Norwich — In the summer that will mark the 30th anniversary of the annual July 4 Norwich Harbor downtown fireworks festival, downtown business owner Paul Siefert had big words to say about the city’s urban center.

“I moved here in 1980,” the owner of Billy Wilson’s Ageing Still said Thursday evening at an event to honor his contributions to downtown Norwich. “This is as optimistic as I’ve ever been about downtown Norwich.”

Siefert, who purchased Billy Wilson’s at 57 Broadway in 2009, and the Norwich Community Development Corp. were selected by the Norwich Events Organization for the annual Ron Aliano Memorial Service Award for their distinguished service in the development of the city. Both were honored during a gala at the Marina at American Wharf on Thursday, the major fundraiser event for the fireworks festival….

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