Mainebiz

V O L . X X I V N O. V I M A R C H 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 6 Restaurant and hotel revenue hits record $3.8B Lodging sales in Maine broke the $1 billion mark for the fi rst time in 2017, while Maine restaurants brought in nearly $2. billion. e Portland Press Herald reported that the combined $3. billion in reve- nues reported by Maine's hospitality industry was a record high — with lodging sales increasing 7% and restaurant sales increasing 4% from the year before. Steve Hewins, CEO of the Maine Innkeepers and Maine Restaurant associations, told the newspaper that tourism is a driving reason both sectors of the hospitality industry did so well in 2017. King warns of 'burden' of trade war U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told Mainebiz he is concerned about a possible trade war over President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariff s on imported steel and alumi- num, citing two Maine companies telling him they are worried it will increase their costs. e president sought a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminum coming into the United States, sparking threats of retaliation from Canada and the European Union. King said, "I'm hoping that the administration will more narrowly focus [on] what their concerns are rather than burden mostly allies with these tariff s." King said he had heard from two Maine fi rms worried about the impact of a steel tariff , including one that had seen an % jump in the price of raw steel in a week. e other, based in Fort Fairfi eld near the Canadian B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E THERE IS A DIFFERENCE THERE IS Because Construction Management Design/Build General Contracting Engineering Sheridan Construction www.sheridancorp.com Fairfield Portland 207-453-9311 207-774-6138 Bear's Den, UMO With Thompson's Point land, Children's Museum hires contractors B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r P o r t l a n d — With the purchase of 1.12 acres at Thompson's Point in Portland, the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine takes another step toward its plan of a new 30,000-square-foot facility. In a deal that closed in December, the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine purchased the land at 10 Thompson's Point from Forefront Partners LLP, for an unspecifi ed price. The overall project is expected to cost $14 million. The transaction was arranged on behalf of the seller by Drew Sigfridson of CBRE|The Boulos Co. The new building will replace the organization's current home, an 18,000-square-foot space at 142 Free St. "It's been a great space for a long time, but we felt like we'd outgrown it. And the new kinds of exhibits we're eager to have won't physically fi t into the space because of its layout and ceiling height," said Executive Director Suzanne Olson. The Children's Museum of Maine was founded in 1976 and moved into 142 Free St. in 1993. In 2008, the Children's Theatre of Maine merged with the museum. The facility attracts 115,000 visitors a year, up from 100,000 a decade ago. It has 20 employees and another 50 volunteers. Updated amenities — and parking The organization aims for the new facility to be more family-friendly and also to expand the museum's age range to 14, Olson said. The museum also considered it important to have better space for adults. "Kids are always very happy with what we do," she said. "But park- ing has been a challenge, we don't have bathrooms on every fl oor, things like that." "A typical day is people waiting at the door when we open, noses to the glass, eager to come in," said Olson. "It's really full of great energy all the time." With Bruner/Cott & Associates of Cambridge, Mass., as the architect, the new building will have three fl oors. The fi rst fl oor will have a large lobby, climbing structure, and state-of-the-art theater space. "A big part of the move is the theater space, which we haven't had before," said Olson. "We have space that we use for theater." The new theater will include theater ame- nities like a green room, tech booth and fabrication shop. Zachau Construction of Freeport has been contracted as construction manager. The design fi rm handling exhibits is Hands On! Studio of Saint Petersburg, Fla. Tenji Inc., head- quartered in Carmel, Calif., with a branch in Maine, will handle the design and construction of the new museum's aquarium. Other partners on the project are Gorham Savings Bank, Pierce Atwood, Haley & Aldrich and Stantec and Credere. It's expected that site work will begin in the next few months, with construction to begin late summer and comple- tion expected the following summer, said Olson. B R I E F R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y O F B R U N E R / C O T T & A S S O C I AT E S Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine is a step closer to its move to Thompson's Point in Portland. It plans a 30,000-square-foot museum on one acre, with a total project cost of $14 million.

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