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Two Maine banks chip in on MDI Hospital’s campus improvement project

An illustration shows a brick building with a canopy entrance. Rendering / Courtesy SMRT, MDI Hospital The entrance will face Main Street for the first time.
By Laurie Schreiber

Mount Desert Island Hospital’s campus improvement project got a boost with major donations from two Maine banks.

First National Bank donated $250,000 and the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation contributed $100,000.

The investments will help fund improvements to the hospital’s main campus in Bar Harbor.

The overall project cost is $41.3 million. It will be paid for with federal funds; philanthropic donations from individuals, foundations and businesses; internal board-designated funding; and lines of credit. 

Bangor Savings is the largest Maine-based bank, while Damariscotta-based First National ranks No. 5, according to the 2025 Mainebiz Book of Lists, which based the ranking on assets as of June 30, 2024.

Sound study

The project is underway and includes an expanded, climate-resilient emergency department, main entrance, and ambulance bay, upgrades to emergency and surgical services, expanded access to specialty care and enhancements to patient comfort and privacy. 

Landry/French Construction, of Scarborough, is managing the upgrade. The architect is SMRT Architects and Engineers, of Portland.

Over the past couple of months, construction has necessitated relocation of physical and occupational therapy services and the hospital’s welcome sign as traffic patterns evolve. 

Access for ambulance and pedestrian drop-offs at the emergency department has shifted, and work on a new ambulance entrance has started.

A large indoor space has ramps and stairs.
Rendering / Courtesy SMRT, MDI Hospital
The emergency department will triple its footprint.

“A sound study is in progress as a result of the hum/ringing sound that many of you have noted,” the hospital’s construction update page says. “If you notice any changes — better or worse — please share your feedback so we can assess the impact of construction noise.”

The hospital is located down a side street in a residential neighborhood that’s just behind the Main Street commercial downtown area.

This month, constructions crews are working on improving drainage in the area and completed a new parking lot.

It’s expected that the 42,600-square-foot expansion and modernization of main entrance, emergency department and surgical suites will be completed in 2028.

Critical access 

The emergency department portion equals 10,524 square feet, tripling its footprint.

MD Hospital serves a year-round population of some 5,500 plus a seasonal spike of summer residents and Acadia National Park visitors. The last major renovation to its emergency department took place more than 20 years ago; the surgical suites haven’t changed in 30 years.

People pose in a line with an oversize check.
Photo / Courtesy MDI Hospital
Fourth from left, MDI Hospital president and CEO Christina Maguire accepts a donation from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation.

As a critical access hospital and safety-net health care provider, the hospital logs more than 70,000 visits across the year-round and visitor constituencies annually.

A newly aligned main entrance, facing Bar Harbor’s Main Street for the first time in the hospital’s history, will increase access and visibility to the campus. 

Three people pose in a line with an oversize check.
Photo / Courtesy MDI Hospital
From let, First National Bank president and CEO Tony McKim presents a donation to Maguire.

 

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