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SOMERSWORTH – In a city of 10 square miles and just under 12,000 residents, downtown Somersworth business owners have formed a group to rebrand it as a place worth seeing and experiencing.
This effort has been several years in the works, initially sparked by a downtown business roundtable group started by Somersworth s Economic Development Manager Robin Comstock, when she first joined the city staff in 2017.
Over time, this roundtable turned into a small group of business owners dedicated to finding ways to revitalize their downtown, in collaboration with Comstock and the Falls Chamber of Commerce. Downtowns are really the anchor of the soul of the community, Comstock said. At the core of revitalization is a vibrant downtown that serves as a postage stamp to tell the rest of the world what that community is about. It s the identifier, a glimpse of its history and where the future is headed.
SOMERSWORTH Indonesian Community Connect has found a location for the key starting piece of its plans to create not only the world’s first Little Indonesia district, but also bring together Somersworth as a whole.
The nonprofit ICC will soon open its Little Indonesia cultural and community center at 156 High St., a multi-unit commercial building right at the southwestern gateway to the Hilltop City’s downtown.
Located at a well-known corner passed by more than 10,000 vehicles a day, the spot is intended to be a temporary, highly visible kickstart to an ambitious project years in the making.
“This is it,” said Raude Raychel, president of ICC. “Now it’s time to hustle up and get ready because it’s just going to get bigger and bigger.”
SOMERSWORTH Raude Raychel, one of the pillars of the Hilltop City’s sizable Indonesian community, recently became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
The president of the nonprofit Indonesian Community Connect said she did so because she sees it as something that will enable her do even more to help Somersworth as a whole.
“I see it as a (chance) for me to serve in the community, to build the community economically,” said Raychel. “The question came back to me: If you want to be a great asset to the community, what would you do? It’s to do something to make your community a better place. If this is where I’m gonna be, this is where I wanna build.”
Somersworth developments in talks for Aclara site, plaza
SOMERSWORTH Elected officials say there’s reason for excitement in the Hilltop City because redevelopment proposals are in the works for two key downtown properties.
While the projects are far from guaranteed and public details are limited due to the ongoing negotiations, Economic Development Committee Chair Marty Dumont said he’s thrilled developers are discussing with city staff ideas for Aclara’s sprawling campus and the parking lot at the nearby Somersworth Plaza.
“We’re excited because people are showing interest in our downtown,” said Dumont, who is also a city councilor.