{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/collins-king-press-national-park-service-on-decision-to-end-relationship-with-local-acadia-concessions-company", "Collins, King Press National Park Service on Decision to End Relationship with Local Acadia Concessions Company", "2013-11-07", "2013", "2013-11", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Collins, King Press National Park Service on Decision to End Relationship with Local Acadia Concessions Company\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, November 7, 2013\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In a letter today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King pressed the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) to provide answers concerning NPS\u2019s recent decision to select a new, out-of-state concessioner at Acadia National Park.\u00a0Maine-based The Acadia Corporation (Acadia Corp.) has for the past 80 years provided concessions within the park.\r\n\u201cWe are writing regarding the announcement by the National Park Service (\u2018NPS\u2019) that a new concessioner has been selected at Acadia National Park (\u2018Acadia\u2019 or \u2018ANP\u2019) and to bring to your attention what we believe are serious flaws in the process as well as the outpouring of opposition we have heard from hundreds of constituents in Maine in response to the selection,\u201d Senators Collins and King wrote. \u201cSerious questions have been raised about the review process and the criteria used by NPS in making the decision, which led to the selection of an out-of-state concessioner.\u00a0 As you review the selection decision by the regional office, we request that you fully evaluate the many serious concerns that have been raised about the selection process.\u201d\r\nSpecifically, Senators Collins and King expressed serious concern with the process undertaken by NPS to arrive at the decision to end the contract with Acadia Corp., and asked that an independent review be conducted to reevaluate the selection process. Additionally, the Senators requested that NPS provide answers to the following questions:\r\n \r\nWhy was Acadia Corp.\u2019s long-standing and exemplary experience as a concessionaire at Acadia not considered?\r\nWhy was the perspective of a technical advisor from Acadia National Park not considered by the panel during the five-day selection process?\u00a0\r\nHow will NPS re-evaluate the selection process to ensure fairness and transparency?\r\n \r\n\u201cWe are deeply troubled by the process that the NPS employed in considering applications for concession operations at Acadia. Although we fully support a competitive selection process and believe that no concessionaire should be considered immune from replacement, we also believe that long, faithful, and excellent service should be given the full weight that fundamental fairness and common sense warrant and that the law requires,\u201d the Senators wrote.\r\nThe full text of the letter is below:\r\n+++\r\nNovember 7, 2013\r\nThe Honorable John Jarvis\r\nDirector\r\nNational Park Service\r\nWashington, D.C.\u00a0 20240\r\n\r\nDear Director Jarvis:\r\nWe are writing regarding the announcement by the National Park Service (\u201cNPS\u201d) that a new concessioner has been selected at Acadia National Park (\u201cAcadia\u201d or \u201cANP\u201d) and to bring to your attention what we believe are serious flaws in the process as well as the outpouring of opposition we have heard from hundreds of constituents in Maine in response to the selection.\u00a0 Serious questions have been raised about the review process and the criteria used by NPS in making the decision, which led to the selection of an out-of-state concessioner.\u00a0 As you review the selection decision by the regional office, we request that you fully evaluate the many serious concerns that have been raised about the selection process, which we have outlined below. \u00a0 \u00a0\r\nThe current concessioner, The Acadia Corporation, began providing concessions at ANP in 1933.\u00a0 Acadia Corp. currently operates the Jordan Pond House Restaurant and retail store, and retail services at the top of Cadillac Mountain and at Thunder Hole and has a working relationship with NPS that has been remarkable in all respects.\u00a0 Over the years, NPS employees and administrators have worked closely with Acadia Corp. to serve the Park\u2019s objectives and to ensure that all visitors are well served.\u00a0 To our knowledge, this relationship has been a model of harmony and cooperation.\r\nPursuant to the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998, it is our understanding that the NPS sought bids to provide concession services at Acadia in July 2012 and that Acadia Corp. participated in this process.\u00a0\u00a0 On September 23, 2013, the NPS announced that it had selected another applicant and that, in all likelihood, Acadia Corp. would lose its contract with ANP. \u00a0\u00a0\r\nWe have reviewed the concerns raised by our constituents and stakeholders in Maine about the selection, which has led to questions about both the process employed and the decision reached by the NPS.\r\nFirst, we are concerned that Acadia Corp., with its long, unbroken experience with Acadia and the NPS\u2014a relationship stretching back 80 years\u2014would have lost this competition to an out-of-state applicant with, as far as we can determine, no ties to the park, the region, or even the state of Maine.\u00a0 We are equally concerned that Acadia Corp. lost this selection without any prior suggestion that the company had provided anything less than superlative and valuable services to Acadia and to the NPS.\r\nLittle, if any, weight seems to have been given to Acadia Corp.\u2019s tenure with ANP, the local employees and administrators of the park, the large numbers of visitors who enjoy the park, and the residents and communities for whom the park is a great resource and valued neighbor.\u00a0 We believe that these factors should have been given considerable weight.\u00a0 Replacing a long and valued partner with inestimable knowledge of not only the immediate needs of the park but also its long, rich, and varied history inevitably creates risk of error and inefficiency, not to mention, a lack of sensitivity to innumerable distinctive local practices. We note that giving great weight to these factors is not only logical but is also required by the National Parks Omnibus Management Act.\u00a0\r\nIn explaining Section 403(5) of the Act, the House Report advised that, \u201c\u2026it is the intent of the Committee that the Secretary, when reviewing the principal factors for selecting the best proposal, give substantial consideration and weight to the experience, background and past performance of those submitting the proposal.\u201d\u00a0 The report went on to explain, \u201c[t]he proven and acceptable experience and expertise the prospective concessionaire exhibits in providing the goods or services to the public should be regarded as highly important to the selection of the best proposal.\u201d\u00a0 (Emphasis added.)\u00a0 This principle \u2013 that experience counts \u2013 seems to have been given no weight in this decision. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\r\nIn Acadia Corp.\u2019s case, the direction from the House Report seems especially pertinent.\u00a0 As you know, the NPS rated The Acadia Corp. as \u201cone of the best concessionaires in the National Park Service\u201d in its annual overall rating report for 2011.\u00a0 We understand that the 1998 Act prohibits a preferential right of renewal for an incumbent concessioner \u2013 and we agree that such a right should be prohibited.\u00a0 However, we are troubled that Acadia Corp.\u2019s exemplary experience does not appear to have been considered.\u00a0\r\nThe circumstances under which the NPS considered the selection for concessions at ANP seems to have severely limited the ability of the reviewers to weigh Acadia Corp.\u2019s extensive and unblemished history of service.\u00a0 Moreover, we have been informed that NPS policy excludes employees and administrators from the affected park from the selection panels.\u00a0 At the same time, however, we noted in the press release announcing the selection of a new concessioner that a technical advisor from Acadia was to be available during the selection panel\u2019s meeting to answer any questions the panel may have.\u00a0 We understand that selection panels regularly and routinely solicit comments from such a technical advisor.\r\nYet, when the selection panel met in Philadelphia to consider the applications for ANP, the technical advisor from Acadia was not present.\u00a0 Instead, the individual was advised that she did not need to attend and that it would be sufficient if she would simply make herself available to answer questions posed by telephone.\u00a0 Although the selection panel conducted its review over a five day period, the technical advisor received no calls.\u00a0\r\nWe believe that this was a very serious omission.\u00a0 First, by failing to require the presence of a technical advisor and then compounding this error by failing to contact this individual, the selection panel deprived itself entirely of the local park perspective essential to the review process and to fulfillment of the intent of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act. \u00a0\r\nBy depriving itself of this important perspective, the selection panel rendered itself incapable of properly applying the point system the NPS devised for the review.\u00a0 Not only did the selection panel forfeit a technical advisor\u2019s knowledge of the actual experience with and competence of Acadia Corp., but the panel arguably also lacked the ability to judge the soundness of claims from competitors for the practicality and soundness of competitors\u2019 claims for \u201cinnovation\u201d\u2014another NPS criterion.\u00a0\u00a0 Having failed to question a technical advisor, the selection panel would have had no reliable way of assessing applicant\u2019s claims of what would work and what would not work at Acadia.\r\nWe ask that you respond to the following questions about the selection process:\u00a0 Why was Acadia Corp.\u2019s long-standing and exemplary experience as a concessionaire at Acadia not considered?\u00a0 Why was the perspective of a technical advisor from Acadia National Park not considered by the panel during the five-day selection process?\u00a0 How will NPS re-evaluate the selection process to ensure fairness and transparency?\r\nIn addition, we urge you to independently review the process employed in this matter and to re-evaluate the selection process, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.\u00a0 Moreover, we request that the regional director visit Acadia to fully understand the complexities and difficulties that are unique to the park and to hear the reaction of local stakeholders to the selection process and ask that you notify us when a date for this visit has been scheduled.\r\nWe are deeply troubled by the process that the NPS employed in considering applications for concession operations at Acadia.\u00a0 Although we fully support a competitive selection process and believe that no concessionaire should be considered immune from replacement, we also believe that long, faithful, and excellent service should be given the full weight that fundamental fairness and common sense warrant and that the law requires.\r\nThank you for your prompt attention to this issue.\u00a0 We look forward to meeting with you at your earliest convenience to further discuss these issues and the findings of your review. \u00a0\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\u00a0\r\nSusan Collins\r\nUnited States Senator\r\n\u00a0\r\nAngus S. King, Jr.\r\nUnited States Senator\r\n\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/collins-king-press-national-park-service-on-decision-to-end-relationship-with-local-acadia-concessions-company"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.549274893477559, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}