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Volunteers install a lighthouse on Toothaker Pond in Phillips recently, replacing one that blew down in a storm. The ferrying and hoisting of the 11-foot structure took two days, but seeing the solar beacon across the pond made the long hours worth the effort, one volunteer said. From left are Doug Withey, Alden Wattles, Frank Forster and John Rollo. Also helping was Clifford Frizier.

PHILLIPS — The white lighthouse on Toothaker Pond has been a landmark for nearly a century and when it toppled during a storm, residents decided to replace it.

No one remembers who built the first lighthouse on the pond’s little island, but townspeople in their 80s and 90s said one has always been there, according to camp owner Adrienne Rollo. Over the past few years, the deteriorating structure developed a foreboding tilt.

“One year, it just blew over in a storm,” she said. “We hoisted it upright again, and it lasted another year.”

After it toppled a second time, residents and members of the Toothaker Pond Association made a plan for a new lighthouse. In the process they learned a lot about state and local building codes, permits, paperwork and patience, Rollo said.

“It was a little more than we expected, but I’m someone who likes to go by the book,” she said.

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The six-month application process started when Code Enforcement Officer Tom Marcotte explained that Maine’s shoreland zoning requirements had changed over the years. An identical new structure had to be raised above a historical flood level, which required an elevation certificate.

“To get that, we had to hire a surveyor to determine the base elevation flood level,” Rollo said.

Next, they had to apply for a Maine Department of Environmental Protection permit by rule and a building permit from the town. The Planning Board decided the group had been “permitted to death” and waived the requirement, she said.

Frank Forster designed and built the lighthouse, and Brent and Cory Dexter, Andrew Vine, John Rollo, Doug Withey, Clifford Frizier and Alden Wattles volunteered for the two-day effort to get the bulky cargo safely across the pond and hoisted upright onto its new base.

The 11-foot, six-sided lighthouse tapers to a perfectly fitted standing seam steel cap with portholes and a solar lighting system that will need only minor maintenance in the foreseeable future.

“We are happy and proud to show off our new lighthouse,” Rollo said. “We encourage everyone to visit it and enjoy it for years to come.”