Tag: mdi ywca

Planning Board Approves YWCA'S Hamilton Station 18 Studio Apartments On Their Way Carrie Jones Nov 29, 2024 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Side Street Cafe’s New Year’s Eve Party. BAR HARBOR—It’s a go! The YWCA of MDI’s Hamilton Station project was unanimously considered complete the day before Thanksgiving. It was also considered compliant with the town’s standards. “I think it’s a wonderful project,” Planning Board Vice Chair Ruth Eveland said. “The YWCA has done a phenomenal job in pulling this together.” The approval was met with applause from those attending. Planning Board Chair Millard Dority recused himself because he is helping the YWCA of MDI with the project. The plan for the site off Route 3 calls for 18 one-bedroom (studio) apartments. It has access off Route 3 and calls for dividing a 26.8-acre parcel into two lots. In an email to YWCA supporters on Wednesday, Jackie Davidson, the YWCA’s executive director, said she was “very happy.” The work is meant to begin six months from all conditions of approval being met and be substantially complete 18 months after that. Extensions can be granted. The YWCA hopes to raise $250,000 from 10 donors with gifts of $25,000 each to support the project. According to a Mount Desert Islander article, three donors have come forth with that level donation. “It’s a great project with a lot of hard work from a lot of people to come to this point,” Greg Johnston of G.F. Johnston & Associates said. There was no public comment about the project, which had been inspired by a housing summit organized by the Musson Group, a YWCA representative said Wednesday. “We knew what we wanted to do,” Jackie Davidson, the YWCA’s executive director said at the planning board meeting. What they wanted to do was help increase housing on Mount Desert Island. The YWCA’s Hamilton Station steering committee worked with a team of professionals for months on formulating a plan to meet the overwhelming need for year-round rental housing on Mount Desert Island. “We want to do this right,” said Steering Committee Chair Allie Bodge last June. “One of the most important things to the YW is that an array of community members’ needs are met. Our dream is that the renters have a great sense of neighborhood with community gardens and walking trails that will also be open to the public.” The YWCA of MDI purchased the property in 2023 after looking for an opportunity to be a part of the solution to what many believe to be one of the biggest problems and challenges facing the island: finding homes. “We started thinking small,” said YWCA Board President Ann Worrick. “Originally, we were thinking of purchasing an existing two to three unit building and making it available to year-round people who did not qualify for subsidized housing but who did not earn enough to purchase a home in the escalating market. This group is referred to as the ‘missing middle’ in housing discussions. Suddenly, we had the opportunity to make a much larger and impactful statement with the purchase of Hamilton Station and the Board embraced it and all agreed it was time.” “I have been so impressed by how quickly and well this has come together,” said Planning Board member Teresa Wagner. Conditions of approval included merging a small lot into another lot and a fire marshal approval letter is received. It also requires that the plat shows the easement location for cemetery access and is found acceptable to the Department of Public Works; that a capacity letter from the Public Works Department has been received and all conditions, if any, are met; the Maine Historic Preservation Commission has cleared the project; that the central Subsurface Sewage Disposal design was approved from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services; and a Maine DEP stormwater permit and Maine Drinking Water Program was approved. According to the motion, the “planning board approves the request of modification of standards, allowing for one entrance instead of two as required in section 125-67G(2)(h) because ‘high traffic counts of Route 3 limit the number of allowed entrances onto Route 3 to minimize conflicts with traffic. Two entrances for this development would create unsafe vehicle patterns. For emergency access, a second access does exist on the westerly parcel,’ as it is necessary to address particular site characteristics and it does not have the effect of nullifying the purpose.” LINKS TO LEARN MORE To see the packet To watch From Crisis to Collaboration: From Crisis to Collaboration: Carrie Jones and Shaun Farrar · March 21, 2023 Read full story Getting Closer to Homes at Hamilton Station and JAX Expansion Will Create 95 Jobs Getting Closer to Homes at Hamilton Station and JAX Expansion Will Create 95 Jobs Carrie Jones · Aug 11 Read full story https://www.barharbormaine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/157/zoning_current Bar Harbor Story is mostly a self-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thank you for being here with us and caring about our community, too! Subscribed Thanks for reading Bar Harbor Story ! This post is public so feel free to share it. 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Planning Board Approves YWCA’S Hamilton Station

18 Studio Apartments On Their Way Carrie Jones Nov 29, 2024 Share The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Side Street Cafe’s New Year’s Eve Party. BAR HARBOR—It’s a go! The YWCA of MDI’s Hamilton Station project was unanimously considered complete the day before Thanksgiving. It was also considered compliant with the town’s standards. “I think it’s a wonderful project,” Planning Board Vice Chair Ruth … Continue reading Planning Board Approves YWCA’S Hamilton Station

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BAR HARBOR—Though the headlines and talk in Bar Harbor last week focused primarily on cruise ships limits, the Planning Board dealt with some major projects at its Wednesday meeting including the YWCA MDI’s project to bring homes to Bar Harbor and a Jackson Laboratory expansion that will create more positions.
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Getting Closer to Homes at Hamilton Station and JAX Expansion Will Create 95 Jobs

Bar Harbor Planning Board news CARRIE JONES AUG 11, 2024 Share BAR HARBOR—Though the headlines and talk in Bar Harbor last week focused primarily on cruise ships limits, the Planning Board dealt with some major projects at its Wednesday meeting including the YWCA MDI’s project to bring homes to Bar Harbor and a Jackson Laboratory expansion that will create more positions. JACKSON LABORATORY The Jackson … Continue reading Getting Closer to Homes at Hamilton Station and JAX Expansion Will Create 95 Jobs

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Events

Illuminating Love

The YWCA’s 23rd Annual Carol Dyer Memorial Luminaria Evening CARRIE JONES AUG 02, 2024 Share The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Window Panes Home and Garden. BAR HARBOR—On a Saturday night in August, 2023, as the sun’s light faded and the moon rose, volunteers organized by the MDI YWCA walked through the paths on the Village Green, backs bent, lighters in hand, illuminating one … Continue reading Illuminating Love

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No More Hiding in Bathrooms

Thirteen Year Old Tells How She’s Impacted By Gun Violence CARRIE JONES JUN 01, 2024 Share BAR HARBOR—Now thirteen years old, Bar Harbor’s Frances Stockman said that she has been taught from a very young age that someone with a gun could potentially come into her school and use that gun on her, her classmates, or their teachers and staff. “In first grade I was … Continue reading No More Hiding in Bathrooms

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MDI YMCA Hopes To Expand

School system gets $35k grant, Bar Harbor Candidates’ Forum, YWCA Hamilton Station, and briefs from multiple towns and nonprofits APR 30, 2024 Share MDI Y APPLIES FOR CDS FUNDING TO HELP FURTHER COMMUNITY IMPACT The Y hopes to use the funds to construct a new Community Youth Development Wing BAR HARBOR—The Mount Desert Island YMCA has applied again this year through Senator King and Collins’ … Continue reading MDI YMCA Hopes To Expand

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acadia national park

Spring 2024 Prescribed Burns Planned for Acadia National Park, Real Estate Transfers, Court Cases

BRIEFS: YWCA AWARDED USA RACIAL JUSTICE GRANT, MDI YMCA SETS KIDS UP FOR A HEALTHY START TO THE SUMMER AT HEALTHY KIDS DAY, LAMOINE EARTH DAY PLAY IS AT 2 PM SUNDAY, NURSING STAFF RATIO DOES NOT PASS CARRIE JONES APR 19, 2024 Share The National Park Service (NPS) is planning to conduct prescribed fire burning in Acadia National Park before May 10, provided weather … Continue reading Spring 2024 Prescribed Burns Planned for Acadia National Park, Real Estate Transfers, Court Cases

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Events

BRIEFS: CARRIAGE ROADS CLOSED, NOMINATION PAPERS AVAILABLE FOR BAR HARBOR COUNCIL, SCHOOL BOARDS AND WARRANT COMMITTEE

Library has two upcoming events! SHAUN FARRAR MAR 8, 2024 Share Carriage Roads in Acadia National Park close for spring thaw BAR HARBOR—Starting Friday, March 8, the National Park Service (NPS) is temporarily closing the carriage roads in Acadia National Park to prevent damage to them during the spring thaw. Carriage roads will be closed to all users until further notice. Warming weather and wet … Continue reading BRIEFS: CARRIAGE ROADS CLOSED, NOMINATION PAPERS AVAILABLE FOR BAR HARBOR COUNCIL, SCHOOL BOARDS AND WARRANT COMMITTEE

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Events

Giving Joy One Rose At A Time

YWCA Celebrates International Women’s Day BAR HARBOR—Jackie Davidson’s days are devoted to promoting the MDI YWCA’s mission of “eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.” But some of the ways that she gets to do that are a little more joyous than others. The rose sale for International Women’s Day is one of those more joyous ways. “First, it … Continue reading Giving Joy One Rose At A Time

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