Scott Wartman

swartman@nky.com

The plan to turn the former Waterfront restaurant site on Covington's riverfront into a boathouse for kayakers, canoeists and rowers will have to overcome some legal and financial concerns.

The plan moved forward on Tuesday after the city commission approved an agreement with Queen City Water Sports Club to design and negotiate a boathouse and dock for canoe, kayak and rowing activities.

But it's far from a done deal.

The agreement guarantees the city will negotiate exclusively for the next four months with Queen City Water Sports on the development of the site.

In that time, many issues will have to be ironed out.

City commissioners expressed concern about where the money would come from and whether the city should put the property out to bid.

The city-owned site has been vacant since 2011, when Jeff Ruby's Waterfront restaurant partially broke loose of its moorings. The restaurant has since sunk.

The non-profit club wants to build a boathouse there where they can rent canoes and kayaks as well as host rowing programs for adults and youth.

The current plan assumed the city would pay the $750,000 to build the boathouse on piers and get paid back by rent payments from Queen City Water Sports, said Commissioner Chuck Eilerman said.

"We'll have to address in the next six months where that money will come from," Eilerman said. "You're not building this boathouse, we are."

Since the city owns the lot, some commissioners questioned whether the city should put out a request for proposals for the public to respond. That's something that will have to be determined later, city officials said.

The commissioners also want assurances that the boat dock won't be only for a private club. Eilerman said it's the second-most important site on Covington's riverfront after the former Covington Landing site, where the Waterfront restaurant will relocate.

"It is an opportunity, given its character, its parking, its accessibility to hotels and people, to have a public park," Eilerman said of the location.

Queen City Water Sports Club President Pedro Palacios said the club would rent out canoes and kayaks to the general public. Palacios also addressed some concerns expressed by members of the public that it's unsafe to kayak and canoe on the Ohio.

Rental kayaks and canoes will mostly operate in the no-wake zone between the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge and Brent Spence Bridge, Palacios said.

He also said those who rent kayak and canoes would have a 5-10 minute safety video before people went out on the river.

He said barges and commercial traffic travel closer to the Cincinnati side.

"We're not going to let them go across the river and wander around everywhere," Palacios said. "There's going to be a limitation."