By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Covington Mayor Joseph Meyer hit on all local topics at the Covington Rotary Club, during their Tuesday afternoon meeting at the Radisson Hotel.
“City government,” he said, “can improve the quality of life to solve problems. Progress is being made city wide.”
On the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project:
“We’re a different voice here in Covington,” he told the assembled group, “We’re composed of different voices.”
And those “different voices” – at least out of Covington – will create a new bridge connecting Covington to Cincinnati – toll free.
When?
“That,” he said, “I don’t have the answer for you.”
He admitted, because of persistence and the state listening, the width of the new bridge has been narrowed some 40% — and residential relocations reduced by 97%.
The Mayor compared the bridge project to Louisville’s situation. When the new bridge was added – with a toll – people avoided it and found other routes to their destinations.
And with the toll-free concept, Meyer said, 25 Covington homes will not be taken and seven businesses will be saved.
Land acquisition will be reduced by 11 acres, and new storm sewer to correct the historic street flooding issues as well as a community engagement process through an aesthetics committee, to address noise, and light pollution, improved connectivity and other design impacts will be added as well.
“Words to describe the change in Covington in the past five years fail me,” he said. “Just walk around and feel the change, the vibrancy, the excitement.”
In fact, Rotary President Florence Tandy added: “Mayor Meyer has done more for the city of Covington in his past six years than any of the past five or six mayors,” she said, “And I know them all.”
Meyer says in the past two years the city announced 3,741 new jobs, over $143 million in private investment; filled 422,531 square feet of office space, brought eight regional or national headquarters to the city.
“The city’s support extends far beyond the big headline grabbing projects,” he said. “Small business is the lifeblood and the heart of the city. Our internationally recognized Small Business Program has assisted 155 small businesses and storefronts since 2017.”
Some additional remarks by Mayor Meyer:
• The Covington Central Riverfront redevelopment area – the IRS site – the demolition will be concluded by September 30 – all the buildings, concrete, asphalt, underground storage tanks removed and the site will be shovel ready. Covington has contracted with KZF as the principal lead for the engineering and architectural services for the horizontal infrastructure. As for the development, Covington will handle it differently. When Cincinnati did the Banks and when Newport did Ovation they engaged a master developer for the entire project – Covington’s plan calls for the complete reversal of the 1960s urban renewal, restoring the urban grid, and a more traditional development approach.
• On the housing side there are more than 1,000 market rate housing units – both rental and home ownership – in some phase of development to recently-completed.
• Demographic change is positive – the percentage of Covington’s population with a BA or more has grown 40% in the past five years. At 28%, Covington’s percentage of the population with a BA or more exceeds the state percentage.
• Median household income has grown from $35,664 to $46,035 a 29% improvement. The poverty rate is down 15%, still high at 23%, but trending in the right direction.
• Covington traditionally has been to go-to city for social services and taxpayer subsidized housing. The poverty rate has been high. About 2,800 apartments or over 15% of the housing units in Covington are taxpayer subsidized. This year, Covington will spend over $10 million of ARPA funds for next year. Covington will help over 50 income qualified families become homeowners and will set aside $500,000 for home repairs assistance.
“Our problem,” he said, “is that Covington is picking up responsibility for the entire region. The poor in Kenton County outside Covington exceed the number in Covington. Boone County has more poor than Covington, so does Campbell County. Covington doesn’t have the capacity to meet the needs of the entire region. We’ll do our share, and then some, but we can’t do it all.”
• A new City Hall is in the works for Scott Street between 6th and 7th.