Villa Hills Mayor Heather Jansen thanked Duke Energy for its work in restoring power to the city’s residents after a storm blew through the region earlier this week.
Residents in the city were hit particularly hard and were without power for longer than many others nearby.
Jansen said at Wednesday’s council meeting that for those who would like to get rid of spoiled food, the dumpster sitting along the driveway of Franzen Field in the back of the Public Works building will remain until Friday morning.
In other business, Councilman Seth Thompson, who chairs the city’s Public Works Committee, told council Wednesday evening that his committee has submitted a request for grant funding to support the construction project at the intersection of Collins and Amsterdam roads.
The Surface Transportation Program for Northern Kentucky (SNKY) funds are federal dollars awarded through the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI).
The request is for $4.265 million, which includes utilities, pavement, and drainage.
“That is the total cost of the project,” he said. “The project scores really well according to the criteria (to receive the grant). We’re increasing access, easing the traffic, putting in sidewalks for safety.”
Thompson added that Villa Hills could receive partial funding but won’t know until October. “Even if we are awarded everything, we need to have a 20% match, which would be $853,000 dollars.”
What if the grant falls through?, asked councilmember Jim Cahill, and Thompson said the sidewalk portion of the project would be eliminated.
The project is scheduled to get under way by July 2023. Thompson concluded saying the aforementioned project does not include Old Collins Road, but that the city wants to complete that project simultaneously, adding the costs to bring Old Collins up to code would be $150,000, “but that does not qualify for the grant.”
Also coming soon, the Amsterdam project next month that will affect 15 resident mailboxes, and City Administrator Craig Bohman said the city sent out letters to residents Wednesday, stating their mail would be held for the entire week while the removal takes place, and they can pick it up at the post office. He said the post office has a scanning option online, so letters can be scanned, and residents can decide whether they want to be picked up or not.
Public Works Director Buck Yelton said the mailbox removals are scheduled to take place on July 11.
Bohman also addressed council on solar panel installation within Villa Hills regarding zoning reviews for them, adding no other city requires such and he’s been in contact with Planning & Development Services of Kenton County’s zoning supervisor and they are taking steps to address the matter in their computer system.
Bohman stated his meeting with the Chattanooga, TN-based engineering firm that Verizon hired to build a mini-cell tower on Collins, “went very well and their designs matched closely with what our designs look like except it is a little bit taller,” as theirs is 40 feet, opposed to the PDS’s 35-foot limit. If a waiver is signed by PDS, the project will receive the green light. Nothing moves forward unless the waiver is signed, he said.
Council also voted to approve the funding of an agreement with the Kenton County Board of Education to provide a school resource officer from the Villa Hills Police Department.
River Ridge Elementary is located in the city and operated by Kenton County Schools.
