The city and the Warwick Neck Improvement Association plan to team up in an effort to obtain the Warwick Neck Light that the United States General Service Administration (GSA) aims to give away.

Both the city and the neighborhood association sent letters of interest in the property in July. According to GSA spokesman Paul Hughes at the time more than a dozens entities expressed interest in acquiring the property at the tip of Warwick Neck with its commanding view down Narragansett Bay. The site about eight tenths of an acre includes the free-standing lighthouse built in 1826 and a nearby light keeper’s house that in recent times was the residence of the commanding officer of the US Coast Guard Civil Engineering Office which is based in Warwick.

Unlike Conimicut Light that the city acquired in 2004, Warwick Light is land based making it far more accessible to the public and easier to maintain.

In an interview last week, Mayor Frank Picozzi said he met with Warwick Neck Improvement Association president Jonathan Knight and they agree the property should be available for public access on a regulated basis. Picozzi points out Warwick Neck Avenue ends at the light and there are private properties on both sides of the road and parking is limited.

The GSA posted a notice that the property would become available in May that was followed by a July 14 deadline to submit a letter of interest. The deadline for a formal application is 90 days following an inspection of the property that took place on Sept. 12. That gives the partners until mid-December.

 Picozzi said the city would solicit letters in support from community organizations such as the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, Save the Bay, the Rocky Point Foundation, the Warwick Historical Society as well as community educational groups and organizations. He envisions the property being used by such groups as the Warwick Boys and Girls Clubs and the Boy Scouts for educational events.

Knight said Saturday, “we’re excited and pleased to file a joint application.” He explained the government requires a single owner of the property and while partners , the city would be the owner. Yet there would be roles of responsibility for each of the partners which would need to be worked out.

He sees access to the lighthouse as one of the “tough issues.” Having visited it and climbed to the observation deck, he remarked on the narrow spiral staircase and confines of the light which raises concerns over safety and numbers of persons in the structure.

“We can’t have the lighthouse open on a daily basis,” he said.

He sees the lighthouse as playing an “important educational role” as a place for class field trips focused on maritime and Warwick history.

As for the house, Knight called it a “fixer upper.” Picozzi likewise remarked on the condition of the building and need for attention.

Because of its historical designation, Knight said the property could not be extensively renovated. He thought a couple of the rooms might be used to display artifacts. Both Knight and Picozzi suggested an organization, a veterans group was suggested, might be interested in using the house for an office.

“The association is very pleased with partnering with the city,” Knight said. He said the city is in the best position for the maintenance and preservation of the property.

With is near 75 history of serving Warwick Neck, he sees the association as playing an active role in planning events at the light and setting a course on how it will be used should it be turned over to the city. Reviewing the procedural GSA calendar for the disposition of property, Knight would be surprised if the city learns of a decision prior to next July.