Inquirer Update: Band of helpers help out in Sears Woods

UPDATE 2: See the full story on how everyone helped.

UPDATE: Concerned reader Debbie contacted me this morning to say an army of folks, armed with lawn care equipment, was descending on Sears Woods to come to the aid of the woman I wrote about.

By the time I got there, their work was all but done and what had been an eyesore now looks like the well-tended lawns that surround it.

Regarding some of the comments on this site and on Facebook, let me say that I should have made it clear that the complaining neighbors told me that they had tried to help out before they opted to seek the city’s help, but were rebuffed.

Whatever, it’s a happy ending we were after here, and that’s what it looks like we got.

A special thanks to all the folks who took part of their Memorial Day holiday to pitch in.

Original story: We do not often get called out to Sears Woods -- that well-established and normally well-tended neighborhood off Macon Road.

It's a nice neighborhood where people take care of their houses and yards, so meddlesome newspaper columnists aren't usually needed.

But that was not the case last week.

Actually, I first got wind of the situation a couple of weeks ago when a small crowd of Sears Woodsians converged on Columbus Council to literally petition them to do something about a house in their neighborhood.

Then last week the nice lady named Jan, who spearheaded the drive, called me to see if I would get involved. She said the house's yard is an absolute mess and that 81 of her neighbors have signed a petition to get the city to do something about it.

As you can see from the accompanying picture, the yard certainly was a mess last week when I drove out to have a look.

I figured that since council had been notified in public that the ball was rolling on the problem, but I told Jan I would check to see how far the ball had rolled.

I talked to Drale Short, head of Special Enforcement, which enforces ordinances pertaining to the proper care of property. Short, of course, was well familiar with the situation.

"It's a sad situation," Short said.

It turns out the house belongs to a woman who is 90-something and no longer able to take care of the grounds. She apparently lives there with her 50-something daughter, who is apparently either unable or not of a mind to take care of business.

Short said her department has issued the homeowner a citation concerning the yard, but it was ignored, so the woman is now technically in contempt of environmental court.

Short said no one will come to the door when special enforcement officers try to communicate with them, so their options are limited.

They could contract with a service to cut the grass, then place a lien on the property until the owner(s) pay the tab, and it may come to that eventually. But first, the state Adult Protective Services has been called in, Short said, and her department is going to step back and see what the state thinks of the situation.

Meanwhile, the neighbors around the house have the dubious distinction of having the worst view in an otherwise really nice neighborhood.

We will, of course, keep an eye on this one and keep you posted. Hopefully we will report some good news from this sad situation.

This story was originally published May 24, 2015 at 10:57 PM with the headline "Inquirer Update: Band of helpers help out in Sears Woods."