MOUNT DESERT, Maine — Applause echoed as the ribbon was cut for Acadia National Park's newest seasonal employee housing. The four-acre Dane Farm site will provide eight beds, ticking the meter closer to the park's goal of 130 new beds.
From groundbreaking to Tuesday morning, project came together in less than a year. Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider hopes the efficiency continues as the park starts construction on an even larger site next month.
"We have awarded a contract to build 28 new beds at harden farm in Bar Harbor," Schneider said in front of over a hundred attendees.
Construction is scheduled to begin Nov. 1. As progress is made in building, Schneider says the park plans to finalize and gain approval for phase two of the Harden Farm, which will add another 28 beds.
Between Dane and Harden farms, 64 beds will be added and bring the park halfway to its goal.
Closing the gap on the next half will require an "all of the above approach," according to Friends of Acadia President and CEO Eric Stiles.
"We've also pursued strategies like buying a bed and breakfast in southwest harbor which we rent out to the park for a dollar a year," Stiles said.
More new properties are also in the works.
In Trenton, the plan is to construct a housing site for Island Explorer bus drivers and in Acadia, a employee-only campground is in the works for those with a camper trailer.
Acadia welcomes more than four million visitors each year. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, recalls the important role park employees played in enriching his family's cross-country road trip.
"I remember traveling the country with my kids, and of course everyone was overwhelmed by half dome in Yosemite," King said. "But it was the people, the staff in the parks that made it come alive."
Structurally, construction at Dane Farm is complete, but finishing details will continue to be addressed before the first tenants move in this coming spring.