Plus, recent advisories and press releases.

Carrie Jones

May 19, 2026

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Paradis Ace Hardware.

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BAR HARBOR—The lead consultant for the Bar Harbor Sustainable Tourism Management Task Force has taken an interim CEO position for a Canadian museum and is stepping back from her role, her colleague at J.E. Austin Associates told the town’s task force members, May 13.

Michele McKenzie will, however, still be involved as an advisor, Ben Nussbaumer, the director of strategy and competitiveness, will take lead on the project.

It will be a one-year engagement at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 for McKenzie and because of that she is going to have a reduced role going on the project.

The 13-member town task force, appointed by the Town Council, is meant to create a vision of what sustainable tourism means for Bar Harbor in the hopes of helping the town to get that vision while also working with other town tools such as its comprehensive plan.

When it comes to managing tourism growth, McKenzie has previously spoken to current systems in place in Bar Harbor such as cruise ship restriction, the short-term-rental cap for properties not the primary residence of their owners, Acadia National Park’s reservation system on Cadillac Mountain, Island Explorer, and the Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton.

Pain points, she’s said, include congestion during certain months and residential access to parking as well as resident exhaustion at the end of the season.

“Residents are happy to get their town back. That’s an expression we heard,” she told the task force.

McKenzie and Nussbaumer, who are based in Canada, often speak to the task force members via Zoom, but have visited the town and held interviews and group discussions.

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LINK TO LEARN MORE

To watch the meeting.

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RECENT PRESS RELEASES AND BRIEFS

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