By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
As he can do, Mayor Joseph U. Meyer left his most notable comments for the end of the city’s regularly scheduled caucus Commission meeting Tuesday night.
But this time, his comments centered on the recent announcement of a new bridge project over the Ohio River.
Some background: On Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced plans to jointly apply for $2 billion in federal grants to fund a new bridge for Interstates 71 and 75 across the Ohio River. Of major interest to locals is that this project — as it is currently proposed — will not require tolls, something Mayor Meyer has championed for years. He continued to do so Tuesday night.
“Building this bridge without tolls would be such a relief to this community,” he said. “The next step is to continue to work and minimize the negative impact that this community will face during construction and after construction.”
Meyer went on to note a study that shows 77,000 cars a day could be diverted by a toll bridge.
Beshear said he hopes the project can start next year, and some have estimated it could take seven years to complete. But Meyer said both governors’ staffs have committed to working with Covington, and he said he hopes the project might take more like five years.
2:30 a.m. liquor fee
In February, Commissioner Ron Washington suggested lowering the 2:30 a.m. liquor license fee from $5,000 to $3,000. City staff also used the opportunity to revise the ordinance to align the annual permit term with the ABC license renewal schedule, which is Dec. 1 to Nov. 30.
The ordinance will have a first reading at next week’s legislative meeting.
Parks and Recreation
Parks and recreation staff presented a draft of a Master Plan. Since 2019 and 2020, officials conducted engagement events, consulted professionals, and have come up with a document that incorporates upgraded facilities, amenities, programming and the creation of publicly desired new facilities.
In summary, people stated they wanted:
More health and wellness activities
Concerts
Art performances
More hiking and walking trails
Dog parks
New and updated restrooms
Improved safety lighting
These improvements will make up their mission and goals for the next decade.
The actual Master Plan will probably not be ready for next week’s legislative meeting, but could be ready for three weeks from now.
Dyer considered for promotion
Due to the death of Engineer Dave Studer, the Covington Fire Department has a vacancy in the position.
Commissioners were asked to consider the promotion of firefighter Krista Dyer to the position.
The request was put on next week’s consent agenda.
Reappointment
Meyer announced a reappointment for John Steinman to the Covington Motor Vehicle Parking Authority.
This will also be on next week’s consent agenda.
Davidson present
New City Solicitor David Davidson was present at his first Commission meeting Tuesday night — which was also his first day of work.
“Thank you, I’m happy to be here,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the work, I really am.”
Chemical plant legal action
Commissioner Shannon Smith asked City Manager Ken Smith if there were any updates in the possibility of legal action against Interplastic Corporation at 3535 Latonia Ave. in Fort Wright.
In January, a shelter-in-place order was issued for those living within a mile of the chemical plant, due to an explosion involving a storage vessel housing a polyester resin. Emergency crews responded, and after a clean-up the emergency order was lifted around 2 a.m.
While no injuries were reported and there was only minor property damage, this was not the first time the building has been a problem, and Commissioners asked the city manager to look into what legal action could be taken.
Tuesday night, Ken Smith responded by saying it would probably best be handled by the new city
solicitor.
Davidson then noted that the issue would be a high priority.
Downing absent
Commissioner Tim Downing was absent Tuesday night.
Next Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a legislative meeting held at 6 p.m., March 8, 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.