RUMFORD - A new property owners' organization will learn how to set up a neighborhood watch program Saturday as it works toward revitalizing one of the most historic areas in town.

The Strathglass Property Owners Association began organizing in March, said Audrey Guay, acting secretary for the group.

"We want to get people interested in it and keep people interested," said Guay, who has lived in the park filled with brick homes for 40 years. She owns half of a duplex on Erchles Street.

The stately, brick duplexes were built by paper company owner Hugh Chisholm about a century ago. The 50-building complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s.

Rumford police Chief Stacy Carter will make the presentation on how to get a neighborhood watch program started at 4 p.m. at the Rumford Public Library.

But the meeting is for more than that.

Phil Blampied, owner of Grow Rumford, an economic development organization that aims to improve the economy of the town, said the housing park could either be a huge asset for the area or a liability if it continues to deteriorate.

He said more than a dozen of the homes are vacant, abandoned or in foreclosure.

"One of the critical things is that some of the brickwork is in a desperate state. I hope we can urge people to see if we can get money to get an inventory of the brickwork," he said.

Although he is not an owner of any of the buildings in Strathglass Park, he initiated the meetings of owners in March because of the neighborhood's potential value.

He is working with the Western Mountains Alliance, based in Farmington, to find assistance.

Saturday's meeting will outline bylaws for improving the appearance of the housing complex. Property owners will decide on such things as enacting poop-scooper rules and requiring tenants to keep their yards clean. Anyone interested in Strathglass Park is invited to attend the meeting; however, only homeowners can vote.

Guay said she'd like to see town government become more involved in the housing park.

She's hoping a community gathering, such as a cleanup day or a cookout, can be organized to bring everyone in the park together to get to know one another.

Several attempts at forming a homeowners organization have taken place during the past 25 years.