RUMFORD – Getting Strathglass Park listed on Maine Preservation’s Most Endangered Historic Properties list is something that could rejuvenate the residential park.
But getting it on the list wasn’t done until town officials had a chance to talk with some of the residents.
“We didn’t want people to be angry or concerned,” said Town Manager Steve Eldridge who fears some of the buildings may fall apart if assistance isn’t available.
A few days before the Maine Preservation list was announced, he and other town officials met with about 40 residents or owners of some of the 40 or so brick buildings in the park.
“We’re here to listen and to look at what we can do,” he said, adding that that might include applying for grants. “We want to learn what needs to be done and what residents would like done.”
“We recognize that Strathglass Park is a property at risk,” Eldridge said. “Getting on the list opens the door for possible funding to keep the buildings from falling apart.”
Eldridge, the Rumford Historical Society, Maine Preservation, and other groups believe the planned park is an important part of the history of the town.
“It’s in a beautiful location,” he said. “But people have concerns about where children play and vandalism.”
More meetings are planned with residents and building owners, perhaps in late July or early August. And a separate committee of park residents will be formed to oversee whatever decisions are made about upgrading the 40 or so brick homes in the park.
But first, a survey will go out to park residents. From there suggestions will be prioritized, and grants will be written.
According to the Maine Preservation listing, no preservation plan, design guidelines or maintenance program has ever been devised for the park, leading to its inclusion on the most endangered list. Many of the sturdy, two-story homes have fallen into disrepair.
Strathglass Park was built in 1901 and 1902 by paper mogul Hugh Chisholm as housing for some of the hundreds of workers who were streaming into the town to go to work at the mill. It was named for his ancestral home in Scotland. It is one of the earliest planned housing developments in the state.
Roxanne Eflin, director of Maine Preservation, said placing a property on the most endangered list does many things, the most important, perhaps, raising public awareness about a property that many may have taken for granted over the years.
Maine Preservation also helps groups that are trying to save a property by gearing them toward appropriate grant opportunities and specialist expertise.
Comments are no longer available on this story