MAINSTRASSE RESIDENTS WEIGH IN ON ACTION PLAN

by Michael Monks 

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Menelaos Triantafilou leads discussion with ROMA

Members of the Residents of Mainstrasse Association met with Menelaos Triantafilou, head of a planning and urban design firm that bears his name and that is charged with implementing the neighborhood stabilization part of the Center City Action Plan. The goal, Triantafilou said, was to discover what he called "quick hits", changes that could be made almost immediately to help better neighborhood life. Mainstrasse in particular carries a heavy presence in the overall plan. "This is what people know about Northern Kentucky," Triantafilou said of Mainstrasse. The following issues were raised by ROMA:

• Vacant properties & code violations ROMA members identified deteriorating buildings and their accompanying code violations as a major issue. One suggestion was to bolster code enforcement presence by creating a citizen-led volunteer effort that could help report code violations to City Hall that could lead to swifter response.
• Railroad noise and other issues caused by CSX trains One resident reported that a rock was thrown to her dining room window and another through her car window from the train overpass that runs through Mainstrasse. Another resident suggested that much of the brake noise caused by the trains results from the conductors attempting to slow down in Mainstrasse before crossing the railroad bridge over the Ohio River which features a speed camera. CSX has been largely unresponsive to residents' concerns.
• Preventive maintenance of trees Utility companies were targeted in the discussion for alleged reckless cutting of trees to place wires through them without regard to aesthetics or health of the trees. 
• Dog poop ordinance Mainstrasse residents expressed concern about the lack of strong enforcement of the dog poop ordinance. ROMA members reported that the ordinance requires a photo of the act in progress in order for a report to made. 

The suggestions from this meeting and those with other neighborhood groups will be sent to Progressive Urban Management Associates in Denver which is overseeing the CCAP and will be included in their report in mid-March when they return to Covington.