A revised plan for restoring the Gay Head Light in Aquinnah has prioritized repairs to the tower, although it remains unclear how the town will pay for the work.

International Chimney Corporation of Buffalo, N.Y., which engineered the relocation of the 1856 brick tower from an eroding cliff last year, is playing a central role in the restoration, identifying the scope of the work and preparing a budget. But in response to the company’s $1.3 million proposal in September, and in light of a lack of funds, the Aquinnah lighthouse advisory board asked for a further breakdown of costs.

Last week, the board reviewed new plans for phase one of the project, which trim more than $100,000 from the budget by eliminating or modifying several of the original recommendations.

A letter from International Chimney highlights the need for preserving the underside of the cast iron lantern deck, along with the repointing of some of the bricks and the addition or restoration of air vents. Some of the originally proposed work would be delayed to a later phase, according to the letter. The total revised estimate for phase one is now between $300,000 and $330,000.

The revised work “should include only the repairs necessary to slow the deterioration of the historic fabric,” International Chimney historic preservation manager Joe Jakubik wrote in the letter, dated Sept. 23.

Advisory board chairman Len Butler agreed that the proposed repairs were essential, but he said the town would need to proceed in small steps since it lacks the required funding. The town originally budgeted about $350,000 for the restoration, but unexpected costs before the move related to lead contamination and the presence of rare plant habitat depleted the funds.

The revised plan calls for removing the upper courses of brick in the outer wall to allow for the restoration of the deck plates above. Mr. Butler said removing four of the metal struts that support the lantern deck, instead of all 16, would be enough to reveal the extent of the damage and allow for repairs. He said that work is estimated to cost about $60,000, in addition to an estimated $20,000 for the proposed brickwork.

“It sounds like this is within our ability,” he said, noting an existing $25,000 town allocation for masonry repairs, and earlier pledged donations. “Then we can develop a program to see what a total restoration is going to cost.”

Mr. Butler said he hopes phase one could begin in the spring.

The town has already replaced a metal railing around the gallery, along with an exterior ladder and other improvements, at a cost of about $68,000. And visitors to the lighthouse this summer were greeted by a new stone wall surrounding the tower, and a new area known as Lighthouse Park, which extends to the Cliffs and features a stone-and-masonry circle marking the spot where the lighthouse once stood.

Lightkeeper Richard Skidmore, who serves on the advisory board, said the lighthouse has become much drier inside, and suggested the proposed vents were not urgent. Mr. Butler attributed the drier air to the regrading of the area so water now runs away from the building. (The tower had apparently sunk into the ground over time in its original location.) Mr. Skidmore said a closed-off doorway that led to a former lightkeeper’s quarters was drafty enough to serve as a vent, but that if the doorway is repaired as planned, then new vents would be necessary.

The total estimated budget for brickwork and ventilation in phase one is between $125,000 and $137,000.

Mr. Skidmore plans to explore the possibility of federal funding, and board member Elise LeBovit suggested putting a donation box in town hall. As part of its agreement with the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, which oversees the lighthouse operations, the town receives half of all annual revenue exceeding $65,000. Mr. Skidmore said the town collected just under $20,000 for the season ending in October. The lighthouse is scheduled to reopen in the spring.