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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 S E P T E M B E R 5 , 2 0 2 2 Whether you're starting your first job or retiring from your last, we understand that every financial situation is different ... just like the people we serve. WE'RE A BANK FOR EVERYONE. www.KennebecSavings.Bank We invite you to experience the difference. B I Z M O N E Y Childcare to be a component in lab's growth plans B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r C hildcare has increasingly been a topic related to recruiting and retention of good employees. Now Jackson Laboratory has proposed the construc- tion of a childcare facility at its Bar Harbor campus. Representatives for the biomedical research institute, located on Route 3 on the outskirts of Bar Harbor's downtown and adjacent to Acadia National Park, went before the Bar Harbor Planning Board in August to present a proposal for a wood-framed, single- story building of approximately 6,800 square feet. "We see childcare as an essential part of our recruit- ment and retention strategy," said John Fitzpatrick, the lab's senior director of facilities services. The center would serve approximately 53 children and 20 staff. It would include a fenced outdoor play space and a drop-off loop with 10 parking spaces, on a parcel that encompasses 21 acres. Fitzpatrick told the Planning Board that affordable housing and childcare for employees are important issues for the lab. It would also allow former employ- ees, who had to leave the workforce because they couldn't find childcare when the pandemic started, to return, he said. On-site childcare is considered an attraction for new employees as well, especially given the more than 125 job openings at the Bar Harbor campus, many of which have been open for quite some time, he said. An 'attractive benefit' The lab would subcontract the Down East Family YMCA to run the facility, he said. The two organiza- tions are partners in a childcare facility in Ellsworth, the Beechland Road Early Learning Center. The proposed facility would be for lab employees. But if space is available, it will accept applications from the larger community as well, Fitzpatrick said. "We think this offers an attractive benefit to our employees," he said. Fitzpatrick said the facility could free up capacity at other childcare facilities in the larger community. The lab hired Bangor engineering firm Woodard & Curran Inc. for the project. Fitzpatrick said surveys conducted by the lab show that the facility would have demand for 40 to 50 spots, for children up to age 4. "We think we'll be able to fill 40 right off the bat," he said. Currently, he added, some Bar Harbor employees drive their children to the Ellsworth childcare facility, then drive back to Bar Harbor for work, a round-trip of 40 miles. "From an employment point of view and making this the place that people want to work, I think this is a wonderful concept," said Planning Board mem- ber Ruth Eveland. The board scheduled a public hearing on the pro- posal for Sept. 7. We see childcare as an essential part of our recruitment and retention strategy. — John Fitzpatrick Jackson Lab

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