COVINGTON, KY – The Covington Recreation Division is currently seeking applicants for its Parks Advisory Group.

The effort is to establish a group of interested stakeholders to objectively identify City parks that are priorities for redevelopment.

The Parks Advisory Group will be made up of 11 passionate individuals, each serving a three-year term.

The group will guide the process for gathering resident input on desired park improvements, one park at a time, through all phases of the timeline for redevelopment. Additionally, the group will be responsible for providing non-biased feedback based on group members’ experience to help determine park needs and assets.

Candidates are required to have significant experience in the at least one of the following areas:

Group members will use their experience and serve as representatives for their neighborhood, speaking on their behalf to identify areas of improvement throughout Covington. 

Parks & Recreation Manager Rosie Santos stated, “Our goal is to provide fair and inclusive park planning to ensure all neighborhoods have equitable access to green spaces and park amenities. We did not want to develop a static master plan that would sit on the shelf, but instead sought to model the process after our experience redeveloping Father Hanses Park.

“The more we can delegate authority to the community to plan their public spaces, the more invested they become in the ongoing use and care of those places. We also feel strongly that it creates a tangible way for the public to work with City staff to make Covington a great place to live, work and visit.”

Using the Park Potential Index tool, the group will systematically score all of the neighborhood and local parks from the Covington Parks, Recreation and Open Space Inventory Assessment. The group will then establish a park redevelopment schedule, prioritizing them based on the potential positive impact the redevelopment will have on the community.

Once the group establishes the park redevelopment schedule, the first priority park will enter into a three phase redevelopment process.

Starting with phase 1, the group will request community input from residents and other stakeholders on desired park improvements. In phase 2, the group will continue gathering community feedback through various means including public meetings/gatherings, online survey, etc. Additionally, redevelopment designs will be established. The park will then enter into phase 3 and construction will begin.

This process will continue for each park on the list with the goal of advancing one park to the construction phase each year. For example, when the first priority park enters phase 2, the second priority park will enter phase 1 and the process will start again. To view a visual of the park prioritization process, click here.

Once the renovations and construction are complete, the Parks Advisory Group will continue to re-evaluate the park and identify areas of improvement.

The City will host a public meeting on July 31 at 5:30 p.m. to further explain the park planning process and for interested applicants to learn more. The meeting will take place in the City Hall Commission Chambers, 20 W. Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011.

To apply for the Parks Advisory Group, visit http://cov.ky/covparksadvisory or contact Parks & Recreation Manager Rosie Santos at 859-292-2151 or rsantos@covingtonky.gov.