Several roads will be closed throughout the city of Covington for Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31.

The city council approved closure for the Covington Square from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for the CPD’s Scare on the Square Event.

Pratt, Swan and Hunt streets in the Clarks Grove subdivision off of Clark Street will also be closed for trick or treaters.
Another popular neighborhood for trick or treating, Covington Place, will have limited vehicular access. There will be one-way traffic going into the development through Dearing Street and Crestview Drive and out to the Covington Bypass.

The change in traffic pattern will be from 5 to 9 p.m.

Joint work session

The Covington City Council and Newton County Board of Commissioners held their second joint work session in as many weeks.

The work session, to discuss a commercial development project, lasted around 45 minutes, pushing the regular city council meeting past its advertised 6:30 p.m. start time.

Directly following the meeting an official partnership was yet to be agreed upon.

The city council then met for another closed executive session to discuss land opportunities, following the council meeting. There was not a vote following the meeting.

CNG prices dropping

The cost of the compressed natural gas (CNG) at the city of Covington’s fuel facility will decrease after a motion at Monday night’s city council meeting.

Prior to Monday’s unanimous vote the cost for fuel at the CNG station was $2.34 per gallon equivalent at the public rate. The cost has been reduced to $1.99 a gallon equivalent.

“We want to bring (the cost) down to a more competitive number,” Covington City Manager Leigh Anne Knight said. “We believe this move will help to promote cheaper transportation.”

New police vehicles

The city of Covington is purchasing three new Dodge vehicles for the Covington Police Department.

The city council unanimously approved the purchase of a Dodge Charger and two Dodge Durango trucks for a total of $106,634.30 from Ginn Motors.

The $31,808 for each of the two Durangos comes from the police department’s drug fund. According to Knight, the Charger will replace another vehicle, which will be transferred to the electric department. Funds for the Charger, which will cost $43,018.30, will come out of the electric department’s budget.

Purchase of electric transformer

The city council had to move quickly on the purchase of an electric transformer due to a new industry moving into the community.

The transformer is needed by Jan. 1 and the time frame to have it manufactured and installed is roughly eight to ten weeks, according to Knight.

The council unanimously voted to approve the purchase from Howard Industries at $34,280.