The new red roof on the Point Robinson Lighthouse gleamed in the late afternoon sun last Friday and is part of a project that began late last month and is expected to be completed this week.

The old roof’s cedar shakes needed replacing, according to Joe Wubbold, the president of the Keepers of Point Robinson. The metal roof is designed to look just like the shakes of traditional lighthouses, but will last for decades.

“The shade of red is absolutely spot on,” Wubbold said. “I think it is beautiful.”

Wubbold first began asking the Vashon Park District to tend to the roof three years ago. First, he asked that it be painted, but park commissioners declined to do so because of lack of funds. Last year, officials with the Coast Guard, which leases the lighthouse to the park district, toured the property and determined the roof should be replaced entirely within two years. A grant for nearly $20,000 from King County’s 4Culture last summer provided most of the funds necessary to replace it.

Initially, the park district could not find a qualified contractor to do the work and had to put the project out to bid twice, ultimately hiring Sholten Roofing from Lynden for the project. The roof’s cost will be covered by the grant and rental proceeds from the Keepers’ Quarters, Wubbold said.

Those quarters have been painted recently, he noted, and soon the Keepers of Point Robinson will purchase a new picnic table for the park with proceeds from the ship’s store, all in time to celebrate the lighthouse’s 100th anniversary this year.

Later this month, the park will host the annual Kite Day, set for Saturday, June 27.

— Susan Riemer