. They have joined the organization's Rescue Team and will help construction efforts still pending as the summer winds down. 

Volunteers need to complete some interior work in the buildings. Reingold said this includes putting finishing touches on interior floors and walls, as well as to furnish the rooms for events and overnight stays. The team will also focus their energies on the exterior hardscape and landscape, as well as on remaining projects with the pier and boathouse.

“There is a lot left to do out there in such a short building season,” she said, adding that the work requires a lot of resourcefulness, including how to make the most of the time they have left. The building team is trying to extend the season by installing heaters inside buildings, Reingold said. 

Making sure they have the full complement of people to do these final tasks was a pivotal part in reaching their goal. However, she said the organization continues to welcome volunteers.