PORTLAND – A lighthouse on the Kennebec River could be returned to the government as part of a multigroup effort to increase public awareness of the 107-year-old structure, a federal judge has ruled.

Squirrel Point Lighthouse in Arrowsic will likely be given to a nonprofit organization after a ruling from U.S. Magistrate Judge David Cohen. The decision still needs approval from federal Judge D. Brock Hornby.

Attorneys for the Coast Guard and a citizens group seeking public access to the lighthouse said Tuesday it is unlikely Hornby would overrule the decision.

“We feel the magistrate judge’s decision is well crafted and thought out,” said Capt. Brian Judge, chief of the Coast Guard’s claims and litigation office.

An attorney for Squirrel Point Associates, which owns the lighthouse, said the group plans to file an objection to the decision.

The lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 1988. In February 1998 the Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse, for free, to Squirrel Point Associates.

Last year, Citizens for Squirrel Point sued Squirrel Point Associates in U.S. District Court, contending the property had not been restored to historic preservation standards and was not being used for the benefit of the public.

Lee Johnson, president of Citizens for Squirrel Point, said her group would support any organization that takes ownership. She and other supporters believe the lighthouse will not remain vacant for long.