If all goes according to plan, the Cat ferry will be sailing between Yarmouth and Bar Harbour next season.
Bar Harbor’s town council voted unanimously to allow a contract to be signed between the town and Atlantic Fleet Services, the Bar Harbor-based agent for Bay Ferries Ltd.
In June, Bar Harbor voters overwhelmingly approved a $3.5 million purchase of a ferry terminal from the state of Maine.
At that time, Bay Ferries CEO Mark MacDonald told Acadia News that the company was prepared to invest $3 million to prepare the terminal for the Cat.
Nova Scotia’s Transportation Minister, Lloyd Hines says there is considerable tourist traffic into Bar Harbor and he hopes the province can tap into that.
“In particular, we’re got one of the most beautiful national parks in the country in Keji and Acadia National Forest is there on the other side. We’re hopeful that we might be able to have some linkages there that will drive some of the traffic.”
Hines says there was uncertainty around Portland and the government is encouraged by the move to Bar Harbor.
