The Ground Beneath Our Dreams

M.E. Astbury & Son Construction

Three generations of the Astbury family have helped shape the roads, homes, businesses, and communities of the Blue Hill Peninsula.

Long before a building begins to rise, someone must prepare the ground beneath it. Every foundation depends on careful planning, skilled hands, and countless decisions that few people will ever notice. It is work that eventually disappears beneath the finished building, yet it determines everything that follows. For the Friend Memorial Public Library expansion, that responsibility belongs to M.E. Astbury & Son Construction.

Founded in 1968 by Maynard Astbury, the company began with little more than a few pieces of equipment, a handful of employees, and a willingness to work hard. Nearly six decades later, it has grown into one of Downeast Maine’s most respected excavation companies—not simply because of its equipment, but because of the people behind it. Mike reflects, “We still work for many of the same customers today that we worked for back then. It’s been built year by year through hard work, perseverance, and taking care of people.”

For Mike, construction has always been part of life. “I grew up on the end of a shovel and a rake,” he says. “Construction has always been in my blood.” After graduating from college, Mike returned to the family business, becoming a project manager in 2009 and continuing the legacy established by his grandfather, Maynard, and strengthened by his father, Michael. Today, three generations of the Astbury family have helped shape the roads, homes, businesses, and communities of the Blue Hill Peninsula.

Astbury’s work at the Library included:

• Excavation for the foundation

• Utilities

• Septic system

• Back filling

• Grading

• Preparing walkways

While today’s machines are larger, more efficient, and far more sophisticated than those of 1968, Mike believes the company’s greatest strength has never been its equipment. “It’s our people,” he says. “We’ve had generations of families work for our company.” No one illustrates that better than excavator operator Randy Astbury. Randy first worked for the company while he was still in school, helping during the summers alongside his father, who also worked for the company. After high school he briefly worked elsewhere, but before long he found himself back where he belonged. Nearly four decades later, he is still there.

Today, Randy is regarded by fellow contractors as one of the area’s finest excavator operators. His reputation isn’t built on self-promotion—it has been earned one project at a time through patience, experience, and extraordinary skill. Mike doesn’t hesitate when describing him. “His ability to see how a project is going to unfold before anything happens is second to none.”

That ability comes from nearly forty years of reading the land, understanding how each phase of construction fits together, and knowing that every bucket of earth moved today affects everything that follows tomorrow. Working beside Randy is Everett Freeman, another longtime member of the Astbury team. Together, along with experienced truck drivers, laborers, and equipment operators, they represent the kind of seasoned craftsmanship that can only be built over many years of working together.

Building a Place of Peace

Their work on the Friend Memorial Public Library includes nearly every aspect of preparing the site: excavation for the foundation, utilities, the septic system, back filling, grading, and preparing the walkways that visitors will one day use without ever giving them a second thought. Like so much of construction, their finest work will eventually disappear beneath the finished landscape. For Mike, the opportunity to help build the library carries special meaning. “We do a lot of work in Brooklin,” he says. “We’ve always had a great relationship with the town and its citizens. We’re really appreciative to be able to contribute to this wonderful expansion.”

When asked what he hopes people will remember years from now, his answer is simple. “We put a lot of care into every aspect of our work.” That same quiet pride is evident in Randy. During our conversation he seemed almost surprised that anyone would want to hear his story. For him, this was simply another day’s work—another site to prepare, another project to help succeed. Yet those who work beside him speak of him with tremendous respect, recognizing the remarkable skill that comes only after decades of experience.

These are the craftsmen whose names rarely appear on a plaque or in a newspaper story. Yet without them, none of what follows could ever happen. Perhaps the most revealing moment of our conversation came when Mike was asked what libraries mean to him personally. “A library is a place of peace,” he answered without hesitation. As the father of three children, he treasures taking his family to the library to browse the shelves, discover new books, and enjoy the quiet atmosphere that libraries uniquely provide. “It gives you a sense of peace every time you walk through the door.”

Years from now, visitors will gather inside this expanded library to read, learn, attend programs, and build friendships. Children who have not yet been born will one day walk these halls, never realizing the thousands of careful decisions that shaped the ground beneath their feet. Few will know the names Mike Astbury, Randy Astbury, Everett Freeman, or the many members of the M.E. Astbury & Son Construction team.

But every visitor will experience the result of their work. The paths will be level. The foundation will remain secure. The building will stand exactly as it was intended. And because of the care they invested long before the first wall was raised, generations of families will find what Mike Astbury has always believed a library should be—a place of peace.

-Robert Baird, Campaign Chair