ACADIA NATIONAL PARK (AP) – A projected budget shortfall of $500,000 will force Acadia National Park to cut their seasonal staff by 20 to 30 workers and take other steps to curb spending, officials said.

“It’s only going to get worse,” Superintendent Sheridan Steele told the Acadia Advisory Commission, a panel that counsels park officials on issues ranging from pollution to crowding.

Steele blamed much of Acadia’s deficit on a decision by Congress to give all federal employees a 4.1 percent pay raise without providing the funding to cover it. In addition, all federal departments have been told to make across-the-board cuts.

The park’s funding includes about $5.6 million annually for day-to-day operations, about $2 million a year from entrance fees and targeted federal funding for one-time capital improvements.

AP-ES-02-03-04 1018EST


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