The beauty of the Covington Square may be timeless, but that doesn’t mean an update will tarnish its image or history. It will help to make the Square an even better place for Newton County residents, visitors and tourists alike.

The historic Square Park recently received such an update, adding infrastructure, landscaping and benches, while expanding the presence of the Veterans’ Memorial area.

The park has been open to the public for events such as last Friday’s Concert on the Square, Sunday’s Community on our Knees and Thursday’s luncheon concert — which was moved due to rain — since the renovations have been completed.
The social center of Covington has a new paved area near the veterans’ memorial — which now has the flag pole near it — azaleas nearby, more benches and trash cans and a new stage area for concerts.

“It went great,” Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston said. “We accomplished exactly what we wanted to accomplish.”
The biggest improvement to the Square Park is the new sidewalks, which are now graded to point outward from the Square, rather than toward the middle of the park and its Confederate Memorial.

“One of the main things we had to end up was redoing all the sidewalks to change the elevation, which they all pointed toward the center,” Johnston said. “When it rained you ended up flooding the Confederate Memorial.”

The Veterans’ Memorial, the area closest to the Historic Courthouse, now has more paved surface surrounding it, enabling easier access to those with wheelchairs.

The other big noticeable addition is a concert area, closest to Scoops, which has a large paved concrete patio and hookups for a sound board and other electrical equipment.

“We can do any kind of event on that square,” Johnston said. “All the power is now underground.”

The renovations began in early August after being approved by the Covington City Council in spring.