Meet Our New Clean Team Maintenance Technician Jennifer Leeden!

Why is it important to have a clean city? It is important to keep communities clean for several reasons -- it is good for the environment, it creates a more welcoming atmosphere, and it contributes to crime prevention. The City recognizes the importance of keeping our public spaces clean, but it is often a challenge due to staffing and budgets. As part of the City Council's public safety efforts, they approved funding to employ a Clean Team Maintenance Technician to focus on cleaning up Covington's downtown core and leading clean-up efforts around the city.

In March 2022, Jennifer Leeden, a long time Covington resident with a passion for keeping the community clean, joined the City as our first Clean Team Maintenance Technician. She has lived in Covington since 1990 and has always been an advocate for cleaning up the community and has demonstrated that by doing litter pick up in her own neighborhood.

So, what does the Clean Team Maintenance Technician actually do? Jennifer spends a majority of her time out on the public streets and right-of-ways picking up litter, cleaning the occasional graffiti, and gathering abandoned shopping carts in the downtown core. She also manages the City's Adopt-a-Street Program and Make a Difference Day event, and she supports the City's Adopt-a-Drain program as well. Jennifer is currently working on a new program called Random Acts of Clean Up that she hopes to have available in 2023.

While Jennifer works to keep downtown Covington's public spaces clean, we still need your help! Truly keeping a community clean has to be a joint effort between residents, businesses, visitors and the city.

So, what can you do? First, be sure to always use a trash receptacle and don't litter, keep your property maintained, pick up your pet waste, and encourage others to do the same. You can also help by reporting issues like graffiti and illegal dumping in public spaces in the Covington Connects system online at www.covingtonwa.gov/covingtonconnects. We also have three streets available to adopt in our Adopt-a-Street Program! If you are interested in adopting a street, reach out to Jennifer at jennifer.leeden@covingtonwa.gov or 253-480-2418.

City Commission Highlight:

Human Services Commission

The Human Services Commission at the City of Covington exists for two primary purposes. They do outreach to Covington residents to ensure they are aware of resources available to them. They also make funding recommendations to the City Council each budget cycle to ensure human services dollars are allocated to the most pressing needs in our community.  

The Human Services Commission monitors the agencies the city provides funding for to ensure they are performing successfully. This particular year (2022) was a funding cycle allocation year in which the commission was tasked with allocating $286,500. The Commission recommended the funding of 31 agencies ranging from mental health to domestic violence to emergency assistance and more.

The Human Services Division at the City is also growing. The City now employs a Community Care Specialist to assist with more direct contact with individuals in need in the community. Their goal is to get individuals connected to resources they need as well as host a new regularly occurring resource fair event to bring resources to Covington on a monthly basis. 

To learn more about the City's Human Services Commission or any other volunteer commission, visit www.covingtonwa.gov/city_government/commissions.php.

MINOR HOME REPAIR:

Get on the Wait List for 2023

The City's Minor Home Repair Program, funded by a Community Block Grant, is a program to assist income-qualified residents in Covington who are in need of eligible minor home repairs like repairing or replacing hot water heaters, gutter damage and other problems.

To be eligible, the home must be owner-occupied and located within city limits. There is a one-year residency requirement and homeowners must have no plans to sell their home within a year.

Owners must also be income eligible according to HUD income guidelines which is determined by total gross annual income of ALL household members: Family of 1: income up to $66,750; Family of 2: income up to $76,250; Family of 3: income up to $85,850; Family of 4: income up to $95,300; Family of 5: income up to $102,950.

To get on the Minor Home Repair Program waiting list for 2023, or for more information about this program, contact the City’s Human Services Division at 253-480-2411 or email jjohnston@covingtonwa.gov.