Just imagine … congestion-free Bar Harbor

Imagine less traffic congestion in downtown Bar Harbor during peak tourist season because an enormous parking lot on Route 3 before Hulls Cove allows visitors to park and ride the Island Explorer into town. Imagine a visitor center at the same location directing motor homes and other large recreational vehicles away from downtown to campgrounds back down Route 3. Imagine 100 affordable rental units for seasonal workers there also, freeing up the Bar Harbor housing market for year-round families. Imagine winning the Powerball Lottery.

Too good to be true? No! All of these dreams can become reality (although I’m not entirely sure about the lottery).

In May, the Town Council of Bar Harbor endorsed a prospective purchase of the Log Cabin restaurant on Route 3, hoping to convert the 8.9-acre property into a multi-use site as a visitor center, a satellite park-and-ride lot, housing for seasonal workers, and a water storage and pumping facility. The final deal, which may cost up to $2 million, requires participation by the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce and the Bar Harbor Housing Authority. On Aug. 12, chamber members will vote on buying the portion of the land with the restaurant and renovating the building into a visitor center. If chamber action is favorable, then the council will consider moving forward to seek voter approval at a town meeting in the fall.

At the same time, the town’s planning staff, assisted by the chamber, is applying for a National Scenic Byways Program grant to help pay for the purchase of and improvements to the restaurant building. The exact price of the project awaits an expert’s appraisal of the property, which will help determine how the land would be divided and used.

The chamber will fund its share of the purchase by marketing space in the visitor center in the same manner that the state of Maine rents kiosks and display areas in its information centers. The new facility will be much more visible and accessible to visitors than the current downtown location on Harbor Place, which will remain open as well.

Further, the center will have a professionally designed and engineered driveway that will allow large RVs to be turned around to go back to campgrounds on Route 3 and elsewhere on MDI.

The Log Cabin property also will provide hundreds of off-site spots that workers and visitors can use to park their vehicles for the long or short term. With easy access to the Island Explorer at the new center, much of the traffic congestion in downtown Bar Harbor should be relieved.

This project is a long-overdue goal of the town and chamber’s comprehensive strategy to meet the needs of tourists and residents alike. Tourism is one of the economic foundations of our community. The proposed information center will facilitate holiday and vacation visits to our area. Moreover, the Housing Authority may be able to create as many as 100 affordable rental units for the seasonal workers who staff local hotels, restaurants and other businesses. As a result, the downtown Bar Harbor housing market will be more available to year-round residents.

Bar Harbor is a gateway community to Acadia National Park, attracting more than three million visitors annually to our town with its 4,500 year-round population. We presently have no viable visitor center building to service the diverse needs of tourists. The proposed facility will be safe and easily accessible, providing free information on the byway’s scenic resources and cultural and historic sites, as well as recreation and lodging opportunities. The center also will help educate visitors on the importance of protecting and preserving the area’s natural treasures.

Yet time is of the essence. This is a real estate opportunity that is unlikely to be available again. I urge chamber members and town residents alike to aid this undertaking to promote our local economy while improving parking, housing and the use of alternative transportation on the island. Please deliver your letters of support for the project to Clare Bingham at the chamber, 93 Cottage St, Bar Harbor, by no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8. She will personally deliver the grant application to David Cole of the Maine Department of Transportation next Monday. Indeed, many thanks to Clare for working 24/7 writing the proposal.

There are too many other people to name and thank for making this all possible, but you know who you are. Finally, everyone should be very grateful to the Friends of Acadia for developing this wonderful idea.

Just imagine.

Patty Rae Stanley owns and operates Mount Desert Narrows Camping Resort in Bar Harbor, Narrows Too Camping Resort in Trenton and Patten Pond Camping Resort in Ellsworth.