Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens plots multimillion-dollar expansion
Courtesy / William Cullina, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 2015 Gardens Aglow exhibit.
The Boothbay-based Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has unveiled the goals of a 20-year master plan that includes the construction of a new 22,000-square-foot glass conservatory, expanded gardens and year-round visitation.
The Bangor Daily News reports that the ambitious multimillion-dollar expansion, which will be paid primarily through a capital campaign and private contributions, is needed to accommodate the thousands of visitors who go to the garden each year.
In December the nonprofit set an all-time attendance record of 36,000 people visiting its “Gardens Aglow” exhibit at the botanical gardens, almost exceeding what had originally been intended for its yearly attendance capacity.
“The last thing we want to do is lock the gates and say, ‘Come back later, we’re full,’” Executive Director William Cullina told the BDN.
The success of the winter season came in part from its “Gardens Aglow” display, which proved to the organization that not even the harsh Maine winter would stop visitors from flocking to the gardens, a catalyst for the introduction of year-round visitation.
The expanded visitation calendar will also double the number of jobs at the nonprofit, which currently employs 42 year-round and 50 seasonal employees, according to the BDN.
In addition to year-round visitation and the addition of new jobs, the master plan also hopes to establish a new trail system in addition to new horticulture and research facilities that will develop plants able to grow in Maine.
Cullina told the BDN that a recent study estimated that the direct and indirect economic impact of the botanical gardens is $26 million annually — a number that would increase to $75 million each year by the completion of the capital plan.
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