The Foundation Beneath the Future:
Jacob Gasper and Crew
Every building begins with a foundation.
Long before the walls rise, the windows are installed, or the shelves are filled with books, there are craftsmen whose work is largely hidden from view. Their efforts disappear beneath the finished structure, yet everything that follows depends upon what they have built. For the Friend Memorial Public Library expansion, that responsibility belonged to Jacob Gasper and his crew.
Jacob grew up in Deer Isle and learned the concrete trade the old-fashioned way—working alongside his father. By the age of twelve, he was already spending weekends and afternoons on job sites, helping build foundations, fireplaces, and chimneys throughout the region. After more than sixteen years working with his father, Jacob eventually took over the family business when his father retired.
Today, Island Forms remains intentionally small. Jacob works alongside a close-knit crew of three full-time craftsmen and a part-time helper. It is a team built on trust, experience, and shared commitment to doing the job right. “I don’t want to get too big,” Jacob says. “This is the perfect amount for us.” That philosophy reflects a craftsman’s mindset. For Jacob, success is measured not by the size of a company but by the quality of the work and the satisfaction of the people who depend on it. “The main part of doing a good job,” he explains, “is making sure everything’s right and making people happy. They want it a certain way, and that’s what we want to give them.”
Those who work with Jacob frequently speak about his attention to detail, reliability, and quiet determination. Yet he remains characteristically humble, quick to credit his crew and focused on the next task at hand.
When asked what it means to be working on the Friend Memorial Library, Jacob pauses before answering. “It feels special,” he says. “Trying to do something for the community is the big thing. A lot of people are going to see this, so we’re trying our best. It feels good trying to do something for the community.”
On the day of the interview, concrete trucks were arriving and the library’s foundation walls were about to be poured. More than fifty yards of concrete would soon fill the forms. The next morning, Jacob and his crew would remove those forms and reveal their work—what he jokingly described as “kind of like unboxing a present.”
For the crew, the library represents something different from their typical projects. Much of their work takes place on private residences tucked away in the woods. Here, they are working in the heart of Brooklin, where neighbors stop by, peek through the fence, and watch the progress unfold. Crew member Zachary Brack describes it simply: “It’s exciting. It’s a bigger job, different than all of our residential jobs. We’re out in the middle of town, so it’s a little different. You’ve got a lot of people looking at you, but it’s interesting. A different change of scenery.”
The project also carries a family connection. Among the crew is Jacob’s nephew, Jace Gasper, continuing a tradition that began generations ago when Jacob first learned the trade from his own father. It is a reminder that craftsmanship is often passed from one generation to the next—not only through instruction, but through working side by side. When completed, visitors will see beautiful reading rooms, gathering spaces, and exhibits celebrating Brooklin’s rich maritime heritage. Few will ever think about the concrete hidden beneath their feet. Yet every wall, every beam, and every room will stand because of the foundation Jacob Gasper and his crew carefully built.
Their work may largely disappear from sight, but it will remain an enduring part of the library’s story. Like so many craftsmen who have helped shape this project, Jacob and his team are leaving behind something lasting—a gift to the community that will support generations of readers, learners, and visitors for years to come. And every time they drive by the completed library, they will know that beneath it all is a foundation built with skill, pride, and hard work.
-Robert Baird, Campaign Chair