County may get prisoners, volunteers to mow lawns
By Jason Jacks
To battle the growing problem of unkempt lawns at vacant homes dotting Loudoun, county officials are considering a plan that may have prisoners and volunteers pushing lawn mowers on neglected properties."I want to make it possible that neighbors can come forward and mow their neighbors' lawns," said Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), the maker of the proposal.
Loudoun's government has received 200 complaints of tall grass so far in 2008, up 600 percent from last year, according to county officials. Many of these complaints involve foreclosed homes.
In the past, the county has taken upon itself to mow some of these lawns, which only amounted to about three a year, with the bill for the work then being sent to the properties' owners, officials said.
However, with this recent spike in complaints, officials said they currently have 20 yards that the county needs to mow because the owners either cannot be reached or they have not responded to requests to mow their lawns.
"If the current trend continues and the number of properties needing to be mowed continues to increase, additional resources will be required," County Administrator Kirby Bowers wrote in a letter to Delgaudio.
Though no decision has yet been made, the Board of Supervisors on June 17 did ask that county staff determine whether volunteers and prisoners on work release are allowed to mow lawns on private property and to report back to supervisors in July.
Sheriff's Office spokesman Kraig Troxell said the department does have a "community work force" of prisoners who cut grass on property owned by either the county, nonprofits or churches. He said this would be the first time the program has expanded to private property.
"We will definitely have to look at the legality of this," Troxell noted.
As for volunteers, Delgaudio suggested that the county enlist into mowing duty its Medical Reserve Corps, which is a force of 862 volunteers created to be called up during times of large-scale medical emergencies. He said the corps is needed because rats and snakes hidden in overgrown grass are creating a public health hazard.
Some supervisors, though, had concerns of having volunteers wandering onto private property to mow grass.
"Quite frankly, without permission, it is trespassing," said Chairman Scott York (I-at large).
Other board members said they were worried of liability issues regarding injuries sustained by volunteer mowers.
Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac) said her mother never wanted her to mow the lawn over fears something could shoot out of the lawn mower and poke her eye out. She said she was worried about the volunteers.
Also on Tuesday, supervisors asked county staff to write up an ordinance banning the practice of people parking their vehicles on front lawns in suburban areas in eastern Loudoun.
A public hearing would have to take place before the board could adopt the ordinance. Such a hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Finally, supervisors also instructed county staff to allow residents to file their complaints, like those of tall grass, through the county's Web site. Currently, residents have to either bring their complaints to county offices in Leesburg or mail them in.
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com