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V O L . X X V N O. X V I I A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 9 12 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 business partners and community members who also struggle with housing shortages, the senators said. "If successful at Acadia, this model could be utilized at other NPS sites with similar seasonal housing con- cern," they wrote. Acadia employees, along with many hospitality and service employees, face "unique" and growing seasonal housing chal- lenges on Mount Desert Island, they added. Neighboring Bar Harbor is also wrestling with how to tackle the affordable housing shortage. While seasonal housing for National Park Service employ- ees is a growing concern at other parks, Acadia faces "an exceptional shortage given its geographic con- straints," Kings and Collins said. Acadia, which gets 3 million visi- tors a year, employs approximately 165 seasonal employees and many are dependent on National Park Service-provided housing. Short- term rentals are nearly impossible to find in the summer, as the housing market near Acadia is increasingly dominated by second homes and vacation rentals, the senators noted. Currently, the park agency has just 33 housing units. N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T The Guy P. Gannett Journalism Scholarship Fund of the Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth awarded $283,000 in scholarships to 11 graduates of Maine high schools. The foundation also awarded $18,016 in awards from the Daniel Cardillo Charitable Fund, which sup- ports young people pursuing their artis- tic, academic, athletic and vocational or life's passion outside of the tradi- tional school environment and its York County Committee awarded $65,548 in grants to eight nonprofit organiza- tions or communities. Bus line planned for Aroostook Presque Isle is launching a new local bus service this fall and organiz- ers say it will provide a boost to the local economy. e PI Loop will be a continuous bus route with multiple, fixed stops throughout Presque Isle, according to a news release from the Aroostook County Action Program Inc. e program, along with the Aroostook Regional Transportation System, began developing plans for the service last year through a grant from the Maine Community Foundation. Details of the service aren't yet determined, but it will initially run in a four-month pilot, operated by ARTS. e organiz- ers hope the loop will eventually be part of a transit network, which they've dubbed Going Places. "By creating e PI Loop, we are L.L. Bean set to open first store in Canada B y M a i n e b i z S t a f f Freeport — L.L. Bean Inc., the Freeport-based outdoor gear and clothing maker, is set to open its first retail loca- tion in Canada this month with an assortment of products specific to the Canadian market. Opening day is Aug. 23 at Oakville Place, a mall just outside Toronto, in a 13,000-square-foot store, L.L. Bean announced. About 20 employees are expected to be hired there, according to the mall's website. The move makes good on L.L.Bean's plan announced last November to enter the Canadian wholesale and brick- and-mortar retail market through an exclusive distribution agreement with the Toronto-based Jaytex Group. Jaytex is a privately held distributor of lifestyle brands in Canada, including the U.S. Polo Assn., British clothing brand Ben Sherman and Free Country casual outerwear and active wear. As of last winter, the agreement gave Jaytex exclusive distribution rights for L.L.Bean's iconic Bean Boot. Starting this fall, select L.L.Bean products will also be featured at various specialty retail stores including Sporting Life, Hudson's Bay and Mountain Equipment Co-op. "We've historically had an active and loyal customer based in Canada," Steve Smith, L.L.Bean's president and CEO, said at the time. He added: "Developing a true omnichannel component, as well as new brick-and-mortar retail stores and a dedicated Canadian website will give our Canadian customers a better overall L.L. Bean experience and make it much easier to shop in the channel that's most conducive for them." L.L.Bean already has a dedicated Canadian website and has a strong footprint in Japan, where it has grown from its first store in Tokyo opened in 1992 to 28 stores today. The retailer also has a global website that serves over 200 countries and territories in different languages, with product prices converted into more than 60 currencies. L.L. Bean catalogs are shipped to more than 150 countries. B R I E F P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F K M F 1 4 6 , F L I C K R not only assisting those without a driver's license or vehicle, we are creating opportunities for employ- ers, employees, students, and families that simply did not exist before," said LeRae Kinney, who co-chairs Going Places and is director of adult and community education at School Administrative District No. 1. "is bus route will change lives." Lack of transportation services was cited as the top concern of the nearly 1,000 Aroostook County residents who participated in a recent ACAP com- munity study — ranking even ahead of substance use. Currently, ARTS provides limited bus service to and around Presque Isle, sometimes requiring reservations. Bridge plan halfway there Maine Department of Transportation will receive a $36 million federal grant to fund about half the cost of replac- ing a crumbling, almost century- old bridge between Madawaska and Edmundston, New Brunswick. Funds from a U.S. Transportation Department infrastructure program will go toward planned construc- tion of a new span on the site of the "deteriorating" Madawaska International Bridge, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a news release. e total cost of replac- ing the bridge is estimated at $73.5 million, with the remaining fund- ing to come from MaineDOT and the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. e existing bridge, which opened in 1920, crosses the Saint John River and provides a vital link for residents and businesses in both Maine and New Brunswick. It has been limited to vehicles of less than 5 tons, which excludes most commercial trucks. e weight limit and temporary closures of the bridge this week have forced many residents and busi- nesses to make long detours. Twin Rivers Paper Co., one of the largest employers in northern Maine, "has had to reroute large trucks through Van Buren, adding up to 75 miles and nearly two hours of travel time round-trip as well as incurring mil- lions of dollars in increased transpor- tation costs," said Collins. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Co. in Houlton, announced second-quarter earnings of $2.18 million, or 56 cents L.L. Bean, the Freeport-based outdoor gear and clothing retailer, is set to open its first Canadian store on Aug. 23. We've historically had an active and loyal customer based in Canada. — Steve Smith L.L.Bean president and CEO N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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