CAPE ELIZABETH–The Fort Williams Charitable Foundation will not be getting support from the board of directors of the Portland Head Light to help fund an engineering study for a project aimed at recovering part of the park’s history.

At a July 12 board of directors meeting, the foundation, established in 2001 to fund preservation efforts and improvements to Fort Williams, requested $10,000 from the Portland Head Light Fund to help conduct an engineering planning study to look at the feasibility of uncovering Battery Blair, one of the park’s old military facilities used for defending Portland Harbor during World War I and World War II.

The study is estimated to cost $37,000. Just over $25,300 has already been raised through donations. The effort is part of a larger project jointly put forth by the foundation and the Fort Williams Advisory Commission to honor the property’s rich military history.

The Head Light board voted 7-0 to “deny the request with regret,” as Jessica Sullivan said in making the motion. The board, whose primary responsibility is to fund the maintenance at the lighthouse, felt the request was not the best use of the money.

“Being a great fan of history, I feel it is a great project and I hope it happens, but I am convinced the money we allocate to the lighthouse is protected for the lighthouse,” she said.

Fellow board member David Sherman agreed.

“I would never say never, but I would like to see this funded entirely through private funds,” he said.

Battery Blair, completed in 1903 as part of a military complex to protect the harbor and the city of Portland, was partially covered up in 1975 when the town began developing roads and athletic fields at the park.

In 2009 the Fort Williams Advisory Council formed the Battery Blair Committee to look into unearthing the battery as a site to present Fort William’s military history. The feasibility study would include examining the condition of the battery, the best preservation methods, the scope and cost of repairs and restoration, designing conceptual plans for the site and developing displays and exhibits on the site and a cost-effective budget and construction schedule.

An estimated 750,000 people visit the Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park every year.