Vacant home at 222 Shalley Drive experiencing vandalism, property owner needs to secure structure

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 2:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

Neighbors of the home at 222 Shalley Drive have been reporting to the Plymouth Police Department vandalism at the vacant home. Individuals have broken windows and forced the door open to gain access to the structure, which sits in the floodplain.

During Monday night’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, the City Building Commissioner said some access points have been boarded up, but people are still getting in. The property owner needs to get someone to address the issues.

Owner of the property, Doctor John and Rhonda Marshall, purchased the property in August 2019 for $30,000 by warranty deed from the Secretary of Housing & Urban Development.

Former city attorney Sean Surrisi attended the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on another issue but explained the city had planned to purchase the property with FEMA funds granted to move homeowners out of floodplains. The city was awarded funds to purchase that property in 2019, plus the law office on East Jefferson Street near the Boys & Girls Club and the final home on Garro Street across from River Park Square.

Surrisi said the city wasn’t notified for almost a year of the award, and once they found out, COVID was in full swing, and the costs of homes and building materials skyrocketed, so the city didn’t have enough grant money to purchase the Shalley Drive home.

Mayor Listenberger told board members he was having a meeting with Dr. Marshall on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the issues and asked them to table any action on the homeowner or property until he was able to meet privately with him.

The Board approved the mayor’s request and tabled any action.