The Shadow
Covington City Council discussed infrastructure/ facility concerns and needs during a Tuesday afternoon meeting.
Two key departments discussed were public safety and parks and recreation.
Covington City Manager Richard Douglas opened the meeting by stating that short-term (1-3 years) and long-term (4-10 years) infrastructure/facility needs would be discussed.
He also stated that any needs beyond the 10 year period would not be ad-dressed. The only item that met that particular criteria was the Peters Mountain Landfill.
“For example, since the landfill cell is anticipated to be functional for approximately 13 more years, additional landfill space would not be included in tonight’s discussion,”?Douglas stated.
Covington Division of Police Chief Anthony Morgan was the first to present his needs for public safety.
“The first thing I?have is a camera system request for Station 1 and Station 2. The Covington Fire Department is in need of updated cameras around Station 1 and Station 2,”?Morgan said.
Morgan stressed that the need for the updated cameras was to deter criminal activity and monitor areas of each building that would contain sensitive information.
He felt that the security camera upgrades would be a sound investment, given that several people go in and out of the building daily.
Morgan stated that Highland Computers provided a quote to replace the current DVR system in Station 1 with 15 cameras for a total cost of $9,890.
It was also reported by Morgan that the cost to replace cameras at Station 2 would be $2,120.
Morgan concluded his presentation by expressing the need for a new generator.
“I got this from Fire Chief [Andrew] Baker today [Tuesday]. Their generator is 40 years old. It would be a good recommendation to replace the 40-year-old generator. The cost to replace the generator would be $30,000,” Morgan informed city council.
Following the public safety discussion, Allen Dressler, who serves as director of parks and recreation and public works, spoke on the infrastructure/facility needs of parks and recreation.
Two items of note that Dressler touched on were Casey Field/Boodie Albert Stadium and the skate park located behind Casey Field/ Boodie Albert Stadium.
“You’ve heard the song and dance before, but at some point in time you’re going to have to address the field renovations,” Dressler said of Casey Field/Boodie Albert Stadium.
Dressler took a moment to explain the state of the stadium.
“For those that have not had a chance to walk across Casey Field, the next time you pull into Wendy’s, you’ll see what is happening under the parking lot there. That’s basically the same kind of material at Casey Field, it’s a landfill,”?Dressler said.
He continued, “It’s settling extremely bad. When you drive down Craig Avenue, it’s pretty, I’ll be the first one to tell you it’s pretty. When you’re out there playing tackle and catching groundballs, it’s a different story.”
Dressler stressed that any rightfielder who plays baseball at Casey Field would understand the situation.
“If he’s following that ball, he’s going to hit some low spots,” Dressler stressed.
He indicated that a wheelbarrow and soil would not remedy this situation any more, citing that more work would need to be done to improve conditions.
Other problems Dressler discussed regarding Casey Field/Boodie Albert Stadium included full-scale bleacher replacement and replacing the wood planks supporting the bleachers.
The next focal point Dressler touched on was the skate park that was put together in the mid 1990s by he and the late Bill Zimmerman.
“What you see down there is a $12-15,000 investment,” Dressler said.
Dressler stated that he and Zimmerman went to the local schools and spoke with the youths to see what they desired in a skate park.
After those talks, the skate park was created.
Dressler shared his current feelings about it by stating, “It is tired. It is rotting. I?have replaced boards. I have done sheet metal work. There’s no more Tony Hawks out there in the world and I?can count skaters now on two fingers.”
“It used to be 20-plus a day. We need to make a decision because it is a liability to us down there now; it is a liability. It has served it’s time,”?Dressler continued.
Dressler gave the skate park praise by mentioning that in its prime, skaters from Roanoke would come to Covington to skate since it offered things Roanoke did not.
“A decision has to be made and it may not be a favorable one for the two, three, four or five kids that skate, but my recommendation as we sit here today [Tuesday] that we eliminate it and move on to something else down there,”?Dressler said.
The following infrastructure/facility announcements were made during Tues-day’s meeting:
— Dressler announced a plan to improve the field netting at the Jackson River Sport Complex, which would have a netting configuration similar to Casey Field to increase safety for those playing/attending ballgames;
— Dressler also plans to address athletic field fencing and the portable bleachers at Casey Field/Boodie Albert Stadium and at Rivermont and Reservoir parks;
— It was announced that aside from Casey Field/ Boodie Albert Stadium, all local athletic fields are in good playing condition;
— The fall and spring fire hydrant flushing schedule would remain intact;
— A complete clean out of the Craig Avenue waterline is scheduled to take place in the spring.
Following the infrastructure/facility needs discussion, Covington City Council met in closed session to discuss a specific city appointed employee.
No action was taken during Tuesday’s closed session.
Covington City Council will meet again Thursday at 5 p.m. in council chambers in closed session to discuss personnel.
