By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

ANSONIA — The saying “it takes a village” has been proven, as the Ansonia community rallied around 20 members together to help clean up properties around town.

There had been Facebook posts made to gather volunteers to tackle one of the issues many residents had previously brought up at Council meetings.

Understanding not everyone has the resources and time, community members worked together to go house to house, offering their time to help clean up the owner’s property. Crystal Gibbs and Christina Everman had gone around town on July 24 to get permission for residents to be on the property.

Gibbs, in a July 24 Facebook post said they were not able to get everyone’s approval for their help, but they “got the ok on a lot.”

“Some were really excited, as they just can’t keep up or know where to start,” Gibbs said.

For many, the thought of cleaning and maintaining can be overwhelming, as the overwhelming feeling can come from the perceived pressure that a home must be completely clean and sparkling at all times.

The task may also become overwhelming when cleaning if there is a lot of clutter or there is no plan of attack before starting. Without a plan, it can be difficult to visualize what needs to be done, what has already been done, and what needs the most attention. Focusing on one aspect as a time instead of the big picture can help calm the nervous system and help the task seem less daunting.

By the group of volunteers giving their time and energy to help with the clean up of the Village, not only are they making the quality of living better, they are helping to alleviate some of the overwhelming stress individuals may have as well.

“You guys’ efforts last weekend were awesome,” Ansonia Mayor Ted Adkins said.

The group of volunteers thanked the village volunteers and Council members who “have been stepping up.” A mower had been donated to the cause as well.

The group of volunteers have been circulating their plans on Facebook, as it seems to be an effective meeting place for all those involved to effectively get the information.

“You guys are doing a heck of a job,” Mayor Adkins said.

“We’ve had several people come to help from out of town,” a female volunteer said. “They live in Greenville.”

The community is grateful for everyone who has lent a helpful hand. For their next project, they had talked about going to lumber companies to see if they would be willing to donate lumber in order for them to help a neighbor fix their porch that is in disarray.

Mayor Adkins thanked the group and Gibbs for their hard work leading the community in cleaning up the area. He acknowledged the time and energy that is put forth for the betterment of Ansonia.

Village Administrator Tom Welbaum, has been working to clean up Ansonia’s parks as well. The Village had been awarded a Park Grant for $6,500, and their intent was to get two metal bleachers at the park.

“Well the Darke County Parks tried to work with the supplier to get the pricing down, so the money that they give us and we could get four bleachers,” Welbaum said. “They wouldn’t do that.”

He said they were able to bring the price down a little to between $4,600 and $4,700 for the bleacher.

“We are just going to get one bleacher, and that has been ordered. We just didn’t have the extra money to pay for another one -at least at this time,” Welbaum said.

The rest of the money in the grant will have to be looked into, as it is unsure if they will be able to utilize it “this late in the ballgame.” Council members talked about getting benches for the baseline with the leftover sum or even looking at fixing the fence-line. The community members in attendance then began brainstorming ways to potentially raise funds to be donated towards the park.

The Ansonia Village Council meet the first and third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 100 West Canal Street. All council meetings are open to the public.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].