ELLSWORTH — The town of Brunswick has selected award-winning Atlantic Landscape Construction of Ellsworth to be the general contractor for the town’s new Veterans Plaza. Construction will commence after a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Aug. 17, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 31. Specialty concrete work will be carried out by Day’s Concrete …
ELLSWORTH — Weddings are big business in Maine, generating $206 million in direct spending and nearly five times that much in other economic activity, according to a University of Southern Maine study commissioned by two business owners and published last year. But a physically distant wedding is not only tough to pull off when your …
BAR HARBOR — This isn’t what a Vacationland Memorial Day weekend is supposed to look like. For folks in Downeast Maine, the final weekend in May kicks off the summer season. The warmer weather of the late spring arrives as towns throw parades to honor those who served their country and tourists and summer residents …
ELLSWORTH — Days ahead of its return to dine-in services, the inside of Sylvia’s Café looked a bit different. Late Monday morning, owners Taylor and Codie Montigny were busy putting the finishing touches on their Mill Mall restaurant. Between tables carefully spaced at least 6 feet apart, a large curtain hung to separate employees from …
ELLSWORTH — Can Maine’s businesses, particularly those that cater to tourists, bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to stop the virus’s spread? For some, the answer is barely or maybe not at all, according to a survey of 1,467 businesses by the Maine Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Of those surveyed in …
ELLSWORTH — Some restaurants and retail stores in Hancock County will be allowed to open several weeks earlier than expected, starting this Monday, said Governor Janet Mills at a press briefing on Friday. With precautions such as physical distancing and enhanced cleaning, retail stores will be able to open on Monday, May 11, in counties …
ELLSWORTH — Like many organizations, the Down East Family YMCA has had a challenging spring due to the novel coronavirus. Fortunately for one of Hancock County’s largest institutions, a restart is on the horizon. After the unveiling of Governor Janet Mills’ reopening plan last Tuesday, the YMCA is set to resume operations June 1. It …
ELLSWORTH — The state-issued checklist for reopening salons and barbershops amid the COVID-19 pandemic is long, but not as lengthy as the list of men awaiting haircuts at High Street Barber Shop last Friday. “Am I the only one open?” barber Stacey Warren asked as she trimmed a client’s hair and greeted others as they …
ELLSWORTH — It’s not every couple who can work together harmoniously in a newspaper’s fast-paced production building when the printing press is rolling. Like a well-oiled machine, the tiny crew numbering a dozen handles, assembles and straps thousands of copies of the weekly issue in a matter of 2.5 hours while delivery vehicles wait outside. …
BUCKSPORT — Local groups have collaborated on a program to help lift up the community and its businesses as they struggle with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new fund, established with support from Main Street Bucksport, the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and Bucksport Heart & Soul, is called Bucks’ Bucks. The …
ELLSWORTH — As a new week began, Tony McKim and other bank employees found one of the biggest hours of the year upon them. Three days after Congress passed a bill providing $320 billion in added funding to the Paycheck Protection Program, American banks were eligible to process a new round of loans. The moment …
BLUE HILL — The Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has closed its office on South Street but has a plan to reach visitors and provide more direct support to members going forward. COVID-19 hastened the office’s closure, but the plan had been in the works for a while, said Chrissy Allen, chamber board president. …
