COVINGTON — In the village of Covington, the Mayor’s Beautification Awards were presented to homeowners who have put work into their properties to increase the attractiveness of their properties.

Mayor Ed McCord presented the awards to the homeowners of four properties during a Covington Village Council general meeting on Tuesday evening, Sep. 6.

The four recipients of the awards are the Peacock family on East Walnut Street, the Beseckers on South High Street, the Shermans on South High Street, and the Cain family on East Broadway Avenue.

McCord said, “Thank you for all that you’re doing in making Covington a nicer place to live.”

During the administrator’s report, the Covington Police Department announced they received the Lexipol Connect Gold Award. The award is for their officers performing well during the Lexipol Connect training.

“It speaks very highly of our police chief and our officers. A plaque is just a plaque, the effort that goes on behind that plaque is what really matters, and our police officers do a great job,” stated Village Administrator Kyle Hinkelman.

The floor was then opened up for public comments. One resident had questions about projects on High Street. The street is currently under construction for road and sidewalk improvements.

According to Hinkelman, the first layer of asphalt has been laid, but the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has tested the asphalt and found some to be out of regulation. This requires that those sections out of regulation be torn up and replaced. Hinkelman explained the company is planning to do this as they lay the final top layer of asphalt, which will be a week-long process. During that final layer, the entire portion of High Street, from Dodd Street to state Route 36, will be closed for the whole week.

The resident also had concerns of demolition occurring on High Street. Hinkelman advised the resident the demolition is set to happen in October at the earliest, but that the project is a county project, not a village project.

Then, the resident had concerns of light poles and lighting being placed specifically in front of her residence. Hinkelman told the resident the light poles have already been in the design plans and their location can’t change.

The next section of the meeting involved the administrator’s report and discussion items. Hinkelman discussed the facilities and land master plan, outdoor event permits and regulations, and the Schoolhouse Park project.

For the facilities and land master plan, Hinkelman discussed the survey results that the village conducted. He noted there appeared to be varying degrees of knowledge and interests in village facilities.

“The village needs to do a better job communicating and expressing the things they are doing,” said Hinkelman.

The village of Covington plans to host a public open house to discuss the plan and move forward from there.

Then, Hinkelman discussed the need for outdoor events permits and regulations associated with events. According to Hinkelman, the village of Covington does not currently have any permits or regulations in place. It was recommended to the village to require permits for outdoor events for the safety of the residents. At this meeting, Hinkelman just discussed the need. At later meetings, the council will discuss what those regulations and permits should look like.

The final discussion point was the Schoolhouse Park project. The three aspects of the project are out to bid. The bid opening will be Sep. 15. The bid will be awarded on Sep. 19, and the projects are set to be completed six months after the bid is awarded.

The council heard the second reading for a resolution to levy a special assessment for street lighting. The levy is the same amount as last year. The three-reading rule was waived and the resolution was approved.

Then, the council heard the first reading for a resolution to authorize a contract with Covington Exempted Village Schools for police services at events. The resolution consolidates the process that is currently in place. The three-reading rule was waived and the resolution was approved.

The final first reading was for an ordinance to approve reappropriations for the village’s five funds that involve employees. The reappropriations were needed due to increases in utilities, fuel, and other expenses. The three-reading rule was waived and the ordinance was approved.