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FT. MADISON, IA. -- The city of Fort Madison finally has ended a long time battle.

City Manager Byron Smith says this property at 1335 Avenue E has been a problem for the city for as long as he's been in his current position, which is almost a year and a half.

The city has been trying to get the people who live at the property to clean it up for the past 18 months and finally got fed up.

It purchased the property located across the street from Lincoln Elementary School for $9,000.

The city closed on the property Friday, May 21 and already had workers on site cleaning it up that afternoon.

"I think this was a special case because of, sitting across from an elementary school, along one of our main streets, we just wanted to take aggressive action to fix this," said Smith.

Smith says the city has two options for this property.

It will either be bid out to be rehabbed or torn down to make a parking lot for Lincoln Elementary School.