Since March 1998, Kenton County officials have looked for an alternative to the crowded, inefficient jail near Covington's riverfront.

        In December of that year, officials of the previous Kenton Fiscal Court endorsed a 52-acre site in Covington southeast of Interstate 275 and Ky. 17, or the 3L Highway, just before leaving office.

        That site generated opposition from residents of neighboring Edgewood and Fort Wright, who expressed fears about their safety and property values.

        In rejecting the 3L site the next September, the fiscal court cited a costly environmental cleanup as the main reason.

        That same month, the fiscal court picked a jail site off New Buffington Road in Elsmere. Then three months later, Kenton Judge- executive Dick Murgatroyd announced the jail would not be built in Elsmere.

        The Elsmere site drew legal opposition from residents, and two companies threatened to move their multimillion-dollar expansion projects elsewhere.

        The county then focused on about 10 sites in Covington.

        A consultant whittled that to eight north of 20th Street in Covington.

        After the fiscal court approved the expansion of the current jail last December, a “Stop the Jail” movement of business owners, residents and politicians protested, saying it would hinder economic development near Covington's riverfront.

        Southbank Partners, an economic development group trying to help the county and city agree on a jail site, then proposed county officials consider building a gov ernment center and jail east of I-75 in Covington's Peaselburg neighborhood.

        Residents of Peaselburg protested.

        At Kenton Fiscal Court's June 19 meeting this year, Southbank Partners outlined the pros and cons of expanding the current jail versus building a government center on the Peaselburg site.

        While Southbank's study agreed with county officials that the 3L site would be too expensive, it did not offer a recommendation on the remaining two options — building a jail and government center in Peaselburg or expanding the current jail at 303 Court St.

        On July 7, Southbank, at the request of Kenton County and Covington officials, embarked on another study — this one to consider a site in an area west and south of Pike and Washington streets.

        At the end of September, Southbank presented the fiscal court with a recommendation for the site discussed at Monday night's public meeting.

        The new jail site is proposed for a location bounded by Pike, Russell, Eighth and Washington streets.

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