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Contributing Institution
Maine State Library
Document Type
Image
Description
Augusta, Maine – Governor Paul LePage signed legislation today that removes red tape within State government, creates dozens of jobs and will enable a Maine company to establish better accessibility for their customers. The Governor joined Carla and Danny Lafayette owners of Lafayette Hotels, hotel chief operating officer Peter Daigle and hotel manager Katy Kelly as he signed LD 387, a "Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 305: Permit by Rule Standards, Section 16, Activities in Coastal Dunes, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Environmental Protection," Monday.
Lafayette Hotels is a Maine based, family-owned group of hotels located in Maine, New Hampshire, and Michigan. There are more than twenty Maine hotels and resorts. LD 387 will enable Lafayette Hotels to start a two-million dollar project that will add thirteen guest rooms and the installation of an elevator to their Wells Beach location – improvements to an already existing building that will not disturb any undeveloped beach or sand dune. In 2009, Lafayette Hotels was denied a permit because of a State statute regulating sand dunes.
Lafayette Hotels’ owner Danny Lafayette welcomes the passage of this legislation. “LD 387 is a victory for handicapped people and for older guests of our resort,” he said. Lafayette added, “Many of those guests have been staying in the same second floor room at Wells Beach for over fifty years. No longer will we have to carry them up the stairs in their wheelchairs or help them up the stairs with their oxygen tanks or luggage. Our guests will be able to ride an elevator to a modern, handicapped-accessible hotel room with wonderful views of the ocean.”
Assuming the town of Wells grants Lafayette the necessary permits for construction of the project, work will begin in the fall. “Our goal is to use all Maine-based businesses, banks and contractors to build the project,” said Lafayette. “We will borrow money from Bangor Savings Bank – a Maine Bank. We have hired David Lloyd of Archetype, a Portland architectural firm, to design the project. We plan to hire Maine surveyors, electricians, roofers, plumbers, carpenters, foundation companies and other contractors.”
“In order to have Maine prosper we must give job creators the tools to be successful,” said Governor LePage. “Today, we are allowing a business to become more accessible to the public and we are creating much needed jobs that will stimulate our local economy.”
“This legislative action makes us competitive with beaches like Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, Cape Cod in Massachusetts, beaches in Rhode Island, New York and even New Jersey,” Danny Lafayette said. “We are competing with those other states for the visitors’ dollars and attracting them to Maine brings significant amount economic activity and sales tax revenue to support our State.”
Exact Creation Date
5-9-2011
Language
English