How Governor Mills and the American Rescue Plan Will Help Maine State Parks

Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry sent this bulletin at 05/04/2021 04:00 PM EDT

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Maine State Parks

Good afternoon

Today, Governor Mills unveiled the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, her Administration's proposal to invest more than $1 billion in discretionary Federal relief funds allocated to Maine under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

We are pleased to share the good news that the Maine State Parks are included in the Governor's Plan.

The proposed ARPA funding, $50 million, will allow us to begin tackling a significant backlog of maintenance projects immediately.

Project examples include:

  • Decades-old roads and water lines needing resurfacing and repair
  • State Park offices and staff housing requiring renovation
  • Historic sites needing structural support
  • Bathrooms and bathhouses needing replacement and upgrading
  • Campsites and trails needing updating to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Significant upgrades, including the expansion of electric hook-ups at campgrounds and increasing the energy efficiency of our buildings

It has been more than a decade since significant funds were directed to State Park infrastructure. Getting these projects done means that everyone can safely enjoy our parks for years to come.

We will stay in touch as we always do with regular BPL and Maine State Park updates. We plan to include maintenance progress reports in future communications!

As always, we welcome your ideas or suggestions on improving the State Park Experience. You will find park-specific and bureau contact information on our website, www.parksandlands.com.  

Thank you,

Amanda Beal
DACF Commissioner

Andy Cutko
BPL Director

ARP PDF

Upgrade Maine State Parks: $50M
Maine’s State Parks had more than three million visits for the first time in 2020, and through March of 2021, the pace of campground reservations was already 63 percent higher than last year. While this increase shows the recreational and economic importance of State Parks for Maine, it is also straining park staff and infrastructure. Despite the appeal of State Parks, park infrastructure is outdated, lacking funding to be properly maintained, and in some cases, unsafe. (Read More)