With construction well underway, the Inn at Maine Street Station is rapidly nearing completion. Located on the corner of Maine and Noble Streets, the Inn is one of the numerous projects being constructed as part of the new Maine Street Station under the direction of JHR Development, a Brunswick developer.
Construction on the Inn, which will be independently operated, is expected to be completed early this summer. According to Onsite Project Manager Mike Lyne, the hotel will have 52 rooms and be decorated in a "New England style."
However, JHR Development is bringing more than just a new hotel to the Brunswick community.
According to Lyne, "a small tavern is in the plans with a full service kitchen serving three meals per day, and capable of serving functions up to 150 people."
Lyne says developers believe that the hotel will attract a wide range of people.
"With its proximity to [Bowdoin], the Inn will obviously be a convenient choice for alumni, parents and those visiting Bowdoin," said Lyne. "We think the extended Downeaster service can play an important role in packaging that sale."
Lyne also believes the addition of the Inn at Maine Street Station is part of a larger trend toward modernizing downtown Brunswick.
"This community is in transition from one that, in recent history, was known partially as a military town to one that will eventually be known for innovative industry and a bustling downtown with a thriving cultural scene," he said.
Other local business owners share Lyne's positive attitude about the progress being made in Brunswick.
Jason Putnam of Frontier Café said that the new inn "is a great move forward" for Brunswick and he believes it will make the town "a daytime destination."
He also expects the hotel to increase business for his restaurant.
"We're excited to increase the level of foot traffic in the area," said Putnam. "I think this, in tandem with the train line coming up here, will make us a little more accessible."
Though the inn is expected to have a tavern, Putnam does not expect Frontier Café to be negatively affected.
"I come from working in Portland where there's the same amount of restaurants per capita as San Francisco," said Putnam. "I believe there has to be a certain level of competitiveness and a certain level of distinct difference."
"It helps all of the businesses in the long run, because you're looking at giving more options to more people, and it gives them more incentive to go and check out the town," he added.
One hotel proprietor in Brunswick said that the Inn at Maine Street Station is a step in the right direction.
Kim Verreault, owner of the Captain Daniel Stone Inn, said "it is great that people locally see the value of the hospitality industry, and that you know there is something in it for everybody."
Verreault said her philosophy is that "together everybody achieves more."
"I certainly don't view them as competition," she said. "I see it as all of us being in the same industry and being able to bring a great product to the Brunswick community."
"The beauty of vacationing in Maine is that there is a fit for everyone. [The Inn at Maine Street Station is] going to have some of the same offerings that we do and [it is] also going to have slightly different offerings than we do," she added.
But not all Brunswick business owners are happy about the town's new addition.
One local hotel owner who wished to remain anonymous voiced disapproval of the project.
"I fault the town for allowing another hotel to be put up," the owner said. "What is misguided on their part is thinking that we need another hotel in town, because we don't. The hotels that are already here can't even fill their rooms."
"I understand that the town is trying to progress. They are trying to make [Brunswick] a better place to live and I know part of the plan with them is to create more of a connection between the College and the heart of Maine Street," added the owner.
But, the owner continued, "something could have gone there that could have connected the two ends of town in the way that they had hoped, but in a way that [would] not have adversely affected people who have already invested their money [and] their time in this town."
With only a few months left before the new inn opens its doors, Brunswick residents will soon see the impact the new business will have.
Lyne dismissed the notion that the Inn at Maine Street Station will cause the adverse effects described above.
"When everyone can figure out how to work together toward that goal, all of the hotels in Brunswick will be doing very well," he said.