T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY -- Members of the volunteer crew that cleaned up a nuisance property at 924 S. 10th Ave. pose for a photo after clearing several trailer loads worth of brush and debris on Sunday afternoon.

Shortly after Marshalltown City Councilor Melisa Fonseca won a special election to represent the 4th Ward on July 16, she received a call of congratulations from one of her new constituents, Sara McAnulty. When Fonseca asked McAnulty, who resides on South 10th Avenue, if she had any concerns or issues she’d like to see addressed, it turned out that McAnulty had something very specific in mind.

Since her neighbor, Mary Heltsley, passed away a few years ago, the property had fallen into a state of deep disrepair, with vegetation making the house itself difficult to see from the street. McAnulty said that although she had tried calling the city’s nuisance line a few times, she wasn’t aware of how the process worked to address situations such as these. When she connected with Fonseca, the new councilor got the ball rolling and made something happen.

“Mary always kept her property so nice and had flowers everywhere and rhubarb that I could steal without a problem, and she would just be so upset if she knew what her yard looked like now,” McAnulty said. “When COVID hit, she didn’t come out as often, but she would still come out and maintain as much as she could. And then when she passed away, it just kind of (went downhill).”

With the blessing of Heltsley’s son, McAnulty and members of the My Marshalltown Civic Pride group put out a call for volunteers to help on Sunday afternoon, and they received a major boost from S&S Lawn and Landscaping Maintenance. Owner Spencer Snyder sent a crew early in the day to help clear some of the brush and get a head start on the massive undertaking.

“(Snyder) and his guys were rockstars. I said we need a path to get into the backyard, and they took it beyond the path and did super well,” McAnulty said.

J&M Fabrication also donated trailers to help transport brush to the compost facility. From there, a ragtag group of at least a dozen volunteers that included Fonseca, her partner Miguel Sanchez, his father, fellow Councilor Mike Ladehoff, new Doo Dah’s Owner Dave Grieve, Michelle Roseburrough from the Marshalltown Area United Way, the McAnulty family, Neil Dalal and Mickey McDonald got to work, using loppers and saws to cut overgrown trees and bushes and put a major dent in what had once seemed like an insurmountable task.

Fonseca saw the project as a prime example of civic pride and teaming up to make positive things happen, noting that no one who showed up on Sunday was paid a cent for their labor.

“It was just kind of like ‘Let’s get out here and get it cleaned up and see what we can do.’ And I’m so happy for the turnout because it just shows how much people do care,” she said. “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Looking forward, McAnulty is now much more optimistic that the property can eventually be sold and returned to something resembling its former glory, whatever shape it ends up taking.

“I hope somebody can fix it up nice. It’s a huge lot, a nice lot,” she said. “I appreciate everybody’s help and I appreciate Melisa and Mickey coordinating it all. We couldn’t have done this without them.”

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Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.