Kenton County conducting feasibility study for potential parking structure near government center

BY KENTON HORNBECK | LINK nky REPORTER

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is funding a feasibility study in Kenton County as work on the Brent Spence Bridge has led to a need for more parking.

Kenton County is using the funds to conduct a study on the property at 1840 Simon Kenton Way in Covington to see whether it’s a viable place to build a new parking structure.

derneath Interstate 75 will be displaced by the bridge’s construction, which is why the county wants to consolidate its parking.

Gresham Smith submitted its pre-development proposal, which mentioned an idea to construct a new parking structure that can accommodate up to 250 vehicles. In addition, the proposal considers a weather-protected connector between the structure and the government center.

Avandal damaged disc golf baskets at Devou Park — again — on March 31, according to the City of Covington.

On April 1, Covington’s Parks & Recreation staff discovered that the chains attached to the frames of 14 of the course’s 18 disc golf baskets were cut. This is the third time the baskets have been vandalized since they were installed last October.

“It’s hard to have any logical explanation for it, but it’s going to be a compelling story once we get to the bottom of it,” course architect Ryan Freibert told LINK nky. “Even though it’s not resolved, people continued to keep playing and enjoying disc golf.”

Freibert said fundraising efforts are continuing to fix the damage, which has totaled $20,000 over the course of the three incidents.

On Oct. 12, thieves stole 12 of the 18 disc golf baskets overnight and left another severely damaged. The disc golf course had been open for only three days before the incident.

Three months later, in January, it happened again. An article posted on the Devou Good Foundation website said the majority of the disc golf baskets were “crushed, bent, or ripped out of the ground.”

The Covington Police Department confirmed 14 of the 18 baskets were damaged beyond repair on that occasion.

In a statement to LINK nky, Covington officials said the city is working to fix the damage and track down those responsible. The city and Devou Park are also going to make further security enhancements.

Gresham Smith, an architectural design firm in Blue Ash, was awarded the bid for the project’s feasibility survey at the Kenton County Fiscal Court meeting on March 28.

A reimbursement agreement between the court and the cabinet for the study and pre-development services of a potential parking structure was also approved at the meeting. As per the agreement, KYTC will reimburse the county for up to $100,000 in pre-development expenses.

“This is the actual agreement and it will be how we get paid from the state,” Kenton County Administrator Joe Shriver said at the meeting.

Government officials are looking for more parking opportunities as they prepare for construction on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor. Once construction begins, county employees who use the parking lots un-

The proposal outlines that Gresham Smith will head the coordination of the consultant team responsible for providing basic and supplemental services. The firm would oversee the project’s architecture, structural engineering, landscape architecture, and cost estimating.

Meanwhile, Brandstetter Carroll would handle civil engineering services, and Elevar Design Group would provide mechanical, plumbing, and electrical engineering services as external contractors. Both firms are based in Cincinnati.