By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
The development of the IRS site is back on track.
After stopping and starting — and along the way replacing Covington’s city manager — on Tuesday night, Commissioners approved the hiring of J.S. Held, LLC, for project management services to “implement the strategic master plan for the Covington central riverfront area,” city documents read.
They’re referring to the management of the 23-acre IRS site.
“This is a very significant first step we are taking for redevelopment of the IRS site,” Mayor Joseph U. Meyer said at the Commission’s regular legislative meeting.
This agreement will drive redevelopment at the brownfield site within the Covington Central Riverfront area, as led by the city manager and the economic development director, the Mayor said. The goal is to develop it into usable land that could support a mix of potential uses.
City Manager Ken Smith said he could provide weekly updates on the project to the Commission, if they wish.
Over the summer, Commissioners chose to stop and completely rethink how they wanted to use the site.
The city purchased the site in March for $20.5 million, and since then, Covington has been struggling with how to handle the project. They first passed over multiple contracts concerning demolition and design when former City Manager David Johnston recommended some options; the Commission decided to not take those recommendations.
In June, Johnston and the city parted ways for good. Perhaps it was no surprise, then, that the city decided to officially begin anew.
“No project is more significant,” Mayor Meyer said at the time. “We only get one bite of the apple to do it right.”
The city received three responses to their request for proposal for management services. Payment for the contract, which runs from Nov. 1 to Oct. 31 of the following year, is illustrated like this in the agreement:
Contract Year One: $371,217
Contract Year Two: $367,545
Contract Year Three: TBD
Contract Year Four: TBD
Contract Year Five: TBD
So the contract, which will be completed in six phases, begins with an initial one year period, with the option of four, single-year renewals. The potential contract term is not to exceed five years or $738,762.
According to the contract, J.S. Held, LLC, will “act as an owner fiduciary and oversee all aspects of the real estate development on behalf of the city.”
The project will include Scope development, bidding, and coordination with the city; demolition and remediation of the 23-acre brownfield site; and site engineering and construction of new public rights-of-way with utilities, the contract states.
A general description of the required services include:
• Project development for all phases
• Project and program development management of all phases from inception
to completion
• Facilitate and manage all required services, activities, and communication
needed for completion of project on behalf of the city
• Engineer, consultant, and contractor selection
• Management of contract negotiation and creation
• Engineering and design process oversight and coordination and
• Managing all engineering, design, and inspection services related to the
redevelopment project
Neighborhood Services Director, others hired
Commissioners approved the hiring of Assistant Director of Neighborhood Services Brandon Holmes to Director effective Oct. 27, and Keith Bales to Assistant Director of Neighborhood Services, effective Nov. 8.
Commissioners also approved the appointment of Gregory Paeth to the Covington Motor Vehicle Parking Authority for a four-year term, effective Oct. 27, 2021, and expiring Oct. 26, 2025.
Stormwater Maintenance Supervisor Hired
Commissioners also approved the hire of Todd Redman for the position of Stormwater Maintenance Supervisor, effective Oct. 18.
The role is budgeted from the Stormwater Operating Budget.
Dog Park plan presented
Ben Oldiges, Parks and Recreation director, presented a plan to the Commission involving the construction of the city’s first dog park.
“This is a real exciting, new initiative,” he said. “We’ve made some pretty good headway on this project.”
Oldiges said the idea has been floating around the city for about a decade, and when he was hired as director in 2020, he made it one of his biggest priorities to get it done.
The project would be housed within Kenney Shields Park, and paid for with CDBG funds and a $10,000 grant from the Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors.
Oldiges said they chose to target the location because of its lighting, safety, neighborhood setting, shade and water source.
“It’s a pretty solid foundation for a dog park,” he said, while noting that the goal is develop many in the city.
He said they hope to break ground in winter 2021 or spring 2022.
Executive Session
Commissioners ended the Tuesday meeting by going into executive session, to “discuss pending litigation,” the Mayor said.
He also said they would not reconvene, and no further action would be taken.
Next Meeting (there is no meeting next week because it’s Election Day)
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a caucus meeting held at 6 p.m., Nov. 9, at the City Building at 20 W. Pike St. in Covington. The meetings can be followed live on Fioptics channel 815, Spectrum channel 203, the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky (TBNK) website, the TBNK Facebook page @TBNKonline, and the TBNK Roku channels.
Nice to read this. I work with JS Held now as a Forensic Structural Engineer, out of their Fort Lauderdale Office, but I am a Northern Kentucky native who was born in Covington at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. I’ll be up to N. KY this Thanksgiving to visit family.