The lawn is mowed, now what?

Union file photo Iowa Wesleyan University, in Mt. Pleasant, maintenance for the campus is currently in the air as ownership transfers due to the closure.

MT. PLEASANT — As Iowa Wesleyan classes have officially come to an end for the final time, students, staff, and other employees have left the campus empty and the community concerned about upkeep.

On March 28 the university announced the official closure of IW to take effect May 31, and they have already began to limit access to buildings on campus as they wait for the United States Department of Agriculture to take control of the property June 1.

However, a neglected lawn already shows signs of the void left behind for the city and surrounding area of Mt. Pleasant.

According to Henry County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Chad White, the newly formed task force designed to represent the community for Economic Development pertaining to the IW campus, recently approved a generous gesture for Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility’s inmates to take care of mowing before the holiday weekend.

“The campus out there had been mowed by inmate labor by the local prison,” White said. “They came out and mowed. I understand it is going to be a onetime type of thing, but it did get mowed for the weekend.”

Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility Warden Marcy Stroud confirmed the intent of this program as a onetime occurrence.

According to Stroud, when a group of former facility and alumni took action to ask for help maintaining the campus lawn, she stated she heard the USDA expressed gratitude.

Henry County Supervisor Mark Lindeen asked White if there were any future plans for maintaining the grounds.

“It was talked about, but it was outside the realm of the meeting of authorizing that,” White responded. “Right now, that would fall back on the Iowa Wesleyan board of trustees asking for that and trying to implement that.”

According to Stroud, the USDA is currently working on setting up a contract for regular mowing.

Stroud also shared that this same group of inmates will provide labor for moving items to a centralized location on campus.

While the lawn is now mowed, many still wonder about the fate of the 60-acre campus as the USDA takes over.

The task force created by the Area Development Commission continues to ask for input from the community as they head into the unknown and encourage input through their website: www.imagineemp.com

“Welcome to Mt. Pleasant in Henry County, home to Iowa Wesleyan University for 181 years. This page is designed to be a communication avenue as the campus of Iowa Wesleyan University finds its next purpose,” the website welcomes visitors.

“Building on past endeavors, the community has many accomplishments. Everyone has played an integral part in providing a can-do environment for development and employment opportunities. We will continue with the same positive outlook and look forward to a new purpose of the campus of Iowa Wesleyan University,” it states.

“Imagine what Mt. Pleasant will be …” the Area Development Commission Task Force for IW campus invites on the website.

The website offers a simple form that encourages sharing ideas and asking questions for the next potential use of the land and buildings.

Additionally, the website offers a campus map for a better understanding of the 11 commercial buildings, nine residential halls, and multiple National Register of Historic Places buildings with an uncertain future ahead.