Mount Desert Island Tomorrow

A 15 year Case Study of Involving Citizens in broad-based community development
By
Ronald E. Beard, Extension Professor
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Presented to the Annual Meeting of
Northeast Economic Developers Association
Bar Harbor, Maine
September 23, 2003

Economic development is among the issues that are networked in a community development process used by organizational leaders on Mount Desert Island to build citizen capacity to manage change. Mount Desert Island Tomorrow was first initiated in 1987 in response to citizen concerns that seasonal growth and development threatened the stability of the year-round community. In 2000, the process was re-vitalized to deal with persistent and new issues, and to tap into renewed citizen interest in the future of the island.

The earlier round used one-to-one interviews and neighborhood meetings to build involvement and to gather concerns and suggestions for constructive change. The current process has made use of email and a website to invite participation and keep diverse groups linked. In both processes, community newspapers were key allies.

Now, as in the initial process, non-profits have provided key leadership, choosing to highlight that MDI Tomorrow runs parallel to and is supportive of efforts by each of the four island towns to respond to issues and plan for the future. Citizens in the current process are directly involved through participation in one of eight issue or project areas, including one titled “Lets ‘start’ a December-May economy”. Where the earlier process officially “stopped” when a “preferred future” of the island was published along with a summary of current conditions and trends, the present effort has linked vision with implementation.

The MDI Tomorrow process continues to inspire and reach out to citizens, as noted in a recent editorial in the Mount Desert Islander:

“Because it has been so integrated into the fabric of Mount Desert Island, the ongoing MDI Tomorrow effort attracts little attention as something new or innovative. The fact is, however, that MDI Tomorrow is anything but commonplace. The coming together of people from all walks of life, from all social and economic backgrounds, from all island towns, to talk of shaping the future is an extraordinary achievement seldom seen in other communities.”

“Too often, citizens and officials, particularly at the local level, are pulled and tugged by the tide of events. In most cases, folks consider themselves lucky just to be able to react to adverse situations that arise here and now. Finding a chance to brainstorm and identify and address problems while they still are relatively small and manageable is rare.”

“But rising above a pattern of last-minute reactions to chronic problems and beginning a tradition of proactive, long-range planning is the best way to establish a firm foundation for the future. While MDI Tomorrow has focused much attention on the obvious issues of housing, transportation, land use, health and economic growth, it also has included a youth component. What could inspire more hope for the future?”

The underlying strength of the MDI Tomorrow process is that it has taught people how to engage with issues and with one another to create the future. This paper will outline the origins and accomplishments of the process and conclude with a status report and discussion of the current effort.

While Mount Desert Island figures into the early history of the continent, with artifacts of the Red Paint people going back 4000 years, and in European exploration and settlement in the 1600s, our story begins with the settlers of the mid to late 1700s, who came when Maine was still part of Massachusetts, to farm and fish and harvest timber.

A century later, after Maine became its own state in 1820, artists and naturalists made their way from New York, Philadelphia and Boston; the results of their excursions brought “rusticators” eager to board with farmers and escape the stifling summer heat of the cities. Farmers became entrepreneurs, with boarding houses growing into hotels, and the village of Bar Harbor soon eclipsed the original town of Eden, and became a resort to rival Newport in Rhode Island. Some who came had money to invest, and built summer homes. John D. Rockefeller settled in Seal Harbor and built carriage roads that are now a key asset of Acadia National Park. Among those early summer residents, a handful saw development threatening to overtake the island, and established Hancock County Trustees for Public Reservations to acquire scenic land, mountains and shorefront, which they later donated as a National Monument, which grew up into Acadia National Park in 1919.

The summer resorts and summer colony coexisted with new national park between World Wars I and II, while more middle class folks began to explore the continental US by car, shunning the hotels for simpler fare in park campgrounds, including those in Acadia. Following the end of the Second World War, a disastrous forest fire claimed 10,000 acres of park land, as well as hotels, year-round and summer homes. The traditional economy of fishing and farming was eroded somewhat by the rise of motels and commercial campgrounds in the 1950s and ‘60s, but boat builders could build pleasure craft as well as lobster boats and most thrived and lobster fishing proved more profitable and less risky than ground fishing.

Mount Desert Island, connected by bridge to the mainland since the 1920s, is home to Acadia National Park and four towns (Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Tremont and the Town of Mount Desert) with three other island communities, Cranberry Isles, Swans Island and Frenchboro connected via ferry service. Population in the winter months is around 11,000 people, but in the summer it doubles as seasonal residents return. On any given night there are probably another 10,000 people in hotels, rental units and campgrounds, for a total summer time population of 30-35,000 people.

Year round employment includes fishing, boatbuilding, construction trades, finance, healthcare (a 40 bed hospital and outpatient services, a nursing home and a retirement community) and scientific research (with over 1100 workers at the Jackson Laboratory, a highly regarded center for mammalian genetics research, breeding mice for research throughout the world and the MDI Biological Laboratory that uses dogfish shark and other marine organisms for its research into human health). Seasonal tourism boosts the economy from June to late October including hotels, bed and breakfasts, campgrounds, restaurants, gift shops, bike and kayak touring, whale watching, sightseeing cruises and other amenities. The shoulders, though thin in many areas, are spreading. Lobster is served year round.

A profile today reveals a world-class Abbe Museum of native arts and culture, bustling libraries in each island town, four grade schools and two alternative schools, a well-supported island-wide high school with winning athletic teams (mostly), prized music and drama and arts accomplishments, and over 80 vibrant non-profit organizations, from food pantries and a daycare center, to yacht clubs, a community YMCA and other recreational facilities, historical societies and summer arts programs.

With exception of a short tourism season in July and August, the island was slow to grow in the 1960s and 70s. However, a mixed economy emerged in the 1980s from a foundation in the traditional sectors of fishing and boatbuilding, the expansion of the Jackson Laboratory, and the establishment of College of the Atlantic in 1972, in part to stimulate the economy. This college offers a degree in human ecology to a student population of 250. The Coast Guard and National Park service brought federal dollars and a rise in retirees moving to the area brought pension dollars, all of which circulate in the local economy. New investments began to show up in the hotel and restaurant sector, and a slowly growing population supported a variety of cultural organizations year round. In the mid 1970s, the four towns and Acadia National Park formed the MDI League of Towns, to work on island-wide issues and joint projects like solid waste and joint purchasing. The park service, the University of Maine and College of the Atlantic began to contribute scientific research to natural resource management decisions.

A housing and hotel construction boom began in the mid 1980s, with marketing efforts bringing growing number of summer visitors. Some of these copied the trends from a century before—they liked what they experienced on vacation and began to build second homes, and eventually for use after retirement. Newspaper coverage of these trends in 1987 led to a public forum and to the original MDI Tomorrow process. The overarching issue of that era was the rapid pace and cumulative impacts of development. Town planning boards reviewed individual projects, but there was no ability to manage growth across the four main towns. People worried about summertime “carrying capacity” and its impact on the quality of life for residents and the experience for visitors. The process also raised other issues that included:

The key elements of community development process included a multi-sector planning group, interviews with key informants and the use of a matrix to assure participation by natives and newcomers, young and old, men and women, and representatives of all towns. We held facilitated neighborhood meetings to deepen our understanding of people’s views, commissioned an economic study and participated with the local newspaper in a Harris Poll. We created a sourcebook / workbook, and took it through several drafts with community input, which resulted in a published “preferred future” for Mount Desert Island, distributed as a supplement to Bar Harbor Times.

· There is a resident capacity to identify and solve problems and meet the needs of community members;

· The organizational structure of the community encourages participation of all its members;

· Community members have the means to build consensus and articulate a shared vision about a preferred future.

Shortly after publication of the “preferred future” of Mount Desert Island, a number of issues continued to bubble at the community level. Problems with town sewer outfalls, affordable housing and concerns about teenagers prompted the chair of the Bar Harbor Town Council and an emergency room nurse to approach key participants in MDI Tomorrow to suggest an island-wide conference.

As the group considered the suggestion, it answered a nagging problem with the original effort. There wasn’t any means of implementation or follow-through for the good ideas contained in the newspaper supplement. A planning group developed an invitation list and a format, whereby issues were profiled for discussion in key arenas: local government, education, health/social services, business and environment. Authors for the issue profiles were tapped to write a one-to-two page overview and presentation during the first section of the day-long conference, which was held in November, after the busy tourism season. Following presentation of issues, representatives from each arena were encouraged to group and discuss the issues and propose alternative solutions. A second full conference session served as a marketplace for working groups. Participants voted by going to caucus in working groups where they wanted to contribute time and resources. The only charge during the caucus was for each working group to name one or two conveners, and to name a time and place for an initial meeting. This information was then made available to all attendees as the conference ended, and to a mailing list of those who expressed interest but could not attend.

As in the economic marketplace, some of the working groups were successful and others faded. Following the first conference, a non-profit was established to provide temporary housing for high school students who had broken with their families. Another effort established a high school internship program with island employers. Others tackled less bounded issues such as affordable housing and expanding the shoulder-seasons for tourism related trade. Over the next decade, five such “Island Network Conferences” were held, framing issues and proposing alternative action that led to positive change.

Accomplishments and An Overview of Issues and opportunities for MDI Tomorrow 2002

During the summer of 2001, despite the positive impact of the Island Explorer bus system, several participants from the original MDI Tomorrow process observed that issues like congestion and affordable housing were back on the radar scope of many. They urged that we consider bringing people back together to see if it was time to take another look ahead. Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Cooperative Extension Service took the lead, and invited a cross-section of the island community to meet in mid October. About twenty-five attended and reflected on the following positive changes on MDI, many of which had ties to either the “preferred future” outlined in the MDI Tomorrow process, or the Island Network Conferences:

· Island Voices, a coalition of some 70 non-profits organized as a network to provide services to its members and articulate the scope and contributions of the not-for-profit sector;

· Acadia Homes for Students, providing support and linkages for teens needing housing in order to stay in high school;

· MDI Community Health Plan, a collaborative effort between health care providers (MDI Hospital and ancillary services) and employers (large and small) to promote health and provide alternatives to private health insurance;

· MDI High School Internships, providing placement for students in a variety of businesses and non-profits;

· Kids Corner, a child care center started and continued with support from local businesses, non-profits, parents and the town of Bar Harbor; and

· Island Explorer Bus Service, which used the public dialogue of MDI Tomorrow to help build the case for start-up support for the system.

The Island Explorer was developed through a multi-stakeholder planning process that included the Acadia National Park, Friends of Acadia, a non-profit dedicated to increasing public and private resources supporting the park mission, Downeast Transportation, a non-profit public bus system, the Maine Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the MDI League of Towns, and others. In 2001, 18 clean burning propane Explorer busses shuttled some 240,000 visitors between the islands four towns and sites within Acadia, eliminating the need for up to 50,000 automobile trips. Local taxpayers support operation of the bus system because residents use the busses, they reduce congestion, and they obviate the need for towns to build new parking spaces—visitors already have a parking space at their hotel, bed and breakfast or campground. Architects of the system were able to move quickly to implement it due in large part to the community consensus on the use of public funds for busses. “It made it easy to apply for planning and implementation grants because MDI Tomorrow had so clearly demonstrated the need and a vision,” said a local transportation planner[1].

Several other positive changes were noted that were “envisioned” in the 1991 MDI Tomorrow description of a preferred future, even though there is no direct implementation “linkage”:

· Expansion, renovation and rejuvenation of three island community recreational facilities: Harbor House, Neighborhood House and the MDI YMCA;

· Rebuilding the Jackson Laboratory after a 1989 fire, and the major expansions of both the Jackson Lab and the MDI Bio Lab with state funding for research and development;

· School upgrades and new programs at the High School, Tremont and Southwest Harbor, Bar Harbor and Mount Desert;

· Comprehensive planning activities in MDI towns that attempted to balance growth with community and environmental quality;

· Expansion of cultural opportunities and resources with the Abbe Museum, the MDI Historical Museum, and the George B. Dorr Natural History Museum;

· Federal and local investments to expand the capacity of sewage treatment plants in Bar Harbor, with ongoing work in other towns; and

· Expansion of the shoulder seasons, in the fall aided in part through cruise ships whose passengers add over $12 million to the local economy.

The group went on to suggest other changes and issues that emerged over the last decade:

· We live in an electronic, information-driven, technology-supported “world”, but it remains important to recognize the bedrock values of a healthy eco-system and vibrant community life;

· Families and children are facing increased pressures and risks to their health;

· Environmental issues such as air and water quality affect residents, businesses and visitors;

· Village centers are losing the goods and services necessary for a year-round economy; the lack of housing constrains employers; and

· Despite traffic congestion during summer months, more and more workers commute to mainland jobs, shop in mainland stores and send their children to mainland schools.

Participants in the initial2001 MDI Tomorrow meeting discussed who was missing from the discussion, and how issues of class and education divide people, especially in community processes. Notably absent from the meeting were those who may feel disenfranchised or have little choice in their lives. Some of those divisions were addressed in the original MDI Tomorrow process by using diversity among interviewees to define issues and weigh in on “preferred futures”. The group reminded itself to deal with these “divides” if we were to arrive at goals and outcomes that truly improve the quality of life for all MDI residents, such as the Island Explorer.

The group agreed to meet again to undertake the groundwork for a revitalized MDI Tomorrow. Additional sponsors were added: Friends of Acadia, College of the Atlantic, the Jackson Laboratory, Acadia National Park, the Healthy Acadia Coalition led by MDI Hospital, Maine Sea Coast Mission, and others. A revised mission statement was adopted”

To help citizens and communities of Mount Desert Island identify and build consensus about the future of the island and to work cooperatively to protect and improve the health of its families, communities, economy and environment.

Two of the stated for these new processes parallel ones from the earlier MDI Tomorrow effort, while three are based on lessons learned about implementation, evaluation and outreach:

1. A “user-friendly” report on the current “State of the Island” based on the 2000 Census and other data;

2. A vision of the preferred future of the island (based on citizen input, surveys, focus groups, neighborhood meetings, etc) stating what we want for the future and why we want it;

3. An implementation plan that outlines various strategies, project leadership and partners, with a commitment to follow through, with MDI Tomorrow possibly serving as a catalyst over the next decade;

4. An evaluation process that allows MDI Tomorrow and its partners to periodically check on and report to the community on progress based on indicators or benchmarks; and

5. An ongoing website, that might serve both as a location for useful information and a place for citizens, organizational and community leaders to exchange views and react to plans and proposals.

The group began gathering citizen views and involvement over the spring and summer of 2002 and distributed drafts of a “state of the island report” and a vision statement at an community conference in November. Two hundred residents and stakeholders participated in the conference. A majority of these attendees returned to a follow-up session in April of 2003 to enroll in project groups that framed an agenda in response to the “state of the Island” and vision statements. By that time, over 300 people were receiving regular updates on the process, as well as notices and notes from each project group meeting. Project groups are working on the following initiatives:

· Development of a “portable” presentation for each town that outlines how zoning ordinances are shaping land-use and housing decisions, perhaps in ways that are contrary to what people really want;

· A statistically valid community survey, comparable to the 1990 Harris Poll to seek public views on policy options to address key issues.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

In the spring of 2003, as part of a course on community development taught by the author at College of the Atlantic, students evaluated MDI Tomorrow against a series of factors known to generate successful community building.[2] They concluded that MDI Tomorrow demonstrated the following strengths:

· Communication to the general public, stakeholders, and citizen participants was effective through the use of partnerships with two local newspapers and a state-wide daily, an email list-serve reaching over 300 participants, community meetings and conferences, and issue and project groups that were open to everyone. All these activities lead to high community awareness of the effort;

· Broad vision/narrow focus allowed the group to involve many and empower them to be active in projects of most interest;

· Focus on process/product allowed progress on individual issues as well as expanded community capacity to deal with important issues;

· Motivation stemmed from community members, some of whom were also organizational leaders with high collaboration skills;

· Flexibility of process allowed the direction to change according to circumstance and opportunity;

· Understanding of local cultures meant that there were fewer conflicts between the process and the way things were done; and

· Professionalism kept the process from getting mired in pettiness and personalities.

· Widespread participation, while a goal, has not been achieved, in part, because few working people can participate in day-time meetings;

· Community building skills training is needed to create leadership and community capacity for the future; and

· Lack of perceived benefit to some residents may get in the way of participation.

There is enthusiasm among the participants for this process, even though it takes two years to frame the issues and gain shared visions for the future. Those who participated in 1987 to 1991 effort recall the satisfaction in seeing the results of a successful community-wide process. Those who are new to the island are attracted to the process by their desire to connect to the island as a whole community. Both seem to operate out of a sense that the future is important and that by acting together we can influence that future.

But challenges remain. As we look around the table we see familiar faces and miss others in the business community, in local government and those who have less economic status or formal education. MDI is becoming slightly more diverse, with three primary groups to bring together: natives, long-term residents who are none-the-less still “from away” and a fresh crop of newcomers (who are generally well to do, well educated and have time and experience to invest). The first two groups have shared appreciation for the way things get done on MDI, if not always for each other; but the third group has less patience and is suspected by the first two groups. And, as always, we will need to invent or discover ways to attend to the views of all members of the community. Class, income and educational differences create barriers that are difficult to overcome.

Community issues, including the search for balanced economic development, are more complex, which make it all the more important to work at the systems level for solutions. Difficult issues like health care coverage and affordable housing stem from our devotion to capitalism and voters unease with the notion that health and housing should be basic human rights, subsidized in some way. Other issues, like development sprawl require dialogue over public and private rights. And what about “carrying capacity”? If residents find consensus that water supply, sewage, roads and parking (to say nothing of the “experience” of living near or visiting Maine’s classic resort and Acadia National Park) are overtaxed by too many people in the height of summer, will they find tools to limit development of new hotel rooms and all the attendant services? Will expansion of tourism into the shoulder seasons bring benefits or add to stresses?

At the heart of the process is our attempt to link the many components of a vibrant, healthy year-round community, so that success in one arena will encourage success in another. Everyone acknowledges that housing is key to both development of the community and development of the economy. Jackson Laboratory, the largest employer on the island, wishes to expand, and knows that it cannot do so without addressing the housing needs of at least some of its research and production staff. The Hinkley boatyard acknowledges that many of its employees commute one way for up to an hour. The largest locally owned bank located a new customer service center in Ellsworth in recognition that it would draw employees mostly from “off island”. And a local building contractor fears that, unless the island secures and keeps affordable some 500 housing units, the island towns will, over time, lose their ability to fill the variety of public and non-profit volunteer roles in schools libraries, fire departments and church committees. As the number of retirees without roots in the communities grows, and the school populations shrink, will town meetings continue to support local education? What will community life be like without celebration of its youngest residents as they make their way through school, and participate in athletic competition and development of the arts?

We hope that the advent of email, interactive use of the World Wide Web and advanced Geographic Information Systems will allow us to be both more responsive and more proactive as we continue the current round of community building and futuring. But we know that a pot-luck dessert and discussion is the way to connect with people’s hearts and minds. And we know that connection in the aisles of local supermarkets and “letters to the editor” are part of the glue that assures neighbor will help neighbor when help is needed. We count on success in the last round of MDI Tomorrow to dissuade some of the naysayers and perhaps make it easier to attract partners and funding for projects. And we remain inspired by the connection to place that so easily translates into action on the part of hundreds of our fellow citizens, young and old, native and newcomer. In the end, we know we are teaching people how to engage with one another to resolve issues critical to the future of vibrant, healthy and year-round communities that people say they want.

¹See the website for Island Explorer Bus system, http://www.exploreacadia.com/index.html [1] For more information.

[2] See Community Building, Amherst Wilder Foundation, , 1997. (ISBN 0-940069-12-1)