Going up: Elevator installation begins at Island Connectivity Hub
Project shows ‘how a historical community space can transform into a modern tool,’ funder says
March 17, 2026
By Emily Baer
The Connectivity Hub in Stonington will soon have a three-story elevator. Photo courtesy of the Town of Stonington.
The construction of a new three-story elevator at the Connectivity Hub and Small Business Center in Stonington started earlier this week thanks to a $1,765,186 grant from the Maine Connectivity Authority’s Connectivity Hubs program.
According to a press release, a Bangor-based contractor Nickerson O’Day was awarded the construction contract. Old Town’s Carpenter and Associates is handling the project’s engineering, design and oversight. The Island Institute is providing technical assistance.
During construction, the north side of the building, which used to be the Stonington School Building, will be closed to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Access to the Island Community Center and Island Food Pantry will be via Memorial Lane and the rear of that building.
Andrew Butcher, president of Maine Connectivity Authority, said in the release that the project “demonstrates how a historical community space can transform into a modern tool.”
The Island Connectivity Hub is designed to serve the entire Deer Isle-Stonington coastal region, and provides high speed internet access, education and workforce development tools, programs and services, as well as telehealth and health care.
The building is home to Deer Isle Adult and Community Education, the Healthy Harvesters Program, and a makerspace. A portion of the new grant will go towards the purchase of new digital tools like “3D and large format printers, podcasting equipment, and laptops and hot spots,” the release said.
“It is extremely exciting and gratifying to connect Stonington’s deep cultural legacy and traditions to the future with these upgrades to this beautiful old building,” said Linda Nelson, Stonington’s economic and community development director.
