The Kenton County Mayors’ group met at the Crestview Hills city building to share notes on what is currently happening in each city.
Ron Washington was up first, and he mentioned the Bridging the Gap program that the city has started which is a campaign to let neighbors know they are open for business. They want people to know that Covington is open and available as the closing of the Fourth Street bridge approaches, and the work on the Brent Spence bridge has started to gear up.
Washington reminded everyone that he was able to acquire $750,000 from Frankfort to be able to quell the anxiety of the business owners by marketing Covington and letting people know that it is easy to come downtown.
A question was asked about how the two way streets on Scott and Greenup were working.This fall the city changed the downtown portions of Scott and Greenup Streets into two way streets from the river to 12th street.
“As you know, Greenup and Scott actually started in 1998; the community came together – three neighborhoods – and wanted to turn the two streets back,” Washington said. “And we have just now been able to do it. There was a lot of apprehension with that. It’s been accepted very well. We have only had one accident, it was a pedestrian that was struck, and it was the pedestrian’s fault.”
“If you have never driven up those streets the opposite direction that you are used to, you are going to see some of the most beautiful houses,” said Washington. “It is amazing when you go the opposite direction now, and you see these large houses, it opens eyes. The complaints just stop. I get nothing now. Which as you all know is a good thing. It’s incredible. Good stuff.”
Park Hills Mayor Kathy Zembrodt mentioned that her granddaughter lives on Greenup, and she told her that it had drastically slowed traffic and she can now get out of her driveway easier.
A question was asked about how long the Fourth Street Bridge is going to be closed, and Sebastian Torres, Director of External Affairs and Senior Counsel for Covington said they think it will be 2½ years, but he sent a letter to Frankfort, and even the Judge Executive Kris Knochelmann signed it asking if they could possibly shave 6 months off the time, which Emergency Management Director for Kenton County Steve Hensley said is now slated for August of 2028.
Mayor Washington said there is a lot going on in the city, and he listed the projects; Fourth Street Bridge, Brent Spence Bridge, convention center renovation, Chase/UK, and then the CCR or former IRS site. He said it is going to be a busy next few years.
“Good stuff but it’s going to be something to manage,” he commented.
During Lakeside Park Mayor Paul Markgraf’s report on his city, someone asked if his post office is closing. Markgraf said he heard rumors, but Edgewood mayor John Link jumped in and said he thinks it is definite that the post office on Buttermilk, as well as the post office in Erlanger, are both closing, and all the mail will be handled out at the airport.
“It was supposed to happen in September and October, but it hasn’t happened as of yet,” said Link. “The carriers are all aware of it, and I don’t know when they’ll make the public aware of it, maybe not until they close. The boxes will still be available, but there won’t be any people. And Lakeside Christian wants to buy the post office next to them. They are getting pretty definite about it now, the new electric trucks are coming out, and they will be working with them. I just hear that from the carriers.”
Link went on to say their Krogers is up and running and doing very well, although he joked that he still felt like he was walking into Kmart.
John Cole, mayor of Ryland Heights, explained that in January they are planning to renovate the only boat ramp in Kenton County on the Licking River. He said he wanted to contact Kenton County to see if they can help the city apply for grants. Fish and Wildlife had offered one year to take the boat ramp over and they had the paperwork drawn up and they were going to buy it for $250,000, but suddenly they told the city they were out of money and they were backing out of the deal. Cole said the boat ramp is really in demand, specifically for fishing boats, and he said the scenery around there is outstandingly beautiful.
Jeannine Bell Smith, council member from Crescent Springs, told the group that they have a traffic problem, and she has dubbed it the Buttermilk fiasco. Villa Hills Mayor Heather Jansen said that it is a problem for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and that the cities can’t really do anything about it.
While on the subject, Crestview Hills Mayor Paul Meier said that for some reason, the wideloads are no longer going under Turkeyfoot Road along I-275, they are going up the ramp on Turkeyfoot road and across the road and down the next ramp.
“The problem is there is a median there,” he stated. “So if you see yellow cones out there for a median, it’s because two of the trucks have already taken out the median.”
Steve Hensley said while they were reaching out to Google to try and control traffic, he found out that apparently they are telling the drivers to go that way, but not telling them there is a median.
“It’s not been good,” said Meier.
Ft Mitchell Mayor, and candidate for Kenton County Sheriff, Jude Hehman, said he has been promised that Royal Drive will be paved, but he is very skeptical of the promise. He said the area of Orphanage and Buttermilk Pike is still a priority for realignment, and he said Representative Kim Banta promised that it is still high priority.
Kenton County Commissioner Jon Draud asked if the mayors and the state leaders would consider backing a bill that he said Kim Banta might propose to state legislators about making it mandatory for all high schools to educate students about government, so they are not so ignorant about the governmental processes.
“They don’t even know the three branches of government,” he stated. “I would like to make it mandatory that students have to demonstrate competency in American government in order to graduate.”
Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette said that workers are busy transforming the old Peecox building at Donaldson and Houston into a medical marijuana building. She also hinted that the cities need to get with her about a traffic change on Dixie Highway that she said has to be addressed.
Steve Hensley said the state has told him that during the next six months there will be impactful work started on the new Brent Spence bridge, but he warned that along with the impactful work there will be impactful traffic.
Kenton County PDS Executive Director Josh Wice reminded the mayors that cities will have to adopt a text amendment to their regular zoning code and update it to comply with the new law about quality manufactured housing being added to the definition of single family homes, since it will become law on July 1. He also told the group that people have a right to build on their own property.
The next mayors’ meeting will be in January, but on the fourth Saturday, January 24t, at the Ft Mitchell city building at 2355 Dixie Highway.