by Matt Marquardt –
MASON CITY – Ruby Kopps still loves her home, even if she feels a little boxed in these days.
Ruby lives on South Washington Avenue, right behind the expanding Harley Davidson dealership. You might have seen her son, Rick Kopps, from Denver, Iowa, speak at a couple of recent city council meetings in Mason City.
Ruby was in the extreme south east corner of her back yard on Sunday afternoon with her daughter, Kathy Franklin of Mason City, raking the ground and primping the bushes.
“We just carry on,” Ruby said, “even with all this activity going on, I still live here.”
I asked her about City Hall giving away the alley she shares with the Harley dealership.
“Oh, that’s a done deal. They use it a lot. Their delivery trucks block it all the time so I couldn’t get my garbage picked up. They were nice enough to let me throw it all in their dumpster back here,” Ruby said, pointing to several dumpsters parked right up to her south property line.
I asked Ruby how much communication she has had with City Hall over the alley deal.
“Not so much as a peep. Not one letter, not one phone call, not a knock on the door,” she said, shaking her head, as Kathy nodded in agreement.
“I would have expected something from them,” Kathy said. “Seems like the deal (for the alley) got done without talking to us. They could have at least called.”
Ruby’s home is the last house on the block; Harley owns everything else. Asked if she plans to stay, Kathy said the house has been in the family for years and years, but that “the lawyers are handling all that. There’s been a low offer, one we wouldn’t accept. But we’d be open to selling if the price is right.”
As Harley installs new parking lots and the City Council prepares to vote on Tuesday night on final reading to give away the alley, Ruby plans to go on as usual at her home.
“This is my home, and I like it here,” Ruby said, stuffing leaves into a lawn bag.
Really just pathetic the city couldn’t send a letter to this nice lady about Bookmeyer giving away our alley over some bourbons. If only she was a country club member she wouldn’t be squezzed out. I hope she keeps living there for years.
Illegal to burn yard waste in MC isn’t it?
Open your eyes she putting leaves in a bag, there is no burning going on.
How do you get burning yard waste out of this article or the picture?
As usual, City Hall could care less about the average tax payer. They could have talked to this poor woman and tried to be fair and work something out between her and Harley Davison, but they don’t care. They are kind of like Mercy, just forge ahead and who cares about the tax payer and how it affects their home and their life. Harley Davidson should be sending someone over to her house to do her yard work, snow removal, etc. since they have inconvenienced her. Do the right thing for a change and quit bullying people!
How is she being “bullied”?
am pretty sure that someone from H-D of MC does take care of her snow removal, but not her yard work since that is something that she actually enjoys doing..also, Harley-Davidson brings in more than just a little bit of revenue for the city and it’s tax payers..so i respect you being a “concerned” citizen, but maybe you should also try being an informed citizen..and after reading this article, i in no way got the feeling that Ms. Kopps should be referred to as “poor woman”, she seems to be ok w/how things have transpired, focus your concern on something that actually is “of concern”.