Do your part:
If you want to care for - or even live in! - a lighthouse, Volunteer.gov has a ton of opportunities.
Search lighthouses now!Government IT Modernization in One Site
One of the best things about working for the U.S. federal government is that you will eventually find out that you can not only visit historic lighthouses, but you may also be able to buy a lighthouse for your post-government life as well. The lighthouses listed on this page are historically significant and are listed in the Coast Guard's world-famous booklet (what do you mean you haven't heard of it?) that goes by the compelling title of CG-232.
The most recent version (PDF), which includes information on the last human-serviced lighthouse in service today, is what this site uses as data. The pictures, though, are from an older version (PDF), when there were still 158 human-serviced lighthouses. For whatever reason, the new version didn't include photos, so I wanted to not only fix that problem but also link the lighthouses themselves to other government services and useful links you can enjoy if you visit them!
If you're curious about other reasons behind why I put this site together, I came up with a few other things I'm hoping people take away from this site beyond how cool the people who take care of our nation's lighthouses are for what they do. See if any of them resonate!
I did this in a few hours.
Even though many in the government could do it faster and better, it isn't so easy. There are security and legal reviews even for a simple site like this.
It would need agreements.
GSA's TTS would probably build the site, the US Coast Guard would provide details on the lighthouses, and USDA would manage public visits to them.
The site could be orphaned.
Without funding, a dedicated team of either federal staff or contractors, and at least annual cybersecurity checks, this site would remain static.
Modernization is a process.
More than just new tech, you have to get through the four As that get a plan to start and stick: Acquisitions, Agreements, Appropriations, ATOs.
Got any ideas?
How could we make something as simple as this a bit easier to make happen in the public sector? I love this stuff and would be happy to chat!
Let's connect