By Jim Hunt
I’ve noticed an interesting trend that I hope catches on in more cities and towns. Lawn mowing services are cleaning up abandoned property and using it as an advertisement for their services. I first saw this on TikTok, and it is some of the most interesting videos and makes you want to watch till the end to see the cleaned-up properties and get the reactions from neighbors and others. In some cases, the houses were nearly covered up with weeds and vines and the yards had old washing machines and even cars, that were hidden in the overgrown brush.
During my tenure as director of the Sunnyside Up project in Morgantown, West Virginia, we often worked with volunteers to clean up overgrown lots and right-a-ways in the Sunnyside neighborhood. We would pick up junk and use weed eaters to reclaim the primarily student neighborhood at West Virginia University. I would take before and after pictures and the results were shocking to many, who had not been in the neighborhood for many years. On one occasion, we uncovered a beautiful brick sidewalk that had become covered with grass. When the students came out of their apartment, they thought we had installed a new brick sidewalk and could not believe that it was there all the time.
Many cities spend enormous amounts of time, sending out code enforcement, researching property ownership and sometimes cleaning up the properties themselves. These efforts often frustrate neighbors since they rarely lead to lasting change. As businesses learn that cleaning up these properties are excellent advertisements, it also leads to neighbors hiring the lawn services for their own properties as a way to say, thank you, to these enterprising business owners.
These efforts can also lead to other businesses and organizations pitching in to help. Civic clubs have done outreach like this for many years but having these lawn service businesses to do the heavy lifting, others can come in to put the finishing touches on these projects. Sometimes, these overgrown properties are not abandoned but might be home to an elderly resident who just can’t handle keeping the yard clean and mowed. When someone offers to do the work as a way of promoting their business, it preserves the sense of dignity for the property owner and they feel that they are part of the process, instead of feeling like they are receiving charity.
We often look to our local governments to “do it all”, but with increasing numbers of these vacant and dilapidated properties, few cities and towns can effectively manage this difficult task. Partnering with these local businesses is a win-win, that works for everyone. While this is a new twist in maintaining overgrown properties, it is really no different than the ice cream parlor that provides a “free” sample to anyone who wants one. Social media is the magic that makes this work and cell phone cameras document the transformations.
There are always new ways of solving problems and I think this is one that deserves recognition and encouragement. Another way to make your community Amazing!