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NKAPC, SD1 sign cooperation agreement Unlike what often happens when two public entities hold overlapping responsibilities, NKAPC and Sanitation District 1 (SD1) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently that defines how each will help the other. The result amounts to a ‘win’ for government agency cooperation, public-private sector relations, and ultimately for tax- and rate-payers. As most Northern Kentuckians know, SD1 is in the process of assuming ownership and maintenance responsibilities of most of the region’s storm water facilities. This includes oversight for the construction of stormwater infrastructure in new developments, a responsibility that’s been held for decades by NKAPC as part of its responsibilities to administer Kenton County’s Subdivision Regulations. Without the recently-signed MOU, SD1 staff would have been responsible for inspecting the installation of stormwater infrastructure and NKAPC would have been responsible for inspecting the construction of almost everything else in public rights of way. The result would have prompted NKAPC and SD1 inspectors to monitor many of the same construction activities and to seek additional and duplicative fees for their activities.
The MOU started as NKAPC’s effort to explain and clarify its role in the overall inspection process. After realizing the extent of NKAPC’s inspection process, SD1 officials agreed that NKAPC staff will continue to pursue the inspections they’ve handled for years, including the storm sewer system. Staff will also supply SD1 with reports on their inspection activities. Hiles said an upcoming training session for inspectors from both NKAPC and SD1 is scheduled to take place in the spring. “SD1 wants to ensure we’re enforcing the regulations the same as their inspectors would,” he concluded. Kenton, Campbell Fiscal Courts enact Several hundred thousand dollars were spent nearly ten years ago to establish a recognized GIS monument network across Northern Kentucky. As time passed and NKAPC staff and others monitored the condition of the Kenton and Campbell County monuments, they witnessed destruction of several of them. Kenton and Campbell Fiscal Courts responded recently with ordinances that address the problem and provide funding for the network’s long-term integrity. “These monuments are an asset to the counties,” said Dennis Gordon, FAICP, NKAPC’s executive director. “These ordinances were adopted to protect the monuments and the public investments that made them possible.” The ordinances were supported strongly by the local surveying and engineering community. These groups depend on the accuracy of the monuments as a basis for new land ownership records. The 212 monuments set in pairs two miles apart across Kenton and Campbell counties represent exact locations on the earth using degrees of longitude and latitude. The monument locations provide highly-accurate data and serve as the basis for quality reports and CAD drawings from land surveyors. Seven monuments have been destroyed or removed in the past ten years; it costs almost $4,000 each to repair or replace them. LINK-GIS funds replaced six of them before the ordinance was implemented. Now, if monuments are destroyed, the ordinance calls for those who disrupt the monument network to fund the repairs. “SD1 staff are providing oversight for the ordinances through administration of their land disturbance permit process. If construction activities will disturb any of these monuments, its staff will alert applicants of the need to comply with the counties’ ordinances,” Gordon said. “This will help immensely because the only way NKAPC would know if one was going to be disturbed is if it was self-reported. They’re helping us with this process,” he concluded. More information on the ordinances and what they require is available from NKAPC’s GIS staff.
Duke Energy joins collaborative effort to Duke Energy has joined the LINK-GIS-led effort to coordinate road construction and maintenance projects across Kenton and Campbell Counties. Its inclusion in the program provides a greater promise that all local government and utility-providing participants will save tax- and rate-payer dollars. The online program cuts down on road construction-related frustration and helps stretch the dollars residents pay for utility service and taxes. The online tool which is rooted deeply in GIS mapping technology has been in operation since late last year. The tool provides a snapshot of all road construction projects entered into the system by all jurisdictions and serves as a place to share relevant planning information with all affected parties. This helps officials with all participating entities coordinate potentially-overlapping projects so the road only gets cut once and traffic is only disturbed once—thus saving the taxpayers money and road construction-related frustration. “Local governments, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), and utilities in the two counties can pull up a map for a certain area when they’re planning their next pipe replacement or road construction project, for example,” said Trisha Brush, GISP, NKAPC’s deputy director for GIS administration. “The tool allows them to see what other agencies are also going to be in the area around the same time. “Duke’s agreement to come on board makes the tool a complete package because Duke is a large participant in this type of work,” Brush said. “It gives local governments a sense of Duke’s commitment to Northern Kentucky coordination and dollars.” To date, the following jurisdictions have been put online and made operational: Kenton and Campbell County Fiscal Courts, the Kenton and Campbell County PVAs, the Northern Kentucky Water District, SD1, and NKAPC, all partners in LINK-GIS. They have been joined by Covington, Edgewood, Erlanger, Independence, Bellevue, Cold Spring, Fort Thomas, and KYTC. In addition to Duke Energy, the Cities of Crescent Springs, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Fort Wright, Alexandria, Newport, and Wilder will be put online soon. Remaining cities in the two counties will follow shortly in keeping with the partnership’s goal to get all jurisdictions online and functioning by early in the 2010 construction season. Covington , NKAPC seek public opinions Since fall 2008 when the City of Covington and the Kenton County Planning Commission adopted the Linden Gateway Small Area Study, city and NKAPC staff have worked toward implementing its recommendations. The most significant of those recommendation deals with land use along 12th Street/ Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
More information is available from Andy Videkovich, AICP, Principal Planner at NKAPC. Cold Spring Planning & Zoning Commission Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission APA Audio Conference: “Redevelopment and Public Meeting on Possible Covington Rezoning Initiative Pendleton County Joint City-County Planning Commission Kenton County Planning Commission For more meeting and event information, including application filing deadlines for these and future meetings, check out the calendar feature of our website. |
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