Can and Should We Manage Growing Congestion of Mount Desert Island?
February 10, 2023
8:30 a.m.
Havana Restaurant, Bar Harbor
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NOTE: The in-person event at Havana is now FULL. However, you may still register for the Zoom discussion which begins at 9:00 a.m. When you register you may also choose to join the waiting list for the in-person event.
Our beloved 110-square-mile island, deeply blessed by nature, has long been valued by many, from natives to summer colonists to day tourists. Within the 500-mile radius from Cadillac are 100 million souls and as many autos. Our Acadia National Park now hosts more than three million visits each year. Cruise ships land thousands on many days. Diverse users contend for space in our bounding bays. Most waterfront is privately held. Many who would live here cannot. Employers would hire more but do not because there are no beds. What to do?
Should we have faith that markets will temper these tensions in the best ways possible and let that magic work? Or should our citizens, businesses, organizations, and governments envision and enable a desirable future in which we shape island life through regulations that reduce congestion and create the healthy community we desire?
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This event is open to the public. The cost to attend in person at Havana is $10 per person which includes coffee, tea, and pastries.
Doors open at 8:30 a.m. and the discussion starts at 9:00 a.m.
Evan Richert is the retired owner of Richert Planning, a town and regional land use planning consulting firm. He worked with public and private clients in Northern New England on planning and development projects that ranged from neighborhoods to regions, including as consulting planner to the Town of Orono. From 1995 to 2002 he was Director of the State Planning Office under Gov. Angus King. Prior to that he was co-owner of Market Decisions, Inc., a market research and planning company, and Planning Director for the City of South Portland.
He serves on the boards of directors of UpStart Maine, Inc. (a coalition of entrepreneur support programs in the Bangor Region), and two business incubators in the Bangor Region; and is an emeritus board member of GrowSmart Maine.
Born in Bar Harbor, Eben Salvatore is a 9th generation Mainer. He is a direct descendent of the Pineo family, a well known Bar Harbor family from the late 1880's. Eben has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years. He has also been a Board member of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce for more than 20 years, and has a long history of advocating for the business community in Bar Harbor. Currently, he also sits on the YMCA Board, is a member of the Cruise Ship Committee, is a member of the Parking Solutions Task Force, and is Chair of the Business Round Table. He was also recently elected to the Warrant Committee, a position he has held previously.
Click to register for this event, or email learn@acadiaseniorcollege.org
