Neighbors Help Out On City Cleanup Day In Beacon

Left to Right: Shawn Maxwell, Ron Ferree and Tom VanDerVeer plan their next course of action Monday

Beacon, Iowa – The rumble of diesel motors filled the streets of this small town of less than 500 on Monday morning shortly after 7:30 am. There, trucks from the county could be seen working with an end loader and labor from a couple of dedicated city council members and its mayor Shawn Maxwell.

Beacon Mayor Shawn Maxwell said that the day gives residents an opportunity to get rid of things that aren’t your normal every day trash such as bigger items that may have been hiding out in the garage.

Maxwell said “there is no cost to the homeowners, and no cost to the city.” This is accomplished by cooperation between the county and the landfill, for the smaller towns around, in an effort to help keep things looking clean and clutter free.

By 11 am, Maxwell said that about three-fourths of the town had been cleaned up already, “We’re looking good.”

Maxwell, who’s been a resident of Beacon for the past ten years, can remember the city-wide cleanup happening for at least 8 years, but he’s not sure if it’s been going on longer than before he moved to town.

Maxwell and council member Tom VanDerVeer also took the day off from work to help out, and they were joined by council member Ron Ferree as well.