Khmer Maine and Watt Samaki break ground on garden and entrance for Westbrook complex

Khmer Maine and Watt Samaki broke ground on a Welcome Garden and entrance that are part of a larger plan to develop an Asian American Community Center and Buddhist temple complex in Westbrook.

The Welcome Garden will feature a community garden, picnic tables, statues and parking for public trail access, according to Khmer Maine’s newsletter.

Woods Excavating LLC of Gorham and Acorn Engineering in Portland provided services for the project. 

The space is planned to feature botanical gardens showcasing diverse plant life and heritage, community gardens where neighbors can grow and share fresh produce, and trails for walking, reflection and connection with nature.

The overall plan for the center includes cultural celebrations, educational programs and support services, as a welcoming hub that fosters belonging, wellness and a deeper understanding of Maine’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Approved by the Westbrook Planning Board last summer, it will be Maine’s first center serving Asian-American and Pacific Islander residents, on over 30 acres of forested land.

The land is owned by Watt Samaki, a nonprofit Cambodian Buddhist temple. The parcel is at 00 Cumberland St. in Westbrook. An official street address is pending.

The temple acquired the land in 2023 with the goal of creating a new temple facility, because the community outgrew its current location on 8.6 acres at 128 Back Nippen Road in Buxton. 

Khmer Maine is a nonprofit that works to improve the social and economic well-being of Cambodians in Maine through cultural exchange, community building and civic engagement. The group also partners to support members of Maine’s Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander communities and strives for solidarity with Black and Indigenous communities.

As of 2022, Maine’s Cambodian community was just over 2,000 people. In total, Maine’s Asian American and Pacific Islander population numbered over 26,500 people, including those who are multiracial.

In the past two decades, the largest population growth has been focused in Cumberland, York and Penobscot counties.