By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
There’s a new City Hall on the horizon.
And Commissioners agreed that next week, they will hear some details, including milestones on a timeline and design for a new building.
“Staff is requesting time to make a brief presentation regarding the timeline and key steps for the design and construction of a new City Hall,” documents said. Mayor Joseph U. Meyer, as well as the other commissioners — meeting at their regularly scheduled caucus meeting Tuesday night — agreed to make room in next week’s legislative schedule for the presentation.
While no more details were provided on the presentation, the city did release a statement earlier in the day announcing the search for an architectural firm to design the building.
The city issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) on Sept. 1 for a “qualified, competent, knowledgeable, and experienced architectural firm” to design the new building, a replacement
for their current home, where officials have worked for the past 10 years.
“I want this to be a building that the community can really be proud of,” said Meyer said. “I want it represent this generation’s aspirations for future generations.”
In 2019, the city asked the public what they would like to see in a new City Hall, and then created a task force to create characteristics for the site.
“The opportunity to build a new City Hall is pretty rare,” Meyer said then. “The temporary home on Pike Street is our fifth since the 1960s. It’s time to take the long-term view – planning
not for the next decade but maybe for the next century. As Americans, we tend to take the short-term view, but this city is going to be here for 500 years, or as long as the river we’re built on.”
Residents determined that a new City Hall should:
• Be in a visible, accessible and prominent site.
• Include regular community events and programming.
• Include “a place for community voice, debate, and demonstrations.”
• Celebrate the city’s architectural diversity and history.
The city’s RFQ set these top principles:
• Foster multiple connected venues for broad civic engagement. Meet people where they are.
• Provide many reasons to come to City Hall. Covington’s City Hall should be as vibrant and diverse as the city itself.
• Build Covington’s public square. A new City Hall is as much about the future of Covington’s public realm as it is about a new building.
• Be a center of design and culture. The building’s design should be at the center of Covington’s differentiation strategy.
• A building clearly identifiable as a home for city government and meant to last a century or more for future generations.
The presentation will be made at next week’s legislative meeting.
ARPA grants
Commissioners also heard proposals for three more American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants:
• $85,000 for the Learning Grove NaviGo Workforce Development Program, with an Oct. 1 start date, and a goal to assist 120 families.
• $200,000 for the Life Learning Center to create a Retool, Rebound, Recover Program, with an Oct. 1 start date, and a goal to assist 215 Covington resident families.
• 100,000 for the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, for Expanding Workforce Development and Job Training Services, with an Oct. 1 start date, and a goal to assist 550 Covington individuals.
The grants were placed on the consent agenda for next week.
Valenti to be Sworn in as Chief
Last week, Lt. Col. Brian Valenti was named interim police chief. Next week, the interim tag will officially be removed.
“He’s had a week,” Mayor Meyer joked. “Does he still want the job?”
Apparently, he does. Next week, he will be sworn in officially, in a ceremony with family and friends.
John R. Green project
Commissioners heard a proposal to transfer documents in conjunction with the sale of a portion of the John R. Green development.
“The city issued Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRB)
for this project and the developer wants to sell a portion of the project to an interested buyer and to also assign the developer’s interest in the bonds,” documents say.
In 2018, the project included the building of new residential units and the restoring of the John R. Green building. This sale is for the new construction portion of the project to VP JRGLOFTS KY Owner, LLC, leaving the older restoration for continued development.
“The bonds were originally issued in a maximum principal amount of $29,912,000 and will be assigned to the new tenant entities,” documents say.
The proposal will be on the regular agenda next week.
Retirements and appointments
Commissioners also heard the proposed retirements of:
• John Purnell, Right-Of-Way Supervisor
• Bernie Sipple, Driver
And the proposed appointments of:
• Eric Leach, Board of Examiners for Police and Firefighters
• Sharon Roark-Chesser, Urban Forestry Board
• Brian Valenti, Alcoholic Beverage Control Board
Rent Subsidies and Façade Improvements
Commissioners heard proposals for:
Rent Subsidies:
• Maki Mono: $6,000 at 715 Madison Ave.
• Jennifer Lynn Pictures: $6,000 at 264 W. Pike St.
• AlloyFX: $5,100 at 621 Scott St.
And Façade Incentives:
• Provincial Properties II: $6,000 at 3414 Decoursey Ave.
• KM Holdings: $6,000 at 315 E. 15 th St.
• Mugsy Development: $6,000 at 410 Pike St.
Next Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a legislative meeting held at 6 p.m., Sept. 13, at the City Building at 20 W. Pike St. in Covington. The meetings can be
followed live on Fioptics channel 815, Spectrum channel 203, the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky (TBNK) website, the TBNK Facebook page @TBNKonline,