As the summer tourist season approaches and the scramble to find seasonal workers reaches a fever pitch, a lack of available and affordable housing in the Boothbay region is taking a toll on local merchants.

While the problem of finding enough warm bodies to staff a restaurant or hotel isn't new, a perfect storm of events has made this year especially difficult and has some business owners concerned about their bottom line.

“Housing is the problem. I have foreign students who want to work here but can't commit because we can't find them a place to live,” said Alan Baldwin, manager for the Rocktide Inn. “I think everyone in town has the same problem. We can sign up all the workers we want but where do we put them?”

Baldwin, who was a manager at Fisherman’s Wharf in Boothbay Harbor for eight years prior to joining the Rocktide, said a lack of housing keeps both foreign and local workers away. At a job fair held in Boothbay Harbor three weeks ago, he had exactly one interested person, not the turnout he was anticipating.

An improving economy is providing more year-round jobs, according to the Maine Department of Labor. The seasonal draw is smaller, another factor some are citing for the hiring problems this season. In addition, with a slew of new restaurant openings in the area, it's become a buyers market with tales of people being hired off the street provided they can stand up and have opposable thumbs, said one dining room manager who wished to remain unnamed. 

“I haven't fully poached someone yet but I do pass out business cards just in case,” Baldwin said. “The bottom line is that we're not seeing as many applicants walk through the door as before.”

Like many restaurants and inns, the Rocktide uses the J1 Visa Program; a government sponsored exchange which allows foreign students to work in the United States for up to six months with a 30-day “free” period on either end of the stay to use for travel. The international workers are a familiar sight in the Boothbay region and hail from primarily Eastern European countries.

“These are smart individuals who want to travel in the states but also don't mind working two jobs,” said Baldwin. “But we have to facilitate a housing arrangement that is reasonable and safe. If they live in a basement with no windows, they probably aren't going to do their job well.”

 Echoing those comments, McSeagulls manager Jacqueline Barnicoat said she recently turned away 15 support staff employees.

“Despite all my efforts, I had to turn down 14 of them because I couldn't find housing,” said Barnicoat. “In fact I have to overhire because some people won't come because they can't find a place. The J1 employees also have to live within a mile of the restaurant, another problem.”

While not quite the second coming of Hooverville, some local workers, like bartender Shawn Shaugnessy, have sought alternative options such as extended-stay camping at places such as Shore Hills Campground on Route 27.

“For me it was perfect. I needed a place to sleep and I love camping,” he said. “The owners were very accommodating and nice.”

For the past two summers, Westbrook resident Glen Creel has worked as a bartender for Bob and Sally Maroon’s Chowder House Boat Bar on Granary Way. Despite the hour-plus drive, Creel maintained it was still cheaper to commute because of the prohibitive cost of renting even a modestly sized room.

“My first choice was to live there but I gave up,” said Creel. “I think the housing problem keeps a lot of qualified workers away who just go other places. If the problem isn't addressed soon it will really translate into lost business.”

Compounding the problem, it's almost imperative to live on the peninsula to avoid the seasonal traffic snarls on the Wiscasset bridge — a 15-minute drive to Boothbay Harbor can take upwards of 45 minutes in the summer, said Creel.

Stephanie Kennedy of the Lafayette Group, which owns Fisherman's Wharf, the Boothbay Harbor Inn and the Tugboat Inn, said it's a simply matter of geography and money.

“It's economics 101. Boothbay is an isolated place. The traffic from Wiscasset is a deterrent so commuting is almost not an option,” said Kennedy. “If people can make money elsewhere that has more accessible housing then they will.”

Anticipating the demand, Boothbay Harbor Country Club owner Paul Coulombe has purchased numerous properties —  including the Hodgdon Island Inn on Barters Island — specifically to house his employees for the golf club and growing roster of restaurants.

“It's a huge benefit to employees and we knew housing was going to be an issue,” said John Suczynski, president of the Boothbay Harbor Country Club. “Paul is really trying to drive the economy here and housing is a way to get the people we want.”

Limited housing is currently offered for employees of the Ralph Smith-led Boothbay Harbor Restaurant Group and also at Lobsterman’s Wharf, which was recently purchased by Dan and Eileen Miller.

As a solution, local businesses are using a reciprocal agreement to share workers who may have housing — as long as there is money to be made, people will continue to work in the Boothbay region, said Barnicoat.

“We've had a good last two weeks so hopefully things are getting better,” she said.

Despite the current housing concerns, the season always has a way of sorting itself out, said Baldwin.

“In the beginning it means the managers will work 70 hours a week,” said Baldwin. “But something seems to happen every year and we make it. We have no choice, people will come regardless and we still have to take care of them.”