Acadia contract dispute could delay opening
Federal officials have expressed concern that gift shops and restaurants inside of Acadia National Park may open behind schedule if a dispute over the contract award process is not resolved in the coming month.
The Bangor Daily News reported that oral arguments in the contract award appeal from longstanding Acadia concessioner Acadia Corp. are scheduled for Feb. 14. The appeal filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., contests the National Park Service’s award of the concessions contract to the New Mexico-based Ortega National Parks LLC subsidiary Dawnland. Both contractors said they are currently placing job advertisements in preparation for the upcoming season, amid uncertainty about whether they will actually manage the park’s concessions.
The paper reported park officials told members of the park’s advisory commission Monday that the National Park Service has not yet signed a final contract for management of concessions at the park. The paper reported Shane Ortega of Dawnland LLC wrote in an email that the delay also pushes back the eventual concessioner’s building of inventory for the upcoming season, which he said would typically begin this month. David Woodside, president of Acadia Corp., told the advisory group that if the dispute was not resolved by this summer that his company would be able to operate the gift shops and restaurants.
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