By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
Covington Commissioners agreed Tuesday to approve an order to allow the city to accept opioid settlement money from Purdue Pharma for the impact the opioid crisis has had on the city.
Purdue Pharma, which made OxyContin, filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after numerous lawsuits were brought against it, including one from Covington. Purdue Pharma’s representatives have worked out a bankruptcy reorganization that will settle all lawsuits for $4.25 billion and will stop all litigation against the Sackler family that owns the company.
The money will then be divided among state and local governments.
Mayor Joseph U. Meyer said Tuesday night that many state attorney generals have recommended that governments approve the settlement. Up to 15 states have already agreed.
Moments later, the commissioners were on board, too.
“This resolution to the mediation is an important step toward providing substantial resources for people and communities in need,” representatives of the Sackler family said in a statement last week. “The Sackler family hopes these funds will help achieve that goal.”
The deadline to decide was Wednesday, which is why the Covington commission decided to go into a special legislative portion of their regularly scheduled caucus meeting Tuesday night. After deciding to support the settlement, the Commission then went back to the rest of their caucus agenda.
Change order for levee landslide
Commissioners will consider another update — this time for $14,850 — for investigation into the Glenway and Wallace Avenue levee landslide.
In July 2020, ECS Midwest LLC was awarded a contract to study the levee landslide. But after finding more problems than originally were thought, the contract has been updated twice to keep testing the site.
This change order is for a third update, to keep investigating inclinometer readings that — as project engineer Rich Anthony says — indicate the land is still moving.
Anthony noted it will take a “major engineering project” to solve the problem.
“It’s definitely bad,” agreed Commissioner Michelle Williams, who said she recently drove down to the site. “There are major, major cracks in the levee. We need to be proactive.”
Christopher Myers appointment
Commissioners will consider approving Christopher Myers, the city’s preservation and planning specialist, to Regulatory Services Manager, at next week’s legislative meeting.
Resignations and promotions
Several resignations and promotions will be approved at next week’s legislative meeting, including:
• The resignation of Assistant City Manager Bruce Applegate;
• In the police department: the resignations of Pat Swift, Jim West, Jim Isaacs, Jess Hamblin, Scott Dames and Tony Hill; and the promotions of: Justin Wietholter, Matt Winship, Josh Bornhorn, Josh Haggard, Jason Hartzler and Justin Meyer;
• In the fire department: the resignations of Tara Black, David Dorr, Joseph Finan, Micah Foster, David Geiger, Michael Harris, John Hofstetter and Michael Lee; and the promotions of Gary Rucker, Deye, Averbeck, Masson, Wyatt, Gray-Schaefer, Vance, Grady, Bolyard, Eggemeier, Johnson, Vogelpohl, Oberjohann, Meyer, Ausdenmore and Bumpus.
Westside vacant development
Next week, the commission will consider an order to select Orleans Development and the Center for Great Neighborhoods as the developers for vacant, city-owned properties in the Westside neighborhood.
On March 23, the city issued an RFP looking for a developer for 11 vacant city-owned parcels and one single family structure in the Westside neighborhood. They received five responses from developers, and a selection committee made up of economic development and neighborhood services staff ranked the submissions.
“The committee is unanimously recommending that Orleans development and The Center for Great Neighborhoods be selected,” city documents say.
The cost will be $150,000.
Next meeting
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a legislative meeting held at 6 p.m., July 20, 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, and the TBNK Roku channels.