Mainebiz

V O L . X X I X N O. X I M AY 1 5 , 2 0 2 3 14 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 company began partnering with the Maine Community College System in 2021. Last year alone, DRI-South trained 140 participants; all are Dead River employees. 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 MMG Insurance in Presque Isle com- mitted $25,000 to Northern Light Acadia Hospital's Acadia For All campaign. The gift will provide patient assistance funds for Aroostook County residents receiving treatment from the hospital and aid in the construction of a new 50 bed pediatric inpatient wing at the hospital. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will send $16 million to the state of Maine to reimburse Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for the cost of hiring tem- porary staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. UScellular announced that it renewed two years of internet service with Boys & Girls Clubs of Border Towns in Presque Isle valued at $174,240. P O L I T I C S & C O. In first season of cruise ship limits, tourism outlook is cloudy in Bar Harbor B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r B ar Harbor's cruise season kicked off May 4 with the arrival of the 965-foot Norwegian Pearl on a cold, gray day. There was also a bit of ceremony, organized by a local group called the Association to Preserve + Protect Local Livelihoods, to welcome the Norwegian Pearl's captain, Johan Stofling, and to discuss the economic impact of the cruise industry on the local and state economy. The 10-minute gathering near the town wharf took place while the town is in the midst of a dispute over whether the number of cruise ships and their passengers strains resources, or if they are a welcome source of tourism-related revenue. Last November, in a 1,780 to 1,273 vote, residents backed a citizen-initiated amendment to the town's land use-ordinance placing a 1,000-person daily limit on the number of people who could disembark; the previous daily limit was 5,500. Bar Harbor has booked 129 ships carrying 239,000 passengers this year. The Association to Preserve + Protect Local Livelihoods, a group of Bar Harbor businesses and residents, has filed a law- suit in U.S. District Court against the town to reverse the dis- embarkation limit, contending it would crush the tourism-based economy and result in the loss of jobs and businesses. Kristi Bond, the associa- tion's president and co-owner of a number of local businesses, said the association stands for a "reasonably balanced approach to tourism." "Whether a bartender or harbor pilot, a small business owner, or a lobster harvester, hos- pitality revenue benefits the community in a big way," said Bond. "It supports new schools, takes care of our roads and infrastructure, and helps preserve and strengthen our working waterfront," said Bond. The industry brings visitors to Maine from across the U.S., with 24% coming from international markets, said Sarah Flink, executive director of CruiseMaine, a member- ship organization that's part of the Maine Office of Tourism. "There are numerous people working today who weren't work- ing yesterday because of this cruise ship visiting," Bo Jennings, general manager of the Side Street Café in Bar Harbor and a town council candidate, said of the Norwegian Pearl's arrival.

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