Acadia National Park was only able to fill about two-thirds of its seasonal summer jobs this year, as park officials say housing and labor shortages continue to pose challenges.
Acadia Superintendent Kevin Schneider says the park filled just 115 out of 175 seasonal jobs this summer. He told the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission on Monday that in addition to a shortage of worker housing, the labor market is very tight.
"We saw a much more difficult time recruiting for positions, particularly in the trades," Schneider said. "So our trail crew, heavy equipment operators, people required to have commercial driver's licenses, for example, that are operating equipment."
Schneider says the park operated without lifeguards for the second year in a row, and had just begun advertising for some seasonal positions for next summer.
Also on Monday, Friends of Acadia announced that it has purchased a four-acre parcel in Seal Harbor on which to build housing for seasonal park employees. The group say it bought the land at a discount from a corporation governed by the Rockefeller family.
