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Maps, Plans and Studies > 2024 Kenton County Comprehensive Plan > ELEMENTS > Community Facilities Element

Community Facilities

The community facilities element addresses basic public services that enhance the daily lives of Kenton County residents.  Amenities such as healthcare, libraries, childcare, educational facilities, and even emergency services like police and fire are encompassed by the term community facilities.  Read on to learn more about these vital assets to the county.

The Kenton County Comprehensive Plan is comprised of nine elements. Recommendations and associated tasks for implementation have been developed for each element to implement the Goals and Objectives that serve as the foundation for the plan. The recommendations were derived after extensive public discussions, discourse and dialogue and are based on research which includes local data as well as national trends. They explore different facets of the county’s physical development as well as its economic and social well-being and provide a roadmap for implementation.

The Community Facilities element identifies policies that will help determine the need and location for facilities and services throughout the county. Community facilities encompass a wide array of resources dedicated to protecting and enhancing the daily lives of Kenton County residents. These assets range from schools to emergency services or libraries to health care. Each addresses a different need for residents such as education or safety and their provision and adequacy is important to the area’s strength and economic competitiveness.

1. Recommendation: Explore opportunities to link existing open space, parks, and recreation areas and investigate opportunities to expand the system within each of the four subareas of the county.

Associated Goals & Objectives:

Goal 2 – Objectives B & D
Goal 4 – Objective C
Goal 5 – Objective B
Goal 7 – Objectives A & B
Goal 8 – Objective A

Tasks:

  1. Assess the current inventory of park and open space throughout the county to determine the feasibility of connecting the existing system.
  2. Identify the potential for new parks which could contribute to the connection and expansion of the existing parks and open space system.
  3. Investigate and promote locations for community recreation centers which are close to residential areas.
  4. Promote existing efforts such as the Ohio River Way Initiative to develop open spaces and areas for recreation along the Licking River and the Ohio River. 
  5. Collaborate with organizations to identify, market and promote areas within the county that are ideal for parks, recreation, and open space.
  6. Explore opportunities to provide reasonable and equitable access to parks and open space for all citizens of the County.
  7. Encourage continued expansion of connectivity between Riverfront Commons, Licking River Greenway, New Buffington Multi-Modal Path, and other multi-use trails.

Basis:

Parks, open space, and recreation areas improve the quality of life and environmental health of a community providing the community with a place to gather, exercise, play, and socialize. Research has shown that close proximity to these types of amenities plays a role in deciding where people choose to live. Comments heard during the first and second round of public meetings indicated a need for community recreation centers which provide a year-round space for activity and recreation. Public comments also indicated the desire for more park and recreations space along the Licking River and the Ohio River.

2. Recommendation: Support Arts, Culture, and tourism related entities to further their role as economic drivers.

Associated Goals & Objectives:

Goal 2 – Objectives B & D

Tasks:

  1. Identify and map the location of all existing art, cultural, and historic assets and catalog the types of services and amenities they provide.
  2. Promote ways to increase awareness of existing cultural assets and look for ways to expand and enhance cultural opportunities within the county.
  3. Locate new facilities in areas closer to population centers of the county with good access to the transportation system.
  4. Work with appropriate organizations to promote and market the services and exhibits of events, facilities, and places.

Basis:

Cultural assets within a community enhance the well-being of the individuals within and also create a sense of place and identity for themselves and the surrounding areas. Public comments from the second round of public meetings indicate the importance of such facilities as a component of economic competitiveness. Additionally, these types of community assets contribute greatly to the creation of areas for artists and craftsmen as a viable way to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.

3. Recommendation: Ensure adequate emergency response services are provided to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.

Associated Goals & Objectives:

Goal 9 – Objectives A-E

Task:

  1. Work with organizations such as the Kenton County Emergency Services to identify ways to collaborate services, including resiliency planning, that will effectively enable planning for the existing and future needs of Kenton County citizens.

Basis:

Emergency services make up an important part of an area’s community facilities. Police, fire, and emergency dispatch coverage could mean the difference between life and death for those in need of the respective service. Looking for ways to provide more efficient and effective emergency response services would provide benefits to jurisdictions, particularly those with limited capital resources, allowing them to invest in other improvements. This should include efforts to incorporate systemwide planning amongst emergency services as well as other departments to respond to sudden crises and ongoing pressures. Public comments indicate satisfaction as well as support for the expansion of existing services to match population growth within the county.

4. Recommendation: Encourage a variety of approaches to increase awareness and preservation of Kenton County’s historically significant buildings, districts, communities, and sites.

Tasks:

  1. Form a Kenton County Register of Historic Landmarks designation for historically significant sites around the county.
  2. Establish an honorary, rather than regulatory, historic preservation commission to identify and nominate historic landmarks to be placed on the Kenton County Register of Historic Landmarks.
  3. Comprehensively collect, catalog and create interactive map of existing sites that might be considered historic but are not on any registry, historical markers, archaeological sites, and cemeteries to establish a database of points that are potentially historically significant.
  4. Increase educational efforts of what historic preservation is and how it can benefit people who live and work in the county.
  5. Advance programs that encourage historic preservation such as; expansion of Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, Kentucky Historic Preservation Tax Credits, rural heritage efforts, and local incentives.
  6. Craft programs that help to stabilize vacant properties of historical significance so that they do not fall victim to demolition by neglect.
  7. Recognize that historic preservation will have different needs for different sub areas and that not every old building or site necessarily will qualify as being historic.

Basis:

The built environment is one of the most defining characteristics of a community. As such, the preservation of historically significant properties and areas helps an area maintain its established identity for generations to come. Currently only a few Kenton County communities have established honorary historic districts within their city limits and there are even fewer overlay zoning districts. The addition of new historic sites and districts specifically tailored to each sub-area will help the county retain its unique heritage.

5. Recommendation: Community facilities should coordinate with public transit agencies, rideshare services, and existing transportation plans to ensure community-wide access to their services.

Associated Goals & Objectives:

Goal 6 Objectives A-E

Tasks:

  1. Identify and address multimodal transportation issues and identify how these projects can be funded.
  2. Work to establish a positive bond between transportation services and the Kenton County community.

Basis:

Transportation resources are a community facility that should provide a safe and efficient way to access needed services.

6. Recommendation: Assess County-Wide Childcare Regulations and Needs

Associated Goals & Objectives:

Goal 5 Objectives A-B

Tasks:

  1. Address quality and availability of childcare services within the county.
  2. Engage in county-wide childcare impact analysis and access gaps to support working families of Kenton County.
  3. Consider adopting and enforcing Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) Chapter 199 regarding childcare facilities and agencies and draw support for the “Employee Childcare Assistance Partnership.”

Basis:

Childcare is one of Kentucky's most significant barriers to workforce participation and employment. Childcare affordability and access can cause families to choose between ensuring quality care for their children or staying in the workforce. Providing the community with the insurance of care for their child will allow more people to join the workforce.