CAMDEN, Maine (AP) — Maine is planning a $50 million campaign to make improvements to its state parks.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said the investment is happening as the state’s 48 state parks and historic sites have experienced record attendance. Mills and other officials announced the improvement campaign on Wednesday at Camden Hills State Park in Camden.
Mills’ office said the campaign will include infrastructure improvements that allow the parks to accommodate the increased attendance. More than 3.3 million people visited the parks in 2021.
Mills said the state park improvements are part of the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan. The plan is designed to use hundreds of millions in federal American Rescue Plan money for economic recovery projects in Maine.
Mills said the parks have suffered from years of deferred maintenance. The improvement campaign will allow the state to “undertake the important and long-neglected work of rebuilding our parks as part of our effort to improve the experience they offer and to secure their place as vital economic engines in communities across Maine.”
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