Rushville, IL – Rushville's mayor would like to turn some vacant lots into community gardens.
Scott Thompson says nothing can be built on the city owned lots. He would like the community to get involved to turn them into something that looks appealing. "If folks are interested in putting their talents to use, I think it'd be really nice," says Thompson. "Honestly it would probably make some of these blocks look even better than they do right now."
"Basically we have these lots that get mowed and that's about it," says Thompson. "If we put them to use for the benefit of the community, that would be an appropriate step for the city to take."
Thompson says the city would still own the property, but residents would be in charge of cleaning and maintaining it. "The hope would be there would be a group of citizens that will get together," says Thompson. "It'd be up to the group to mow the areas that aren't planted, take the garden down at the end of the year, and keep the property up."
He says vacant lots can be found in each of the city's four wards. Thompson got the community garden idea from Rock Island.