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V O L . X X I V N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 8 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E FAST access to project funding. CONFIDENCE to meet deadlines. RELATIONSHIP you and your clients can count on. Rehab & Renovation Real Estate Development Construction Loans Maine Capital Group provides single-source lending and strategic advisory services for small to mid-sized financing opportunities in the residential and commercial real estate markets. www.mainecapitalgroup.com Contact Katie Swenson: kswenson@mainecapitalgroup.com / 207-241- 4031 4 C I T Y C E N T E R , 3 R D F LO O R , P O R T L A N D " Maine Capital Group is the project funding solution I have been hoping to find for years: fast, professional, reliable. I feel like they are a part of my team!" KM — Developer As Acadia visitation rises, maintenance backlog looms B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r M t . D e s e r t I s l a n d — As the number of visitors to Acadia National Park continues to rise, park officials say there's an ever-greater urgency to address the park's backlog of maintenance on basic infrastructure, ranging from buildings to visitor restrooms. Park officials and members of Bar Harbor's business and nonprofit community said additional funding, now pending in a bill that's moving through Congress, is essential to ensure that visitors keep coming back. They said the park's funding does not meet its needs for capital improvements, including basic infrastructure. "Acadia has been pretty busy in the last few years. We've seen a 59% increase in visitation over the last 10 years," Acadia Superintendent Kevin Schneider said at a media tour held Sept. 20. "That is a great thing to have. But we need to be prepared to welcome them. And that means infrastructure." In 2017, Acadia had 3.5 million visitors, up from 3.3 million the previous year. Through Aug. 30 this year, Acadia had 2.39 million visitors, up from 2.34 million through the first eight months of last year. The event was hosted by U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and other federal and state legislators or their designees. King, who is running for re-election, is a lead sponsor of legislation to address a nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog through- out the national park system. Acadia's backlog is estimated to be $60 million. Even the park's own maintenance facility is in need of serious maintenance, said Mack Weaver, who is buildings and utility foreman. On a tour, he pointed out problems like cracks in the building, and plywood doors and single-pane windows that are inadequate for winter's chill. The storage area is too small for needs that range from snowplow equipment to toilet paper. It also lacks basic compliance features like handicap-accessibility. "We need to have clean restrooms, a good visitor center, good roads, good trails, good carriage roads," Schneider said. Acadia has 452,000 square feet of building space, 86 miles of roads, 17 public water systems, 158 miles of hiking trails, 45 miles of carriage roads and four campgrounds. In addition to federal funding, the park receives support from Friends of Acadia, the park's nonprofit fundraising partner. B R I E F Acadia National Park, which celebrated its centennial two years ago, is showing its age, with a $60 million backlog of upgrades needed on park buildings, infrastructure and visitor restrooms. Adding to the stress on the park, Acadia hosted 3.5 million visitors, up from 3.3 million the previous year. F I L E P H O T O / DAV I D C L O U G H "The Power Of Localism: Tapping Into a Maine Tradition" 2018 GrowSmart Maine Summit October 11th | Cross Insurance Center | Bangor Featured speaker Bruce Katz, of Drexel University and co-author of The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism, will discuss how the New Localism can work in Maine. Generously Sponsored By: Bangor Savings Bank | The Nature Conservancy in Maine Elmina B. Sewall Foundation | PDT Architects growsmartmaine.org