By Kelsi Langston
For the Miami Valley Today
COVINGTON — During this week’s Covington village council meeting, it was announced that phase one of the High Street Project will begin on April 11. The Ohio Department of Transportation is leading the project and has awarded the bid to Barrett Paving. Village Administrator Kyle Hinkelman stated there will be plenty of signage throughout the three-phase project, directing residents and visitors towards detours as well as to downtown businesses.
“So it’s going to be clear how we get people to our downtown businesses, where we park them, how we can make sure that we are servicing the needs of all those businesses, each phase of this process,” Hinkelman said. The three phases are as follows: Dodd Street to Spring Street, Spring Street to Wright Street, and Wright Street to U.S. State Route 36. A timeline for the rest of the project will be laid out at a future date.
An update was also given on the Wastewater Treatment Plant project, which is still in the design phase. That phase is expected to end in August, with construction estimated to begin in January of 2023. Hinkelman shared that in addition to the first phase of Schoolhouse Park beginning, the village is still waiting on the results of a federal grant application that would pay for the demolition of the Rudy elevator, as well as the foundation of the roadway to be built in its place.
Mayor Ed McCord commended Police Chief Lee Harmon on his recertification as a Law Enforcement Executive. The certification is offered by the Law Enforcement Foundation and the Ohio Association of Police Chiefs.
“That’s really important in this day and age that we have a police chief that values his own education,” Mayor McCord said. “It is a very important distinction and it’s not something people hand you, it’s something you have to go get. And [Chief Harmon] has had this for a very long time.”
First readings were held for three resolutions and two new ordinances. Two resolutions pertained to the Schoolhouse Park project and authorized the village to enter into agreements for site design, architectural design, and utility aspects. The third resolution will allow for owners of properties to encroach into the right-of-way during the High Street Project. The first ordinance authorizes the replat of two inlots as residents have signed a purchase agreement for a strip of land. The second ordinance authorizes the transfer and reappropriation of funds. All resolutions and ordinances were waived of the three reading rule and approved. There were no second readings.
Third and final readings were held for two resolutions, one of which allows the village to dispose of surplus items. These items have been classified as “junk signs,” although some may be donated to the Covington Historical Society pending a query into their age and value. The other resolution authorized the appointment of three new members to the Planning and Zoning committees. The council approved both resolutions.
