COVINGTON, KY (FOX19) -
The City of
Covington is moving forward with efforts to stimulate neighborhood
revitalization.
This week, the City began demolition of approximately
30 privately owned residential properties within the City, the first
step for the City's Community Services Division's (previously known as Code
Enforcement) strategy.
The strategy was identified last year through the Mayor's office to
address blight and vacant properties within the city.
All of the identified
properties are currently vacant and most have been for some time. In
some cases, the properties have been categorized as posing immediate safety
risks. Most of the properties on the demolition schedule have fallen
into extreme disrepair and are a major source of the blight within the
streets and neighborhoods in which they are located.
The City plans to
work strategically with neighborhood and business groups to maintain this
initiative on an ongoing basis. Through this effort, a
vast reduction of administrative staff work will be realized.
Some duties
surrounding these blighted properties include securing all the windows and
doors in the buildings to protect from criminal activity and monitoring the
properties so that people do not take residence in buildings without
working utilities or permission from the owner. Staff work also
includes maintenance such as cutting the grass and weeds in warmer months
to keep in compliance with City Code regulations.
The private demolitions are
just one piece of the City's overall plan to clean up the blight and
improve the housing stock. The City has plans to demolish or rehab
all of the residential structures that the City currently owns, as well as
find strategic uses for the vacant lots. City commission also
recently adopted a new residential rental inspection program, criminal activity
ordinance, and a new staffing structure for the Community Services
Division, which includes code enforcement activities, that will allow more
time for "on street" code enforcement.
"We think this is the first step of many towards a
greatly improved quality of life for many in our community and we are glad
to have finally begun working on this issue. We hope the public will be
happy with this move," said Assistant City Engineer Mike Yeager, who is responsible for overseeing the Community Services Division.
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