The Town of Arundel has struggled with its identity for generations. First known as Arundel when it was founded in 1719, the town later became part of Kennebunkport before seceding in 1916 as North Kennebunkport. In 1957, the town reverted to its original name.

With the secession, the town lost its oceanfront connection. It’s not a tourist hub and no longer an agricultural hub, and it has no downtown or center of any sort.

But for all the things it’s not, Arundel is a town with great rural character and a lot of potential, particularly since both major routes ”“ 1 and 111 ”“ run through it. The Chesapeake Group, a marketing and research firm, was hired by the Town of Arundel last year to identify the town’s strengths and weaknesses. Some of its findings, released in late January, were somewhat disheartening, but there were important points of hope there, too.

The report said Arundel is seen as little more than an “area that people simply pass through.” It decried the town’s poor reputation in welcoming businesses and noted few opportunities for tourism. Those are valid concerns, and we hope the town’s leaders have a strong enough constitution to accept this constructive criticism and use it as a driving force for change.

Public perception is that the town doesn’t have much of a sense of community, the report said, but we’ve found most of its residents do seem to feel ownership and pride. That’s why they’ve fought to retain their elementary school in the face of a state-enforced merger with the Kennebunks. That’s why they’ve volunteered for the fire-rescue since 1959, stood up to protest unnecessary motorcycle noise by passers-through, and fought development proposals that they felt would ruin the town’s feel.

Yes, the town is a “bedroom community” for job centers such as Biddeford, Sanford and Portland, but it’s more than that, too. And now the townsfolk and town leaders are making a concerted effort to forge a path into the future for the town, improving its image with a view toward expanding its business and tax base to make it more of a destination and standalone entity. This study is just a first step in that process.

Chesapeake Group suggested that the town focus on its agri-tourism, but town leaders have rejected that idea, saying it has little land left for agricultural development. Kate’s Butter is set to open an agricultural learning center at its brand new facility, set to open later this year, and that will be a boon, but we agree that the town should instead focus on building up other tourist attractions and its business base. With its proximity to Old Orchard Beach and the Kennebunks, unique attractions could really put Arundel on the map for visitors. Bentley’s Saloon, the motorcycle bar, is a great example of such a business ”“ riders come from many miles away to patronize the saloon, and building up other similar draws would benefit the town most.

If one of the town’s goals is to attract business, however, it needs to make more concerted overtures to bring three-phase power and sewer to its stretches of the main thoroughfares. That will take a significant amount of initiative, money and partnering with neighboring communities. The town also needs to make a point of staffing its planning board with people who are not anti-business, making it clear that their role is to enforce town ordinances and codes relating to development, not to stonewall it.

Delineating the town’s borders with improved signs would help spread the town’s name recognition, and a new town hall now in the works should be placed prominently to show passersby that the town has a hub.

Leading the way in the effort to improve Arundel’s sense of community is the Arundel Historical Society. In the past few years, this group of dedicated volunteers has been forging ahead with community events, from simple bean suppers to the town’s first heritage day festival last summer. It’s events like these, in addition to those based at Mildred L. Day School, that give neighbors a chance to get to know one another and feel pride in being part of Arundel.

The society’s efforts to move two historic buildings and construct a replica of the old North Parish church as its headquarters is notable, too, and has been well supported. This three-building campus could become the town’s new focal point, and even a tourist attraction. The townspeople rejected a “village center” proposal in 2004 that would have seen a mixed-use development built to provide the town with a small retail/municipal/residential center. The historical society’s efforts should help to create a focal point for the town without the controversy that surrounded that proposal.

Arundel has a great deal of potential, given its location and the community’s current energy in promoting pride and sense of place. The small-town feel and plenty of rural space for homes can be balanced with an expanded tax base along the major routes, and we’re looking forward to seeing where the town heads with this new study in hand.

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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.