by Michael Monks
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THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
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UPDATE: The paving has been halted. The city commission never approved the paving. The decision came from an infrastructure committee meeting. Click here for the updated story.
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UPDATE: The paving has been halted. The city commission never approved the paving. The decision came from an infrastructure committee meeting. Click here for the updated story.
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| Photo: Ron Lawson |
BREAKING: Cul-de-sac gardens are a symbol of South Covington and bring the neighbors together to beautify a piece of their community that in most other places is nothing more than a concrete circle. So imagine the surprise of South Covingtonians Wednesday when they discovered two cul-de-sac gardens removed and word that two more were slated to go. Resident Lisa Placke said a neighbor of hers spotted a worker and approached him. "He said they were bringing in a back hoe to remove the cul de sac and if any of the neighbors wanted any landscaping plants they should come get them," Placke said. "Another neighbor took a bike ride through the neighborhood and discovered the cul-de-sac on Bluffside is currently being removed."
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| What the cul-de-sac garden looks like |
The one on Bluffside has the great misfortune shared by cul de sacs on Vista View and Vantage View that have already been concreted. Crystal Lake may be next. More troubling than the surprise paving of neighborhood landmarks is the fact that no one seems to know why it is happening, including at least two city commissioners and the city manager. "This never came up at a Commission meeting and I have never been notified of the transformation," said Bill Wells, president of the South Covington Community Action Association as well as the Covington Neighborhood Collaborative. "You would think with all the storm water issues, the last thing the city would do is concrete over landscape."
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A phone call with Commissioner Shawn Masters and an email from Commissioner Sherry Carran demonstrate that neither is sure why this is happening but both are working to find out. Placke emailed City Manager Larry Klein and Klein responded that he was unsure as to why the cul de sacs were being paved and that he has sent a message to the engineering department. "I found this very disturbing as many residents have spent money and in some cases a lot of money and received donations from such places as Remke’s for plants," said Ron Lawson, a South Covington resident. "We spent time, in my case since 1979, to maintain it over the years."
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"Paving of the islands in the cul-de-sacs has not been discussed with the Board of Commission, as far as I know," said Commissioner Carran. "If this is indeed the plan, we need to take a step back and review the reasoning behind the thinking."
"Paving of the islands in the cul-de-sacs has not been discussed with the Board of Commission, as far as I know," said Commissioner Carran. "If this is indeed the plan, we need to take a step back and review the reasoning behind the thinking."
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Bill Wells is concerned that even though no one at the moment can reference a time where the paving was discussed, the end result will not be pleasing for neighbors. "Two years ago SCCAA adopted three cul-de-sacs and the neighbors landscaped them," Wells said. "Vista View was one of them. Last year on the Covington Neighborhood Collaborative neighborhood tour I personally showed all in attendance the Crystal Lake cul-de-sac and told them how this brought the neighbors together for a common good. The surrounding neighbors began to improve their landscapes, and now the City does this?"
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