Dane Farm Seasonal Workforce Housing Project Updates

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Dane Farm Seasonal Workforce Housing Project Updates

Construction is expected to last 10 to 12 months and, when complete, will be home to eight of Acadia’s seasonal employees!

July 9th, 2024

Friends of Acadia acquired the 4-acre parcel of land located on the northern end of Jordan Pond Road in September 2023 from Seal Harbor Properties, LLC. The property, located in Seal Harbor, within Acadia National Park’s administrative boundary, had been used as a gravel pit used for materials and equipment storage. It will soon be home to eight of Acadia’s seasonal employees!

Friends of Acadia retained E.L. Shea Builders & Engineers, headquartered in Ellsworth, to construct a primary residence with five bedrooms and an accessory dwelling with three bedrooms.

When completed, Friends of Acadia will donate the land and buildings to Acadia National Park for long-term ownership and management.

Update: July 1, 2024

Friends of Acadia hosted two informal tours for donors, friends, and neighbors at the Dane Farm construction site in Seal Harbor on Sunday, June 30th. More than 40 people stopped by to see the construction progress first-hand and tour the two buildings. Guests had an opportunity to ask questions about the seasonal workforce housing project, and they also saw where the meadow and outdoor landscaping will go. Our contractors at E.L. Shea construction are making great progress! Both residential housing units are framed in and insulated, and windows and doors are being installed. President and CEO Eric Stiles reported that the project is on time and on budget. Dane Farm will house eight seasonal employees for Acadia by next spring 2025. Friends of Acadia plans to donate the structures and the land to the park upon completion.

Dane Farm seasonal housing construction site on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Friends of Acadia Vice President of Development Lisa Horsch Clark (right) speaks to Friends of Acadia Board Members and Seal Harbor community members during a visit to the Dane Farm seasonal housing construction site on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Dane Farm seasonal housing construction site on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

FOA board member Liz Williams and FOA Board Chair Bill Eacho tour the Dane Farm seasonal housing on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Dane Farm seasonal housing construction site on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Windows, plumbing and electrical have been installed at the Dane Farm seasonal housing construction site on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Drone image of progress at the Dane Farm Seasonal Housing Project in Seal Harbor. Shingles are currently being installed to the roof. (Photos by Kip Wing/Aerial Aesthetic/Friends of Acadia)

Update: April 22, 2024

Staff and board members from Friends of Acadia and Acadia National Park got a site tour to see the progress at Dane Farm. Both units have taken shape! The building shells are done with walls and roofing up. Plumbing and electrical conduits are in the ground and concrete has been poured for the floors. Next steps: walls, windows, and doors!

The group got to hear more about the plans for landscaping on the property, which includes planting native vegetation to reclaim an area that had been a gravel pit for many years. This “native warm season meadow” will be a mix of grasses and flowers, which is excellent for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and humming birds. It also helps with clean air and clean water.

Landscaping plan for the Dane Farm seasonal housing construction site on April 22, 2024. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Both units are taking shape at the Dane Farm site. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider, second from right, talks with Friends of Acadia board member Anne Green during a site visit at Dane Farm. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Friends of Acadia board members and staff explore the new construction at Dane Farm. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Friends of Acadia Board Members Visit the Dane Farm seasonal housing construction site on April 22, 2024. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Update: March 4, 2024

Check out this video of the roof trusses going up!

Dane Farm Roof Truss Installation from Friends of Acadia on Vimeo.

Raising the roof trusses! Workers with E.L. Shea construction use heavy equipment to lift the pre-fabricated trusses, which were made in Maine, onto the unit.

E.L. Shea construction workers at the Dane Farm seasonal workforce housing project. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

E.L. Shea construction workers used heavy equipment to lift the pre-fabricated trusses. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

E.L. Shea construction workers used heavy equipment to lift the pre-fabricated trusses, which were made in Maine, on top of the unit walls. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

E.L. Shea construction workers secure roof trusses in place. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Roof trusses installed at the Dane Farm Seasonal Housing Project in Seal Harbor. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Update February 26, 2024

Concrete basement walls are poured into forms at the Dane Farm Seasonal Housing Project in Seal Harbor.

Concrete basement walls being poured at the Dane Farm Seasonal Housing Project in Seal Harbor. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

Owner’s representative Dave Nazaroff checks the site plans for the Dane Farm Seasonal Housing Project in Seal Harbor. (Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)