FAIRHOPE, Ala. — If enough state vehicle owners support the idea, next year Alabama will have a specialty license plate calling attention to its three lighthouses, and the Alabama Lighthouse Association’s efforts to preserve those historic beacons will get a new revenue stream.

“It will take 250 people to sign up,” said Jim Horner of Fairhope and president of the ALA, referring to the minimum number of plates required to create the new tag in Alabama. “We just started the process last month, so we probably only have a handful or so registered now.”

The precommitment period to purchase the “Light Keeper” tag began Dec. 1, 2009, and ends Nov. 30 this year. To reserve a tag, interested vehicle owners must fill out a form and pay a fee of $50 in addition to the regular annual tag cost.

Once 250 precommitments have been confirmed, the new plates with the distinctive montage of Alabama’s trio of historic lighthouses will be manufactured, according to an ALA news release.

“Funds collected from the sale of the plates will benefit the Lighthouse Association, are tax-deductible and will help the association carry on its efforts for the preservation of our lighthouses,” Horner said.

The precommitment forms can be filled out at most tag-and-title offices in local courthouses, but there is only place in Mobile County, at the county issuing facility on Michael Boulevard, according to the news release. In Baldwin County, any of the issuing facilities can handle the requests, the release stated.

An employee at the satellite courthouse office in Fairhope said Thursday that her office had the forms, but she did not think anyone had signed up yet.

“If the commitment of 250 plates is not reached, the $50 paid will go to the Lighthouse Association as a donation,” Horner said, referring to the ALA, which is a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation

Alabama’s three lighthouses were built from 1822 to 1885, and most local preservation efforts have focused on Middle Bay Light, located in the middle of Mobile Bay, and Sand Island Light, located three miles south of the entrance to Mobile Bay. The other lighthouse site is at Fort Morgan.

The ALA’s preservation efforts have included restoration of the Middle Bay Light lantern room, which can be viewed in the lobby of the Mobile Regional Airport. The exhibit, which includes a restored Fresnel lens, will be moved to the Maritime Museum in downtown Mobile when that facility is completed in a couple years.

The ALA Web site provides historical information on all three lighthouses and includes an engineering study for a preservation plan for Sand Island Light with photos. The city of Dauphin Island now owns that lighthouse, and the Alabama Historical Commission owns Middle Bay Light, Horner said.

The AHC voted last year to maintain Middle Bay Light in its current location, instead of moving it ashore near The Battleship Park, as the ALA had recommended.

“The Alabama Historical Commission unanimously approved a resolution today that keeps the Middle Bay Lighthouse in Mobile Bay, and directs $30,000 to be spent annually to maintain the lighthouse,” according to a Dec. 2 AHC news release.

In January 2009, the AHC also committed to spending $120,000 for stabilization work at the lighthouse but not for restoration work on the keeper’s house itself. In a letter to the editor in today’s Courier, representatives from the Alabama Historical Commission stated that the group would announce plans this spring “for raising the additional $350,000 for the multiyear preservation plan.” However, John Greene, communication coordinator for AHC, said the commission could not raise money itself or accept donations, and that the fundraising effort would require a partnership with other local groups. He also stated that the $30,000 a year to be spent on the lighthouse was for routine maintenance and would not include restoration of the keeper’s house itself.

“The reality of the situation is that the Alabama Historical Commission does not have the money to restore Middle Bay Light to a sustainable condition,” Horner said. “The top wooden structure of the lighthouse is literally rotting as we speak. So, we’re going to have to raise that money.”

For more information, contact the Alabama Lighthouse Association at 928-9722 or mbidney82@bellsouth.net or visit the group’s Web site at www.alabamalighthouses.com.