BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTB1
COMMUNITY RECORDER
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Covington, Independence, Latonia, Ryland Heights, Taylor Mill E-mail: kynews@communitypress.com T h u r s d a y, S e p t e m b e r
Melissa Jennings is the owner of the online jewelry store MJennings Designs
3, 2009
W e b s i t e : N K Y. c o m B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
50¢
St. Elizabeth Covington opens By Regan Coomer
Volume 13 Issue 46 © 2009 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Recipe for success
Twins Aaron and Adam Eversole were not fans of school up until their sophomore year. The brothers tended to get lower grades until they discovered The Success Academy, a joint venture between the Kenton County School District and the Kentucky National Guard 1204th Aviation Support Battalion. Now the two brothers are excelling at their studies, displaying leadership, and looking forward to an opportunity to serve their country. SCHOOLS, A6
Father Lou
“It’s easy for patients to stop downstairs for their test on their way to and from the physician’s office.”
rcoomer@nky.com
The new St. Elizabeth Heathcare center off of Covington’s 12th Street opened its doors for outpatient and emergency services Monday Aug. 31. The $20 million, 118,000square-foot St. Elizabeth Covington incorporates green features such as a vegetative roof and Biofiltration swales with outpatient services all easily accessed on the first floor of the facility. “I’m looking forward to seeing the patients interact with the building,” said Paula Roe, assistant vice president of operations of the Covington and Grant County facilities. Available office space for physicians in The Covington St. Elizabeth will make outpatient care for both physicians and their patients more convenient, Roe said. “It’s easy for patients to stop downstairs for their test on their way to and from the physician’s office,” she said. Summit Medical Group is the first to take up space in St. Elizabeth Covington, with a 10,000square-foot office overlooking the green roof, which is one of the first of its kind in the region. The roof is vegetated with the resilient leafy succulent sedum to filter rain water run-off and insulate the building. The vegetation will also promote longevity of the
Paula Roe Assistant vice president of operations
REGAN COOMER/STAFF
St. Elizabeth Covington features a green roof planted with highly tolerant plants called sedum as well as a 21-by-21 square foot exterior Vidi wall that projects messages and information about the hospital to vehicles traveling on Interstate 75. roof. St. Elizabeth Covington is also fitted with a 21-by-21-foot Vidi Wall, which is made up of thousands of energy efficient LED lights. The screen will show stable images with information about St. Elizabeth Healthcare and the facility itself to motorists on I-75. Patients and employees alike are happy about the opening of the new facility. “It’s beautiful,” said Michele Halloran, nurse manager of the Emergency Room. “It’s amazing. Our whole department at North would fit inside the new nurse’s station.” The hospital’s ER wing features
Father Lou is back in the Life section this week as Sports returns to its normal spot in the A section. Read how Father Lou suggests we deal with the unfairness of life that is sometimes thrown our way. Find Father Lou, recipes, calendars and other columnists in our Life section each week. B3
Floor plan of the first floor of the new Covington St. Elizabeth Medical Center, which opened its outpatient and emergency services Monday Aug. 31. The second floor features physician office space.
PROVIDED.
State officials discuss Kenton road projects By Regan Coomer rcoomer@nky.com
Sing it out loud
Ryan Henry expresses his faith through his music and shares that enthusiasm through recording and teaching. Read about what this Independence resident is up to and what his future plans are. Henry’s second CD, “The Beautiful Brokenness” will be released soon. LIFE, B1
Top cop
REGAN COOMER/STAFF
Kenton County Police Officer Larry Shelton, 34, topped lawyer Eric Deters, 45, in their cage fight Saturday Aug. 29. The fight came about when Deters was talking about police misconduct on the radio and issued a challenge to local police officers. To place an ad, call 283-7290.
16 rooms with a sliding glass door to preserve the privacy of the patient, but also allow nurses to check on patients easily. By the middle of September each ER room will be equipped with a computer, Halloran said, to allow nurses to complete their paperwork in the same room as the patient, thereby “taking our nurses back to the bedside.”
Current and future state road projects were the focus of a caucus with Kenton officials and state legislators at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 6 headquarters Aug. 31. Executive Director for KYTC District 6 Rob Hans gave updates on the Brent Spence Bridge, Ky16, Ky-536 and more projects at the meeting, which drew representatives from several cities in Kenton County. Three construction alternatives have been determined and will be further narrowed down in the next year, Hans said, adding the cost estimate for the bridge’s replacement is between $2.2 and 2.7 billion. “That money is currently not available,” he said. “That’ll be the next challenge to acquire that money. The project is still on-schedule to begin actual construction of the new Brent Spence Bridge in 2015, Hans said. Construction could take four to five years. Officials also discussed the upcoming reconstruction of Ky16. The first portion of the project, starting in the south, will cost $8 million and kick off in March. The second phase’s design, completing the road up to I-275,
QUIT HAPPENS START BUILDING
won’t be ready until the next fiscal year. District Planning Engineer Mike Bezold estimates the second part of the project will cost around $30 million. “This is my No. 1 priority for my portion of Kenton County,” said Sen. Damon Thayer. “We will try in the next fiscal year to do our best to get as much of that money in there for construction.” Taylor Mill City Administrator Jill Bailey and Commissioner Dan Bell urged the district to expedite the Ky-16 project. “The intersection of Old Taylor Mill Road and Taylor Mill Road causes a tremendous amount of problems traffic-wise for our residents and residents on the southern end of the county,” Bell said. The city also hopes to launch a business district in the area once Ky-16 is complete. “This is shovel-ready from a zoning perspective. It’s something advantageous for the state. There’s not too many places off of 275 that aren’t developed. We have a chance to do a really great development,” Bell said. Future reconstruction work on Ky-536/Mt. Zion Road was also discussed. Hans and Bezold said right-ofway plans are scheduled for next year and right-of-way acquisition could start then if funds are available.
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