Keith Spoelker indicated that the City would attempt to secure parking for residents displaced by the construction, but to date no designated alternative parking area has been announced. Citizens also voiced the need for a speed bump or other speed deterrent to be installed as part of the renovations; it remains unclear whether these issues will be addressed. City officials hope to have the project completed by fall or early winter of this year, at which point we will continue to closely monitor the condition of the street and, where necessary, work with city council to address ongoing concerns.

Please be sure to contact Keith Spoelker (keith.spoelker@bellevueky.org; 859-431-8866) and/or the City of Bellevue with any questions or concerns you have throughout the repairs process.

It is with great pleasure that I announce that city council has accepted a bid for our long-awaited street repairs! According to reports in the Kentucky Enquirer, Sunesis Construction Co. will accept 1.28 million dollars for replacement of our sanitary and storm sewer line. (Read the full story here.) City Administrator Keith Spoelker expects the repairs project to begin in spring or summer of 2010, and according to the project’s specifications, the street can only be closed in 300-ft. sections at a time. Additionally, the bid specifies that the intersection of Taylor and Covert Run cannot be shut down for more than four weeks.

The news report also indicates that Council plans to hold a public announcement sometime in December, so be sure to come prepared with any questions you have concerning the repairs project.

This is a very exciting time for Covert Run Pike residents. With any luck, the repairs will go smoothly next year and the problems that have plagued our street for more than 60 years will finally come to an end!

Until then, let’s remain focused!

I will be in contact with Spoelker’s office immediately after the bidding closes. Until then, we should continue to keep the lines of communication open and remain optimistic. We’re still making good progress, and trust that if it becomes necessary at any point to request another meeting between Covert Run residents and the administrative parties involved, we will do just that.

While we’ve seemingly reached yet another frustrating stage in this process, please be assured that every effort is being made to encourage and monitor the actions of SD1 and the City of Bellevue. As always, updates and developments will be made available on this Web site in as timely a manner as possible.

Thank you all for your continued patience and vigilance! Let’s keep looking forward!

While we wouldn’t wish our troubles on anyone, it’s kind of sad that Bellevue’s mayor and city administrators — who continue to talk about the money they’ve raised and the plans they’ve made, despite the fact that our project didn’t garner a single bid from area contractors — can’t really appreciate the situation. They were informed years ago of the flooding on Covert Run Pike, and they wisely chose to buy homes on dryer Bellevue streets. On nights like tonight, many of us are wishing that this problem had been as clearly outlined for us when we were in the market for homes. If someone had been there to explain to us that several times a year we would have to move our cars (or face losing them), pump water by the hundreds of gallons from our homes, scrape toxic sludge from our sidewalks, and spend countless rainy hours worrying and wondering, we all might have headed for higher ground.

But since hindsight is 20:20, and we have no choice otherwise, it’s best to keep looking toward the future. What’s the story, Bellevue? When will the bidding process resume? What were the reasons for area contractors shying away from the project in the first place, and what measures have you taken to ensure that we’ll get bids next time? What’s the status of the million+ dollars we raised toward the project? How will the winter impede the necessary repairs?

We have plenty more questions, but, looking out the window now, it appears that the rain has subsided and we might avoid a major catastrophe after all. Time to go retrieve our vehicles and (hopefully) enjoy the rest of our weekend.

Till next time…

This afternoon, Bellevue City Administrator Keith Spoelker sent an e-mail informing Covert Run Pike residents of the results of today’s bid opening. Here is what he says:

The following is a message from Keith Spoelker, Bellevue City Administrator, letting us know that the date for opening sealed work bids was pushed back to today:

“At the prebid meeting, the potential vendors asked a bunch a questions and asked for clarifications on a few items. To give them time to work on the clarifications and addendum, we decided to give them 2 more days to complete the bid (having the opening the day after a major holiday didn’t help either). The bid opening is now Thursday.”

I hope to be in touch with Keith later this afternoon to find out the number and nature of bids received. Let’s hope that the city decides to accept a bid and press forward on repairing Covert Run Pike.

Check back for updates!

Just a reminder that city officials will begin to accept bids tomorrow for the proposed street repairs. Sealed bids will be opened on September 8th, and (hopefully) an acceptable bid will be announced along with a timeline for the project thereafter. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, and check in regularly to make sure the city and SD1 are doing everything they can to keep the process moving!

Looking forward!

July was an extremely busy month for us. As many of you know, Bellevue City Council hosted a meeting on July 7th at the Callahan Center. Keith Spoelker, Bellevue’s City Administrator, presided over the meeting, as city engineers and representatives from Sanitation District No. 1 presented their proposed plans for fixing our street. Here are some key points from the meeting:

• A budget of $1,041,870 has been approved for the project. (Funds were collected from the City of Bellevue, the State of Kentucky, and the Sanitation District.)
• The allocated funds will pay for a new stormwater sewer that will run down the middle of Covert Run Pike, across Taylor, dumping out into the westernmost portion of Taylor Creek. Said funds will also be used to construct a new street and adjacent sidewalks.
• On 8/20/09, the city will begin to accept bids from area contractors. The bidding period will be open for 21 days. At the end of this time period (projected date: 9/8/09), Council will review the bids and (hopefully) select a team of workers to begin the project. In the unfortunate event that no satisfactory bid is received in that time period, a new bidding period will commence and last for an additional 21 days.
• Once the project details are solidified and work has begun, Council estimates the repairs to take anywhere from nine months to one year to complete. During this time, segments of the street/sidewalks will be unavailable for both foot traffic and parking. Residents are advised to be patient as repairs are completed, and council has tentatively offered assistance in finding alternative parking and accessibility solutions.
• Members of the Sanitation District are prepared to meet individually with residents whose lateral connections require special attention. They remain unsure as to whether outdated/damaged connections will result in fees for each homeowner, but they assured us that the issue will in no way impede the progress of the street repairs.
• A private company, Filterra, has been commissioned to transform our revamped sewage drains into usable green space containing live trees. Details of this experimental project are still being discussed by all parties involved.
• Council, while acknowledging that the creek is still a major souce of the flooding, is unprepared to field questions in that regard. Deepening/widening the creek or installing a retaining wall would reportedly cost upwards of $4 million, and while Council acknowledges that the creek still poses a viable threat, they have expressed their desire to make the street repairs their first priority. The creek is an issue upon which we, as citizens, must remain vigilant as we move forward.

Neighbors, this has been a long, uphill battle that is far from over. This unseasonably rainy summer continues to make it all too clear that we can no longer wait for the City to reach a conclusion. Despite the fact that Council has made unprecented progress in resolving the flooding, a thousand questions still remain. When will the repairs start? How will winter affect the construction progress? Will our property value increase once the job is done? Will our street still flood? I urge you to press your City Council for more details. Email Keith Spoelker at keith.spoelker@bellevueky.org, or call Public Works at (859) 261-0260. State and federal representatives have stated that since our street is owned by the City, they can’t intervene. It is up to us to make sure that the flooding on Covert Run Pike is at the forefront of the agendas of our paid and elected city officials.

Keep looking forward!

This information was helpfully provided by Covert Run resident Gina Wolfe. If you have suffered lost or damaged property due to the flooding on Covert Run Pike, you may be able to find help by contacting these philanthropic organizations:

• United Way of Greater Cincinnati – Go online to search UWGC’s database of local relief organizations, or simply dial 211 on your phone to reach a representative who can provide local contact information.
• American Red Cross, Cincinnati – The Red Cross provides disaster relief to victims at every level; they canvassed Covert Run Pike in 2003 to distribute cleaning supplies and offer help replacing necessary appliances and furniture such as washers, dryers, and beds. For more information, visit their Web site or call (513) 579-3000.

Thanks, Gina!

Hello Covert Run Pike!

I am extremely excited about the meeting this coming Tuesday. In preparation, I’ve been trying to come up with a thorough list of questions that I’d like to ask. Here’s what I have so far:

• How can we be sure that these repairs will eliminate the flooding on our street?
• After the repairs, how long will our street need to be flood-free before it can be rezoned?
• When can we expect the repairs to start?
• How long will the entire project take to be completed?
• What is each party’s role in seeing that construction proceeds according to schedule?
• How will residents’  lateral connections be handled?
• Will the entire street be closed for any portion of time? Will it be completed in sections, and if so, in what order will the street be sectioned off?
• Will we have access to our driveways and/or sidewalks during contruction?
• Will we have the city’s help in securing parking elsewhere if necessary?
• What types of machinery will be required for the project? Noise/congestion levels?
• Will the street be closed to uphill Fort Thomas traffic during construction?
• Will the creek still pose a flooding threat after the storm sewers are replaced?
• What happens if the project goes over budget?
• Under what conditions could construction be halted/postponed?

Don’t hesitate to add to or take away from this list as you formulate your own questions. We’ll definitely want to make sure that ALL of our concerns have been adequately addressed before leaving the meeting. If you have questions but can’t make it to the meeting, feel free to post them on this thread and we’ll see to it that they are answered.

See you Tuesday at 6:30 at the Callahan Center!