IMPORTANT MEETING NOTICE

New location for monthly meetings
Effective with the January 11 meeting, the Austinburg Neighborhood Association’s monthly meetings will now be held at Oakland Avenue Baptist Church, 603 E. 17th Street. Regular meetings are held on the second Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. and generally last one hour.

The ANA would like to thank First United Pentecostal Church and Fred Turner, pastor, for all of their support in hosting Austinburg Neighborhood Association meetings. Our members wish the church the best of luck as it transitions to its new location at 18th and Scott.

City manager to discuss Stewart Iron Works proposal at January ANA meeting
Covington city manager Larry Klein is scheduled to update the Austinburg Neighborhood Association at the Jan. 11 meeting on the status of a proposal to convert the property that once housed the Stewart Iron Works at 18th and Madison into a central hub for social service agencies. The first two phases of environmental assessments have been completed and identified several issues that need to be addressed. Klein says none of the issues would result in the project being dropped, but a remediation plan must be submitted to the state and money budgeted toward the issues.

The project has been called a “prosperity center,” with various groups using the facility including social services, job training, mental health services, daycare, family sheltering and wellness/dental services. The center has been described to the ANA previously as a concept that would not be a homeless shelter, but a multiservice center with a housing component. To date, no specific agencies have agreed to lease space at the facility but several have expressed interested in the project, according to Klein.

Klein said the city is very receptive to community input on the proposal and the mix of services to ensure that they would be beneficial to the neighborhood and the city as a whole. “I think there has to be some sort of benefit to everyone,” Klein said.

City officials have said some of the costs for the facility would be shared with Kenton County and there is the potential for federal and private money to fund some of the operations. The city has said the center should not disrupt plans for new development of retail and housing along the Madison corridor.