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V O L . X X V I I I N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 22 M I D C O A S T / D O W N E A S T F O C U S Desert Island Housing Authority, and also polled employees. at resulted in rates starting in September of $1,100 for a one-bedroom unit, $1,500 for two bedrooms and $1,950 for three. Rates include high-speed internet, but not heat. e units just came online, with average electric costs to be determined but estimated at $60 to $70 per month using high-efficiency heat pumps. About 40 people, selected by lottery, moved in, including front-line workers, researchers, post-docs, administrators and faculty members. It's envisioned the units will turn over as tenants look to buy or build homes. "But we were intentional with our housing advisory committee that we have no limit on how long they can stay," Longley says. "You could have a visiting faculty member for three years who has no intention of buying a house." e 24 units comprise the first phase of the development. e site is ultimately designed to accommodate 98 units. ere's no time- frame yet for further build-out. "is is the first large-scale hous- ing unit we put together," says Longley. "We'll take this year and see what the experience is like." e lab intends to look into poten- tial state or federal funding for further development, she says. Ultimately, the lab could use 100 rental units to fulfill demand. JAX is also in discussions with Acadia National Park, Island Housing Trust, College of the Atlantic and the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory to discuss housing partnerships. It's worth the commitment and money, says Longley, noting that JAX paid for the apartment complex and is paying the local housing authority to handle maintenance. "It will take some time to recoup our investment," she says. "But it's an invest- ment by JAX in its employees, our most important asset." Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 2 0 Partner with a dental insurance provider that keeps your employees happy with fast and accurate claims processing. NortheastDeltaDental.com KEEP YOUR EMPLOYEES HAPPY WITH SMILE POWER! P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F A C E T O L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E + U R B A N D E S I G N We have a waiting list of over 25 for the one-bedroom units. — Catherine Longley Jackson Laboratory Off-island commutes E ven with the addition of housing in Bar Harbor, it's expected most JAX employees will continue to be commuters from off-island. As Bar Harbor has become too expensive for many to live, JAX ramped up a subsidy program for employees to ride the region's commuter bus system from as far as Bangor and other towns an hour or more away. In 2019, the system ran 10,000 off-island round-trips. This year, it's expected to be closer to 13,000 round trips, largely due to the rising cost of gasoline. The system is run by Downeast Transportation Inc. A certain number of seats are allocated to lab employees, who pay a subscriber or day fee. It's been estimated that a 100-mile round-trip from Hampden, for example, can save at least $4,000 per year in gas costs. At lower right, Pod 1 is JAX's recently opened apartment complex, with other potential growth areas.

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