ACADIA NATIONAL PARK—Friends of Acadia announced today that the National Park Foundation is making a $2 million contribution to help build seasonal workforce housing in Acadia National Park.

Constructing new housing units at Acadia is imperative for a meaningful and sustainable long-term solution for seasonal workforce housing. But constructing buildings within a national park requires careful consideration to preserve park values and experiences. The National Park Service (NPS) and Friends of Acadia have identified two suitable sites that could provide housing for 60-plus seasonal employees: the Harden Farm property in Bar Harbor and the Dane Farm property in Seal Harbor.

This $2 million contribution from the National Park Foundation will help support the construction of additional housing units at Acadia’s Harden Farm property in Bar Harbor. Harden Farm is already home to eight existing housing units.

“Acadia National Park wouldn’t be what it is without our dedicated seasonal workforce,” said Superintendent Kevin Schneider. “The National Park Foundation’s excitement around the Harden Farm project, in addition to Friends of Acadia’s philanthropic support, is going to help ensure Acadia National Park staff will have a place to call home during their tenure with the park. It’s humbling to see so many people rally behind our workforce and support such a critical issue for Acadia National Park.”

Earlier this month, Friends of Acadia publicly launched it’s $10 million Raise the Roof campaign to support construction at both Dane Farm and Harden Farm, while stressing the importance of public and private partnership to tackle the housing challenge.

“Our long-term success in tackling this immense challenge is dependent on both public and private funding,” said Friends of Acadia President and CEO Eric Stiles. “We’re thrilled that our $10 million Raise the Roof campaign helped leverage federal support. And we’re incredibly grateful to the National Park Foundation, and the Maine Congressional Delegation—U.S. Senators King and Collins, and U.S. Representatives Pingree and Golden, for their support for funding the National Park Service.”

This isn’t just an issue for Acadia, addressing workforce housing issues is a priority for the National Park Service and national parks throughout the country.

“This investment is a step to ensure that the employees of Acadia National Park have a place to call home,” said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “We rely on skilled, dedicated professionals at the National Park Service to protect our parks and make our visitors’ experiences great, and we have a shared responsibility to take care of them in return.”

Additional Coverage

National Park Foundation contributes $2M to build workforce housing for Acadia – MaineBiz

Acadia National Park gets $2 million for seasonal workforce housing – Fox Bangor

The National Park Foundation contributes $2 million to workforce housing in Acadia – WABI