Tag: covington

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Business Development News

Nky Preservation projects honored at 2010 River Cities Preservation Awards

On Thursday, May 27, the cities of Bellevue, Newport and Covington hosted the 2010 River Cities Preservation Awards at the Artisan Enterprise Center in Covington. The cities collectively recognized the commitment that the residents and business owners have to reserving the historic quality of their cities. Thirteen awards were given out at the ceremony ranging in purpose from new construction to residential rehabilitation.

Beth Johnson, the Preservation and Planning Specialist for the City of Covington, commends the spirit of collaboration that the awards ceremony breeds.

“The River Cities Preservation Awards are such a wonderful thing for all three cities that participate as it gives us a chance to thank and recognize the hard work, dedication, and investment to those that are saving our historic treasures,” said Beth Johnson, Preservation & Planning Specialist for the City of Covington.  “People from all over the nation comment on the amazing historic resources that we have.  All of us, Covington, Newport, and Bellevue, are lucky to have building owners that agree and therefore work really hard to rehabilitation and preserve those resources.”

Dan and Jessica Krebs won the award for rehabilitation of a residential structure for their home at 618 11th Street in Covington. This category recognizes successful rehabilitation of historic residential structures. These projects offer a creative solution for rehabilitating a building inside and out when much of the historic material is either too deteriorated to save or is missing altogether.

The Krebs’s two and a half story Italianate home was originally built in 1863 by H.H. Hellman, who owned and operated “Hellman Feed and Grain” on Madison Avenue. In 2001 when Dan Krebs bought the house it had sat vacant for over two years and was in a severely deteriorated condition. While the brick building was still solid, the entire interior of the building had to be gutted and updated, the exterior needed lots of maintenance from years of neglect.

According to Ms. Johnson, the Krebs “are a really hard working and dedicated couple. They did all of the work themselves and Dan is very talented as he has built and handcrafted so much in their house.”

Dan created a modern kitchen by handcrafting the cabinets, but kept the historic feel by framing an original piece of the tin ceiling. On the rest of the first floor Dan and Jess were able to save the original hard wood floor, and to rebuild the original mantle and fireplace.

While working in the back yard, they found and old cistern. Instead of filling it with gravel, they decided to use it for its original use, to catch rainwater. By adding a pump, they have created an natural supply of water for their lawn and plants.

Dan and Jess Krebs have shown amazing dedication to rehabilitating their house to the grander that it deserves. They have a great eye for detail and the hands of craftsman. Their commitment to historic preservation embodies the spirit that the cities of Covington, Bellevue, and Newport sought to highlight in their award ceremony.

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Arts & Entertainment News

‘Nancy James Sings Big Band Jazz’ at the Carnegie – 5/13

Vocalist Colleen Sharp, comedian Michael Flannery and performer Nancy James will join the Madcap Puppets and the Sound Body Jazz Orchestra at the Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center on Thursday, May 13 at 7:30pm for “an eclectic evening of music, humor and entertainment.”

The concert will be headlined by Nancy James who will entertain the audience with her vocal jazz standards such as “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and “My Funny Valentine.” James is an Emmy Award winner, and has been on the Cincinnati entertainment and music circuit for more than 30 years.

Organizers note that the third annual Carnegie in Concert series “strives to break the mold of chamber music offerings from yesteryear; and challenges established programming norms by blending traditional string quartets, wind ensembles and solo piano performances with gospel, jazz, musical theatre, Dixieland and other musical styles.”

‘Nancy James Sings Big Band Jazz’ is the final event of the six-part Carnegie in Concert series. Tickets range from $15 to $18 and can be purchased online or by calling (859) 957-1940. You can also purchase tickets in person at the Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center (map) Tuesday through Friday, from 12pm to 5pm.

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Development News

Covington examining dog park for MainStrasse Village

Residents of Covington’s historic MainStrasse Village are yearning for a dog park that will provide another amenity in their neighborhood. Dog parks have become highly sought after by urban dwellers as city living becomes increasingly more attractive.

In Cincinnati, early efforts were stalled for a dog park downtown due to the lack of capital money to build the park. The efforts to create a downtown dog park yielded fruit earlier this year when Procter & Gamble’s Pet Care division announced that it would contribute $50,000 towards the construction of a dog park on a half-acre piece of land on the eastern edge of downtown Cincinnati. Planners have also included a dog park in Washington Park’s redesign that is to be reconstructed over the next year in historic Over-the-Rhine.

Dog park supporters in Covington will meet on Thursday, April 29 at 5:30pm on the second floor of Chez Nora (map). Those in attendance will hear from Tom Biedenhorn who was instrumental in making the Pioneer Paw Park reality. Biedenhorn will be joined by Covington Commissioner Sherry Carran who did the site design for the Pioneer Paw Park, and will share information from that project with the audience.

Urban Dog Park image courtesy of Ask Dog Lady.

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Development News

LEED building practices helping turn around Covington neighborhood

Two new homes in Covington have been awarded LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for their green home building and design. The two homes become some of the first LEED certified homes in Kentucky, with the home at 520 Thomas Street being the first home to achieve LEED Gold.

The home was built by the Center for Great Neighborhoods (CGN), with assistance from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky and the City of Covington, and incorporates a variety of sustainable design features that include low-flow plumbing, low-e windows, EnergyStar-rated appliances, high efficiency HVAC systems, recycled construction materials, bamboo flooring, sustainably-harvested wood moldings and more. In total, the green building features of the new home scored the project 78.5 out of 136 total points possible in the LEED for Homes certification – Gold status projects must score between 70.5 and 85.5).

“As a LEED certified home, 520 Thomas Street serves as a model of greener living for the entire community,” said Nate Kredich, Vice President of Residential Market Development for the U.S. Green Building Council. “The home is at the national forefront of quality; and their example can help us all to live better by reducing our environmental footprint, cutting our utility bills, and coming home to a healthier place to live.”

The new homes are part of a larger revitalization wave happening in the Austinburg neighborhood of Covington which is bordered by the Licking River and the proposed Licking River Levee Walk.

“The Center for Great Neighborhoods aims to make Covington a place where people choose to live, work, and play,” Rachel Hastings, Director of Neighborhood & Housing Initiatives with CGN, described. “We built homes on a formerly vacant lot in Covington’s Austinburg neighborhood at the request of the Austinburg Neighborhood Association in an attempt to increase home ownership and remove blight.”

Hastings explained that the CGN uses its housing development program in a targeted effort to increase property values, reduce blight and increase high-quality affordable market-rate home ownership. She is also excited about the positive impact the Seneca Place development is having on the neighborhood which is seeing its first new construction in over 50 years.

“When neighbors saw the new homes being built, it helped restore their confidence in their neighborhood and encouraged them to make improvements on their home because they saw that they could get a return on their investment,” explained Hastings. “The homes also show that, for a reasonable price, you can build LEED Gold homes that are easy for the average homeowner to maintain.”

The new homes also mean an addition to Covington’s tax base and new residents populating Covington’s urban core. The success is planned to continue as CGN owns additional lots in the Austinburg neighborhood where it plans to construct an additional eight homes, and invest another estimated $1.6 million into the immediate area.

520 Thomas Street construction photograph provided.

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News

Roebling Suspension Bridge gets fresh coat, impacts nearby neighborhood

The Roebling Point Planning Committee for the City of Covington is meeting tonight from 6pm to 8pm to discuss design, land use, economic conditions and potential public improvements in the Roebling Point area of Covington. The Committee hopes to take the information gathered at this meeting and use it to formulate plans and recommendations for changes that might be made in the area.

Meanwhile the Roebling Suspension Bridge, connecting downtown Covington with downtown Cincinnati, is getting a fresh coat of paint. The new coat will help protect the 144-year-old river span designed by German immigrant John A. Roebling who later gave the world New York City’s famed Brooklyn Bridge.

Work continues on the bridge’s new paint job – photos by Jake Mecklenborg.

Specifically, the paint will protect the suspension cables from rust and corrosion, and thus extend the serviceable life of the bridge. In 2007, the Roebling Suspension Bridge had a new 11-ton weight limit put in place by the state of Kentucky that prohibited large vehicles, most notably TANK buses, from crossing the span to help preserve the bridge’s functionality for automobiles and pedestrians.

The $16.2 million paint job is ongoing and will continue for another eight months before the bridge will finally be reopened to automobile traffic in November 2010. During that time, project officials state that pedestrians will still be able to cross on the bridges walkways as they normally would.

The Roebling Point Committee meeting is being held at the Commission Chambers at Covington City Hall (map). Those driving to the meeting are instructed to park in the City Center Garage adjacent to Covington City Hall, and bring their parking receipts for validation.