The much-awaited renovations to Ned's Point Lighthouse have begun, seeing the iconic structure surrounded by an array of scaffolding and caution tape.

Coast Guard Industrial Support Detachment Shop 63, based in South Portland, Maine, began the much-anticipated renovations on Ned's Point Lighthouse Friday.

"We started today," said Michael Trombley, Foreman on the site for the ISD. "Right now the scope of the work is just the outside but conditions inside could change that."

"We're fixing the concrete rubble, priming and painting and if we have time we'll be adding new, aluminum doors," said Don Morrin, a Maintenance Mechanic with the ISD.

The lighthouse is currently surrounded by an assembly of scaffolding erected by Seacoast Scaffold and Equipment Corporation. The scaffolding has raised concerns among soon-to-be-married couples who reserved Ned's Point for their wedding photos. The lighthouse, however, is an active navigational aid and the need to repair it is pressing.

"This is an active aid to navigation and we have to repair it," said Edward Metcalf, the Civil Engineering Supervisor for the Industrial Support Detachment South Portland. "We'll be doing masonry repairs to the lighthouse primarily."

"They've been very accommodating and said they'd be done in probably a few weeks," said Melodye Pacheco, Assistant to the Town Administrator.

The impending renovations caused more than their share of frustration to town officials and the many brides and event-planners who had booked the adjacent park months in advance so that the iconic lighthouse could be the backdrop for their special day. It was especially frustrating to wedding parties that they didn't learn of the construction plans until earlier this month -- months after they had booked the site.

"A couple people decided to move their weddings because of the possible inconvenience," said Pacheco. "We were able to let a few people know ahead of time that they could be inconvenienced."

The repairs also caused a number of events at Heritage Days, a weekend-long celebration of Mattapoisett's history, to be moved. Events such as the family picnic, kite-flying and the vesper's service were all moved to Shipyard Park, where they were later cancelled outright due to bad weather.

The lighthouse, however, had to be repaired now due to the ISD handling jobs in order of need.  If a lighthouse or other facility elsewhere is damaged or in need of immediate attention, the ISD's schedule can be changed last minute to accomodate those repairs and because of this the Coast Guard can rarely say for certain when the ISD will arrive to begin work on any particular job.

"I'd ask that people not get hung up on the timeline," said Metcalf, stressing that the ISD handles jobs in order of need.

"I know a lot of people were a bit upset or concerned because they have weddings here," said Trombley. "But it needs to be fixed and when else are we going to do it?"

"When you book your wedding in a place like this you risk being rained out, this is just another risk," said Pacheco.

The renovations will continue for roughly a month.