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V O L . X X X N O. X V I J U LY 2 2 , 2 0 2 4 10 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 millions of pounds of herring and pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars. e Western Sea, a 100-foot- long purse seiner, made over 80 voy- ages from June 2016 to September 2019 to fish for herring in the Gulf of Maine. e defendants sold over 2.6 million pounds of their catch with- out reporting it as required to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Nonprofit raising $10M for Acadia employee housing Friends of Acadia, the fundraising partner for Acadia National Park, announced a $10 million capital cam- paign to address a severe shortage of housing for seasonal park employ- ees. e nonprofit raised $7.5 million during the quiet phase of the "Raise the Roof " campaign, highlighted at the organization's annual meeting on July 10. e campaign is expected to leverage another $10 million or more in matching funds from federal and other sources. "Seasonal employee housing is critical to our workforce," said Kevin Schneider, Acadia's superintendent. Cherryfield dam earmarked for removal e Downeast Salmon Federation will use a $9.1 million federal grant to remove a dam on the Narraguagus River, in the Washington County town of Cherryfield. e dam will be replaced with a nature-like fishway, which will allow improved passage for endangered Atlantic salmon and other fish to return to their spawn- ing and rearing grounds, the orga- nization said in a news release. e Narraguagus River is considered a waterway of national significance, with some of the highest quality habi- tat for Atlantic salmon, according to the federation. Island Explorer gets grant for electric buses e Island Explorer — a free, sea- sonal shuttle serving Acadia National Park and Hancock County — will be able to replace much of its pro- pane-powered bus fleet thanks to a federal award of $23.5 million. e grant will fund the acquisition of 23 electric buses and charging infra- structure for the nonprofit transit service Downeast Transportation Inc. Twenty-one propane-fueled buses will be replaced with electric buses, and two electric buses will be pur- chased to expand the fleet. 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 Fidium Fiber announced that its ser- vice is now available to 4,600 homes and businesses in Bar Harbor and Mount Desert. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust donated $12,500 to Mount Desert Island YMCA in honor of the nonprofit orga- nization's 125th anniversary and its campaign to raise $125,000 to sup- port numerous health and wellness programs it offers. Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay is cel- ebrating its 50th anniversary. The lab was originally based at McKown Point in West Boothbay Harbor, adjoining Department of Marine Resources facilities, with 12 scientists before moving into its state-of-the-art campus in East Boothbay with more than 120 scientists currently on staff. The Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth said that its Cumberland County Grantmaking Committee awarded a total of $151,463 to 18 organizations through the foundation's Community Building Grant Program. Foundation donors with advised funds made two additional grants totaling $20,000. NH utility looks to buy Bangor Natural Gas Unitil Corp. (NYSE: UTL), a New Hampshire-based utility that pro- vides services in some parts of Maine, plans to buy Bangor Natural Gas Co. for $70.9 million, pending regulatory approval. In a note to Bangor Natural Gas customers, Unitil said the Maine Public Utilities Commission might take six months or longer to review the deal, with a possible decision early next year. Unitil expects the transac- tion to close by the end of the first quarter. For now, Unitil's natural gas serves 33,000 Maine custom- ers from Kittery to Auburn. Bangor Natural Gas serves 8,000 customers in Greater Bangor. Presque Isle community college looks for president After almost four decades as president of Northern Maine N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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