By Haylee Pence
COVINGTON — Monday, Covington Village Council discussed possible actions in regard to a local business that had painted its building a color in violation of a village ordinance that dictates palettes allowed on buildings in the area it is located.
Above and Beyond Salon and Spa in Covington recently repainted their building a color that violated a previous ordinance establishing an appropriate color palette for buildings within a certain area.
At the Covington Council meeting on Monday, April 10, Above and Beyond Salon and Spa owners, TJ Manson and Gayle Wray, along with several workers and supporters, attended the meeting to discuss options.
Village Administrator Kyle Hinkelman informed Village Council of the three options that were available, which included:
• Passing ordinance 05-23, which established a downtown district along with an additional approved color palette which included the “rose dust” color that Above and Beyond Salon and Spa.
• Rescinding ordinances 01-09 and 11-12, which would remove the previously established ordinances creating an appropriate color palette which does not include “rose dust.”
• Allowing the village of Covington to move forward with the process which might result in a citation against Above and Beyond Salon and Spa.
Council member Amy Welborn moved to add an ordinance to rescind ordinances 01-09 and 11-12, which was approved. The ordinance received a 4-2 vote to rescind the two ordinances, but failed to pass with a 75% majority, according to attorney Frank Patrizio.
Then, the council did not remove ordinance 05-23, an ordinance creating the downtown district and regulations, from the table and did not approve the resolutions.
With neither of those options being done, the village of Covington will be moving forward with their process of potentially citing Above and Beyond Salon and Spa.
According to Patrizio, who referenced the Ohio Revised Code, the business could face up to a $500 fine and no more than six months in jail. A criminal complaint must be filed and then it will proceed.
Council President Jesse Reynolds spoke about an option of approving ordinance 05-23 with the ability to go “back and make amendments.”
In response, Welborn said, “My confusion is I thought that was the purpose of tabling it, so that it can be opened up to talk to Planning and Zoning (Commission]. To my ignorance, I didn’t come to that meeting.”
Welborn moved to table the ordinance at a previous meeting on March 20 in order to discuss with the planning commission regarding the boundaries of the district and the possibility of extending the color palette.
“Ordinance 05-23 was discussed at length at the village planning commission for many months, with public input, business input, and general discussion, which led to a recommendation of 4-0 for approval to the Village Council,” said Hinkelman. “The Village Council has had four additional meetings regarding this potential ordinance, with great discussion regarding components of the regulations, the map, and the process created under the ordinance.”
The process Hinkelman referenced establishes how businesses can go about getting approval for unapproved colors. Ordinance 05-23 contains around 160 different colors, according to Hinkelman. Under ordinance 05-23, if a business would like to paint their building, then they would be required to submit approval paperwork stating what color they would like to use. According to Hinkelman, if the color is one of the 160 approved colors in the ordinance, then the paperwork is approved. If the color is outside the approved color list, then the business would be required to submit approval to the planning commission in order to argue their choice. If the planning commission doesn’t approve the color, the business could present the approval to the Village Council.
Hinkelman said, “The council has stated they will continue to work together to pass legislation, and I am confident we will see legislation passed at our next meeting on Monday.”
Co-Owner, Gayle Wray, said, referencing the upcoming council meeting on Monday, April 17, “I’m hopeful to come to a resolution that all parties are comfortable with at the meeting on Monday.”
“We’ve been a successful business and a staple downtown in Covington for 20 years,” said Wray.
The other Co-Owner, TJ Manson, said, “I was hoping that the council would have resolved it that evening, but I feel that the council members weren’t given enough time and conversations were thwarted.”
