The top of Cadillac Mountain on a busy summer day.

Working Waterfront

A coastal conundrum—taxes or tourism?

By Sarah Craighead Dedmon Acadia National Park broke records this summer when more than 35,000 people visited on a single day. The increased traffic led to near-constant road and parking lot closures and, according to the National Park Service, an unprecedented number of emergencies. In just ten years, Acadia’s visitation… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Beaches are soft frontline in the climate change war

By Tom Groening The sunny, vacation-vibe we associate with beaches was doused like a pelting thunderstorm at the 12th Beaches Conference in Kittery on June14. Instead of swimming and sunbathing, the gathering addressed the dire realities of sea level rise, unprecedentedly big storms, and dying marshes. “Why invest in Main Street… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine Boat & Home Show showcases state’s best boats

Whether it’s to look at a boat or to buy one (or just spend a nice day out on the waterfront), the Maine Boat & Home Show, on the Rockland waterfront August 9-11, is the place to be. The show is the largest of its kind north of Newport, Rhode… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bucksport’s not-so-overnight transformation

By Susan Lessard The path Bucksport took from “mill town” to something else—including becoming the planned home of a land-based salmon farm and an annex of Maine Maritime Academy—began more than 20 years ago. Local government leaders began setting aside funds for the possible “rainy day” that would come if… SEE MORE

Jeff Gammelin points out the qualities of the granite.

Working Waterfront

Rocking the granite business

By Laurie Schreiber The sprawling shops at Freshwater Stone—22,000 square feet on 20 acres in Orland—are filled with the sound of industrial machinery, including wire saws and multiple-axis bridge saws, cutting into massive blocks of granite weighing tens of thousands of pounds. Digitally operated, the machinery produces slabs and complex… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Kittery Outlet Mall could offer affordable housing option

By Wanda Curtis As real estate prices spike in Kittery, efforts to carve out a niche for affordable housing have intensified, and one possible step toward alleviating the crunch is rethinking a popular shopping plaza. The median single-home listing price, according to Realtor.com, is $345,000. Kittery’s town manager, Kendra Amaral,… SEE MORE

Beyond Acadia on display in a local bookstore. PHOTO: SARAH CRAIGHEAD DEDMON

Working Waterfront

‘Beyond Acadia’ illuminates lesser-known beauty of Bold Coast

By Sarah Craighead Dedmon A young family passing through Machias stopped at a land trust office looking for local activities to fill their day. “They had a site at Cobscook Bay State Park for just one night, and they wanted to know what to do in the area,” said Rich… SEE MORE

Waterfront properties remain a strong sector of the real estate market.

Working Waterfront

Home sweet home: what’s happening this building season?

By Jacqueline Weaver Smaller homes, single floor living, separate guest houses for visiting children, and walls of windows that open to the outdoors are all current trends in building and renovation projects along the Maine coast, according to a number of contractors and banks. Danielle Betts, director of design and… SEE MORE

Business

Working Waterfront

National models for broadband impart lessons

By Kendra Jo Grindle In Clatskanie, a small rural town in northwestern Oregon, local organizers are piloting a new way to connect—“mesh” networks. Medina County, Ohio is implementing an open access fiber model to bring multiple, competitive internet service providers (ISPs) to residents county-wide. Multiple electric co-ops in Tennessee are… SEE MORE

At the April 17 open house at Brunswick Landing

Working Waterfront

Maine company deploys energy technology in Alaska

By William Hall//Photos by Michele Stapleton Power-generating technology piloted in Washington County will soon provide a commercial source of electricity in Alaska. The technology’s developer, ORPC Inc., unveiled its RivGen Power System April 17 at a ceremony in Brunswick, attended by Gov. Janet Mills and 150 others. ORPC will… SEE MORE