Credit where it’s due

In her piece on a congestion-free Bar Harbor (BDN op-ed, Aug. 5), Patty Rae Stanley generously credits Friends of Acadia for “developing this wonderful idea” of a combined parking area and Island Explorer bus stop for travelers to Mount Desert Island.

We are grateful for the acknowledgment, but want to make sure people know the idea has several parents, including Friends’ transit partners Acadia National Park, the Maine Department of Transportation, Downeast Transportation, and the MDI League of Towns. These entities have been planning a transit hub, but not on MDI. Rather, we are interested in establishing one on the mainland to intercept day travelers and give them the option to board the Island Explorer to visit MDI and Acadia.

The concept of a facility on MDI of the kind Stanley describes should be credited primarily to the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Bar Harbor and the MDI Housing Authority. The project would complement the larger off-island hub, which is many years away.

Ken Olson

President

Friends of Acadia

Bar Harbor