By Kathleen Leese

For Miami Valley Today

COVINGTON — Covington Village Council heard an update about plans for the grand opening of Schoolhouse Park and a discussion honoring Roy Weikert during its Monday, Oct. 7, meeting.

Mayor Lee Harmon told council members plans are underway for the grand opening of Schoolhouse Park, which is expected to be a big event for the village next year. As part of those plans, Harmon said there will be a meeting Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Boscoe’s Place, 20 N. High St., at 5 p.m. The meeting will include formation of a committee to plan for the celebration. Village residents are invited to attend the meeting.

Harmon also discussed a meeting he and Village Administrator Tyler Rench regarding a future project for a possible amphitheater in the village. They met with Linda (Weikert) Daniel, a family member of Roy Weikert and who represented the Roy J. Weikert Trust. Weikert was the founder, president and CEO of General Films Inc., a custom plastics company which was based in Covington. Roy Weikert passed away in 2019 at the age of 105. Harmon said they wanted to hear her vision of how to honor Weikert and his love of music. There is discussion about a possible amphitheater in his memory.

“We had a very good conversation (with Daniel),” Harmon said, noting they plan to continue discussing plans after the first of the year.

Rench updated council members about the following:

• The waste water treatment plant (WWTP), which he said is on track to be completed by the end of the month. Currently they are pouring concrete and will be doing a freshwater test run.

• The Government Center renovation, noting that there was a construction meeting on Oct. 7. The interior of the building is going well with the air handler having been delivered to the building. Custom duct work is currently being installed. Rench said everyone he spoke with on the construction team indicated Nov. 15 would be the date to plan to return business to the Government Center. He noted there may be some items that still need to be completed after returning to the building, but 85 to 90% of the building should be completed by then.

In addition, council members were told that the JEM residential development on the south side of Covington is underway. Rench said it is “really good news” for Covington, adding, “they’ve got machinery down there, starting to move dirt.”

• Those in the village who have been questioning the natural gas aggregation program can go to the village of Covington web page or to the village Facebook page and read the press release. The village of Covington has an opt-out natural gas aggregation program that has been serviced by Constellation, who has decided not to offer a renewal for the program, although residents still have the opportunity to use that gas option if they choose. The village of Covington is part of 11 communities that negotiate natural gas aggregation rates through AGE, an energy consultant. Covington residents that have questions about these issues should contact Jordan Haarmann, AGE director of procurement and business development, at 618-203-8328 or [email protected].

• Street lighting is being addressed in the village and some lights that are burned out are going to be replaced. There is a plan to replace them with LED lighting.

• The fire hydrant at Pearl Street and state Route 41 is being addressed in which he water line to the hydrant broke. The plan is to complete the work before late fall or early winter. The village is getting bids to move the hydrant to the edge of a local homeowner’s lawn, with their permission.

The Covington Street Department is also completing crack sealing around the village.

Covington Police Chief Tim Cline provided the following information:

• An update on the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and an issue involving no parking from the Fraley parking lot to the alley where the street was widened. Cline said with the widening there and no parking, it has “caused headaches and back ups there.” It was noted that ODOT would likely pay for the no parking sign since it is on a state Route. Council members decided to have Rench prepare an ordinance and bring it to the next council meeting.

• Trick-or-treat in the village will be held on Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. Covington Police will be handing out treats to children. The annual Halloween costume contest time is still being determined.

• The Winner’s Pork Chop dinner being held on Sunday, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Covington Fire and Rescue Building has sold approximately 800 tickets. He plans to have more information on the total number of dinners sold at the next council meeting.

In other business, council took action on several items including:

• An amendment to an ordinance on trash and recycling rules and regulations. Trash and recycling toters are to be out at the street on the day of collection by 7 a.m. and off of the street by 7 p.m., with toters only allowed out for 24 hours. If they remain out beyond that time, it could result in no service for that residence.

Council member Derrick Canan said a resident spoke with him about the time allowed to have the toters out, raising concerns about having to have them in by 7 p.m. Rench said he had a couple of residents call to report their neighbors were not following the rules. It was noted the 24-hour rule will extend until the next morning at 7 a.m. Cline said they usually knock on doors as a reminder if someone forgets to put up their trash toters.

Council members approved the amended ordinance for toters.

• Waived the third reading and approved a resolution authorizing the village administrator to submit paperwork for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant that potentially could allow the village to get back $245,000 for the work on Schoolhouse Park. The third reading was waived to allow Rench to get the paperwork submitted in a timely manner.

• Waived the readings and approved a resolution authorizing the village administrator to enter a lease agreement for 21 N. High St. extending the use of that location until the end of November for Government Center officials for temporary office space until they can move back to the center. The readings were waived in order to get the lease agreement completed.

• Waived the readings and approved a resolution for the authorization of recycle rates for Covington Schools. It was noted that the Covington School Board reviewed the rates and approved them at their board meeting on Sept. 23. Rench said the village is doing the same thing they did four years ago and locked in the new rates for the next four years. Since the board already approved the rates, the council approved waiving the readings.

• Approved waiving the readings and approved a change order for the WWTP project that would place the power service underground at a cost of $251,419. A low interest loan would have to be obtained to complete the work. Rench noted it is the time to complete the work since the equipment and construction crew are already on site. Council members approved the change order as an extension.

Rench said he wanted to emphasize that even though the change order was approved, it is possible the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Ohio Water Development Association (OWDA) which is the lending agency, could say no to the plans and they might not be able to complete that part of the project. The paperwork will need to be submitted first and Rench stated he wanted residents to understand there are more approvals necessary in order to complete the work.

Prior to the end of the meeting, Council member Amy Welborn shared with council members that her daughter, Eve, has been dismissed from the hospital and has returned home from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital after a lengthy stay. Council members expressed their pleasure that she is back home.

The next meeting of the Covington Council will be held on Oct. 21 at the Covington Fire and Rescue Building at 7 p.m.