By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
PARK HILLS
Park Hills City Council discussed a municipal order which will provide Notre Dame Academy with a School Resource Officer. The terms of the agreement is similar to the agreement the city has with Covington Catholic, where the school pays for the officer, and the city pays for the week he is not at the school. Even though it seemed like a straightforward agreement, council member Sarah Froelich had several questions, which Mayor Kathy
Zembrodt and council member Pam Spoor answered.
Police Chief Cody Stanley couldn’t attend the meeting, but he sent a statement which read, “We’ll cover the weapons, uniforms, take home cruiser and training if it’s not during the school year. I understand there are some on council who believe we should not be financing any of the SRO expenses since this is a private school. The amount of money we’re paying to ensure the safety of children under our care is embarrassingly minimal. Elsmere is paying a third (roughly $22,000) for the St Henry SRO. Ft Mitchell PD has an agreement with Blessed Sacrament that mirrors our agreements with CCH and NDA.” He also stated that he thinks the city has a responsibility to protect all the people in the city, regardless of sexual orientation, or religious belief, regardless of the cost.
Froelich still wanted more information.
When the mayor called for a vote to pass the municipal order accepting the agreement, Froelich and Council members Laura Cardosi and Emily Sayers voted against it while Spoor, and council members Steve Elkins and Greg Claypole voted for it. This resulted in the first ever tie in Mayor Zembrodt’s mayoral history, and she broke the tie with a yes vote. The three who voted no specified that they needed more clarification.
A municipal order passed which appointed Tony Darin and Dr. Joe Daugherty to the NKY Public Entity Joint Health Insurance Board as representative and alternate respectively.
FLORENCE
Florence city council passed an ordinance approving three changes: the first is a zoning map amendment from Suburban Residential One, (SR-1) and Office Two (O-2) to Commercial Services (C-3), the second is a change in concept development plan, and the third is a variance reducing the buffer yard width along the eastern boundary line from 10 feet to 3 feet for a 1.56 acre lot located at 8109 through 8113 US 42. This will allow the development of a 510 square foot drive-through only coffee shop, and a 280 square foot remote storage/cooler accessory structure. Council voted 4 to 2 to approve the ordinance.
Another second reading approved a change in development plan for a .88 acre area located on Cavalier Boulevard. The owners want to use the existing building for Life Learning Skills, Day Care, Medical, Office, and other associated uses. Council passed the ordinance unanimously.
A third second reading approved a change in concept development plan for a .16 acre area on the parking lot of Meijer, so that they can expand the electric vehicle charging stations. This ordinance also passed unanimously.
Zeb Gentry, a resident from Tamarack, asked council about the TID which passed council a few meetings ago, and he said he liked it because it would probably mean money from the state for needed road projects. He also asked if the agenda could be posted more than 24 hours in advance.
Council member Lesley Chambers brought up the fact that there are lights at the skate park so fans can skate later into the evening. She thanked Public Works director Eric Hall for his assistance with the project.
TAYLOR MILL
Taylor Mill Mayor Daniel Bell announced that the money allocated by the state of Kentucky to fix Wolf Road has finally been released to Kenton County, and they will be using that $600,000 to fix the failed parts of the road and pave the entire road, adding new guard rails where necessary, and making the road safe for everybody. To do this, they will have to close Wolf road for up to 4 to 6 weeks, and Bell said they will have plenty of signage out about when this will happen.
Commissioners passed the second reading of an ordinance which will allow an interlocal agreement with Kenton County to use the city’s opioid abatement money for a Law Enforcement Navigator Program.
The first reading of an ordinance clarifying the duties of liaisons and Chief Administrative Officer to the department heads was read.
Commissioners agreed to let the Moose lodge borrow the city’s tent for a music event on May 3.
ELSMERE
Elsmere council member Gloria Grubbs, the leader of the council, made a motion for the removal of a council member for willful neglect in the performance of her duties. Serena Owen, who was elected for her second term as a council member last November, has not attended a single council meeting since June of last year, and she only attended 16 of the 24 meetings last year. She has not attended any meetings this year. The vote was unanimous to remove her as a council member. Attorney Greg Voss said that she has 30 days to schedule a public hearing if she decides to appeal the motion.
“This has nothing to do with the mayor or the attorney,” Grubbs said. “It is difficult to go forward with this, but it is necessary. Every other avenue has been exhausted.”
Elsmere police had a busy month in February. Police Chief Russell Wood related how he himself was the first one on the scene on February 6 when an assault was called in front of St Henry elementary school. It appears that a man was holding his girlfriend against her will, and even after she ran away from him and parents in the school lot helped her, more officers had to help out and arrest the man.
Later in the month, on February 20, the same couple had a similar scene of potential kidnapping.
On February 8 a missing person was reported and was finally located and returned to her home.
Also on February 20, police followed up a report that there was going to be an attack in Elsmere by the police in southern Kentucky which had to be investigated, and also during the month there was a threat against St Henry, which was investigated and proved to be a prank, but spurred extra protection at the school.
Mayor Marty Lenhof reported that most of the renovations of the basement at the senior center will be completed by Friday, and they plan to have a grand opening type of celebration.
COVINGTON
The Covington Commission meeting began with several police officers and firefighters being honored for their heroic actions on January 27 where a perpetrator led police on a chase that ended on the Brent Spence bridge. The person got out of the car and ended up hiding beneath the bridge, and with the help of boats and drones police were able to locate the person and help him get down because he was very cold by then.
A representative from Barnes and Dennig gave the mayor and commissioners a report on the annual audit.
City Manager Ken Smith announced that the work has begun on the project to change Scott and Greenup Streets to two-way streets north of 12th Street. First of all, some concrete repair work needs to be done, and then Madison, Scott and Greenup will be repaved. Then they will all be two-way streets.
An order passed which authorized the mayor to execute a second addendum to the agreement with Pepper Construction regarding the construction of a new city hall.
Mayor Ron Washington asked Director of Special Projects and Intergovernmental Affairs Elizabeth Wetzel if there will be any additional cost to the construction since the city is changing to a Mayor/council form of government, and she said there is not necessarily an extra cost.
Mayor Washington had a message for Frankfort, on the subject of short term rentals, which he said Covington researched very thoroughly.
“The long and short of it is I don’t believe that Frankfort should necessarily be trying to set policy on these issues for the city of Covington,” he stated. “I think it’s best for local control. I just wanted to put this on the record.”
BOONE COUNTY
Several residents from the Orleans subdivision in Boone County to complain about the severity of the amount and speed of the traffic that comes down Longbranch, and then are funneled onto Orleans Boulevard. Resident after resident told horror stories about not being able to get out of their driveway, or their mailbox being hit several times, and even that they won’t let their children ride the school bus because cars regularly drive around the bus, putting children in life threatening situations.There is a roundabout where people speed and residents can’t let their kids and grandkids go out in their front yard.
Orleans boulevard, or ‘little Orleans’ is in Florence and surrounding areas are in the county, so residents are sent to Florence, where they are referred to the county and vice versa, and the problem is getting much worse.
“It’s a bad place to be, and we didn’t realize it when we bought the property,” said Brittany Fritsch, who lives in ‘little Orleans’ and has a Kindergarten age daughter who can’t even be in their front yard safely. “We pound our heads and say, this is awful! Our property values are going down.”
Trevor Nelson, who lives in the area, suggested that the county straighten out Longbranch so it doesn’t dump into Orleans Boulevard and extend it out so it comes out on US 42.
It does not look like it will get better any time soon because two new neighborhoods are scheduled to go in around this area, one with 500 new homes and another with 350 new homes.
There is a meeting on transportation scheduled for April 22 from 5-8 p.m. at the Extension office. In the meantime, the county police will look at the situation, to try and slow the traffic down.
Commissioners listened to the first reading of an ordinance asking for a zoning map amendment for 28.4 acres of a 32.2 acre site in Boone County near the Dinsmore homestead. The owner, Susan Shuffett, wants to build a smaller home on the site, and would like the zoning to be Agricultural 1 instead of Industrial 1 which was for the mining that the family engaged in at some point in the past.
The company that had been scheduled to demolish the amphitheater in Boone Woods park has entered bankruptcy, so the county notified O’Rourke Construction, who was the second lowest bidder on the project, and they will take on the project for $33,800.
A resolution concerning the proposed Public Safety Communication Center/Emergency Management Facility Design Services approving an amendment to the contract was approved. The original approved price was $490,000, but the county’s decision to add an additional scope of service added $72, 556, making the total cost $562,556.
Commissioners approved a transfer of $1,837,667 so that the Boone County TID project can have the money to start the project of installing turn lanes up front, and then the state will reimburse the money.
KENTON COUNTY
Neel Reddy, a newly awarded Eagle Scout from troop 236, came to the meeting with his parents to show the fiscal court the bridge he built at Doe Run Park as his community project required as an Eagle Scout. As a junior in Beechwood school he enlisted the help of friends at his school as well as his fellow scouts to build the bridge. Kenton county helped in pouring the concrete. Judge Executive Kris Knochelmann presented him with a certificate of appreciation and the thanks of the court and the commissioners.
Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the city of Independence for redevelopment funds. Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman was present at the meeting to offer any information, but the agreement passed, and Reinersman said there were several areas they were looking at for redevelopment.
Commissioner Jon Draud announced that he is going to run again for office at the next election. He said facetiously that the first time he ran for office his slogan was ‘He needs something to do,’ and this time his slogan will be ‘He’s feeling sparky.’
Commissioner Joe Nienaber talked to some of the residents who came to the meeting to protest a possible rezoning of land in the southern part of the county. He said he wants to safeguard the nature of Kenton County, and he told the residents he didn’t care if they’d sold their property or not, but agreed that they should sit down and talk in a responsible and respectful manner.
LAKESIDE PARK
Lakeside Park Attorney Greg Voss read a lengthy ordinance on the procedures of running a meeting, based on KRS 83A.130, and who is in charge of most things in the city, which would be Mayor Paul Markgraf. This is due to the fact that the new council member, Cassi Schabell, has been challenging the status quo at this year’s council meetings and Mayor Markgraf felt the need to remind people of the statute regarding meetings.
An ordinance was read which permits chickens, with certain conditions, in the residents’ backyards, but no roosters.
Voss also read an amendment to the sidewalk ordinance which spells out clearly what the city expects of residents in regard to their sidewalks. Mayor Markgraf asked an outside attorney to look into the city’s sidewalk ordinance, and he recommended amending the ordinance to avoid any discrepancy or loopholes. The amendment passed 5-1, with Cassi Schabell being the dissenting vote.
A resolution allows the mayor to enter into a contract with Humphrey Concrete for the Morrow Road and Shaker road reconstruction for a price of $370,785. It was unanimously passed by council.
Another resolution passed unanimously which allows the mayor to enter into a contract with TMS Construction for the sidewalk spot replacement for a price of $53,800.
A third resolution passed which again allows the mayor to enter into a contract with Precision Construction for concrete cutting at a price of $71,190.
Council member Dennis Landwehr made a motion to have a program that allows residents to pay half of their sidewalk repair and have the city pay half. Residents can get their own contractor, and the city will pay half if it is not more than what the city’s contractor charges.
Council member Cassi Schabell objected to the fact that residents are being asked to pay a separate tax to repair a sidewalk that isn’t theirs but is, in fact, a right of way area. Mayor Markgraf said when residents buy their houses, they are informed that they are responsible for the repair of the sidewalk in front of their house.
Later in financial reports, Council member Schabell asked a question about the city’s contract with TBNK and remarked that they came to a special meeting in January but then the video was never produced. She found out that the mayor had asked that the video not be released. Mayor Markgraf said he didn’t think it was necessary so he gave instructions that it not be released. Schabell said if it was no extra cost, and the TBNK crew was at the meeting filming, why would the city not want the video? Markgraf said they would take that under consideration for the future.
Schabell also brought up the 55-plus lunches at Barleycorns and wanted to know how many people actually attend these lunches, because the pictures show some council members and their spouses, including the mayor.
Mayor Markgraf said they can’t tell her who attends but he can tell her how many usually attend, and he said he attends so that seniors can tell him their concerns about the city. Schabell said it looked a lot like a taxpayer-funded campaign event, and Markgraf shouted that she was out of order with that comment, and said there was no campaigning, that he was not up for reelection for a while, and he simply wanted to gain an insight into the needs of the seniors and provide seniors’ access to the mayor.
Markgraf said this issue should be brought up in a committee meeting.
Council member Dennis Landwehr presented a Kentucky Colonels award to Mayor Markgraf.