Mainebiz

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 18 M I D C O A S T / D O W N E A S T A nil and Nurten Akturk have been at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor since February 2018. Anil is an associate research scien- tist and Nurten a research assistant. Originally from Turkey, they moved to Bar Harbor from Ithaca, N.Y. At the time, Bar Harbor resi- dents were grappling with a growing shortage of affordable housing to buy and rent, a trend attributable to the conversion of units to the lucrative vacation rental market. e Akturks were fortunate. Friends who moved to Bar Harbor before their arrival were able to find a house for them close to the lab. "It was more on the affordable side, but it was falling apart," says Anil. With the benefit of living within walking distance of the lab, the couple, with their young child and a dog, stayed at the house for over four years -- until their landlord informed them the house would be sold and they needed to find somewhere else to live. e lab had just announced it would be building a workforce apartment com- plex on land it owned within walking distance. When the lab opened applica- tions for the first 24 units, the Akturks leapt at the opportunity. "Perfect timing," says Anil. e complex opened Sept. 1, com- plete with a small playground, lawns and neatly tended walks. e family couldn't be happier. "Coming for a house that was fall- ing apart to a brand-new house, after a month I still feel like I'm living in an Airbnb," says Anil. "It seems like the solution is really working," says Nurten. "It's always warm and everything always works. We love it." Solutions that work Solutions addressing lack of housing are very much on the agenda for Jackson Lab and other local employers. In Bar Harbor, houses and apart- ments once available for year-round rental now largely go for short-term vacation rentals. Town councilors have called the situation a crisis. Employers are developing solutions. JAX has additional construction plans for rentals. Workforce, student and affordable housing projects by Jackson Laboratory employees Anil and Nurten Akturk say the lab's new workforce apartment complex was a great solution for their housing needs. F O C U S P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F T H E A K T U R K FA M I LY Ellsworth 'sweet spot' J AX has a facility in Ellsworth, 20 miles from Bar Harbor. The Charles E. Hewett Center, a 134,900-square- foot mouse production facility, opened in 2018 to provide mice for some 25,000 laboratories around the world. Today it employs about 160 and full build-out calls for about 350. "Ellsworth is turning out to be a bit of sweet spot for employee hous- ing," says COO Catherine Longley. "We find the affordability factor is better for home buying and the rental stock is better." Child care J ackson Laborator y plans to break ground mid-October for a childcare facility at its Bar Harbor campus as a recruitment/retention tool expected to open in 2024 and serve approximately 50 children. JAX employees will have priority; remain- ing spots will be open to the public. The lab and Down East Family YMCA are partners in an Ellsworth childcare facility. Currently, some Bar Harbor employees drive their chil- dren to the Ellsworth childcare facil- ity, then drive back to Bar Harbor for work, a 40-mile round-trip. P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R Jackson Laboratory COO Catherine Longley, at the new Hemlock Lane apartment complex, says lack of housing impacts recruitment. The Hemlock Lane apartments are only about half a mile from Jackson Laboratory. MDI responds to MDI responds to HOUSING CRUNCH With lack of housing putting a 'crunch' on recruitment, Bar Harbor employers take more of a role in development B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

• Cover