She drives on, looking for properties that deserve the praise of the city, and nods from their neighbors for how beautifully they are kept. When she finds a winner, she lets the city know, and the owners receive city proclamations, along with photo collages that Coombs frames at her own expense, plus a sign to display in their yards.
This is a passion for Coombs, 70, who calls herself “a minor sleuth,” and has been designating properties for appearance awards about 10 years now.
Back in about 2005, while visiting a friend’s house out in Butler County, “I happened to see a sign on a property for an award,” she said. “And I said, ‘We should do that.’”
And she did.
She looks for elegance, especially beautiful simplicity. She values homeowners who tend their properties themselves over those who write checks to landscapers or gardeners.
Each year, she starts in May and gives monthly awards through October — including, this year, for Halloween. She also lately also presents an award for residences that are beautifully decorated for Christmas.
“I love this city,” said Coombs, who grew up in the Cleveland area and married Hamilton native Bill Coombs in 1979. He has told people he is very proud of her gardening and appearance-award efforts.
“Ann and her small team of volunteers provide great value to our collective efforts to improve our city’s appearance,” said Mayor Patrick Moeller. “Ann selects ‘ordinary’ people from each of our neighborhoods who are not really ordinary. These citizens care about the appearance of their homes and their neighborhoods.”
“Extraordinary Ann Coombs and the extraordinary people she recognizes at City Council meetings inspire all of us,” Moeller added. “It is rewarding and fun to honor these good citizens.”
As Coombs discusses her civic contributions — she also has volunteered about four decades as an election poll worker and now is on four boards — the simple but elegant mood ring she wears is the color of indigo, which she says represents love.
“I do it because I want to repay everyone who was so nice to me when I had breast cancer,” she says.
It was in 1990 that she found a lump.
When she finds a meticulous property in a downtrodden neighborhood — a sign the owners are working hard to uplift the corner of Hamilton where they live — “I’m just overwhelmed,” she said.
“People will just jump up and down,” Coombs said of her announcement to recipients. “They’ll say, ‘Really? Really, me?!?’
“And I’ll say can you go to council?” she added.
Their response often is: "City Council?!?"
About 10 years ago, B Street resident Ron Sheyer was the first recipient.
“I think they (the awards) are great,” Sheyer said, when Coombs revisited his house, still lovely. “It gives the people incentive.”
Sheyer himself was motivated by different reasons than many: “This house has been in my family a long time,” he said.
About the Author