Some residents of Covington Avenue oppose Bowling Greens plan to install a storm water retention basin on their street. The proposed plan is an effort to prevent the type of severe flooding Covington experienced during the 1998 hail storm, according to public works Director Emmett Wood. I think everybody was surprised and shocked at the plan, said resident Yvonne Guy, 623 Covington Ave. Designed by Hart, Freeland and Roberts, a Nashville, Tenn., civil engineering and architect firm, the retention basin covers almost three acres in the 600 block on the south side of Covington and two acres on the north side, according to City Engineer Jeff Lashlee. This is going to reduce the flooding elevation, he said. It wont completely remove any water that could get out into the road … . This is going to have a significant impact reducing the flooding. Residents object because they are afraid it will hurt the beauty of one of the citys oldest neighborhoods, Guy said. It is going to come all the way out to the sidewalk and have a chain-link fence, she said. It will not leave any trees and be an eyesore for one of the oldest and most beautiful streets in the city. Several residents are worried about potential damage to their homes if the city has to blast to build the retention basin, Guy said. Its going to be 17 feet deep, she said. If we sustain damage from this, hows that going to be taken care of?The concerns expressed by residents at a recent public meeting will be reviewed before finalizing the plan, Wood said. I really do believe well be able to adjust things to accommodate a great deal of their concerns and still be able to get rid of the water, he said. Some residents question whether city officials would really address neighborhood concerns, said resident Carlton Osborne, 619 Covington Ave. I think theyve already made up their mind what theyre going to do and nobodys going to be able to do nothing about it, he said. Residents also object because they feel the retention basin is inferior to a plan previously suggested by former public works director Bill Hays, Guy said. That plan called for an underground pipe, which would divert water down Collett Lane, under Cemetery Road to Kereiakes Park and then to Barren River, she said. I think the neighborhood would still agree that would be the most respectful thing to be done, she said. The underground system would be less maintenance for the city, but costly to build, Lashlee said. It would be nearly maintenance-free, but it would cost in excess of $2 million, he said. Wood said the magnitude of the cost alone makes that not a viable option. The retention basin, estimated to cost $366,000, is designed to hold water when it rains and drain into a dry well that drains into the citys cave system, Lashlee said. Many residents feel the underground system should be reconsidered because Covington is paying a high price for the citys bad planning in the past, Osborne said. A lot of this water is coming from Bent Tree and Hartland, neighboring subdivisions, he said. Theyre getting by with nothing and were going to have to get by with a big hole and an ugly fence all our lives. Covington does experience drainage problems from newer subdivisions that have built up around it, Wood said. The more you develop, the more runoff you get, he said. I dont know if the impact is as great as the folks who are most inflamed about it are stating it is, but I think the truth is somewhere in between. Public works director for only one month, Wood said he will do everything possible to address the concerns. I think well be able to make some changes to the plan, he said. That certainly isnt going to satisfy everybody, but will go much further toward accommodating them then what we have now. Some residents expressed satisfaction that the city is doing something to solve the problem. The city never has adequately addressed the drainage situation, said Roger Batsel, whose property at 1302 Batsel Ave. backs onto where the basin will be constructed. I think weve got some conscientious, honest people with the city at present particularly at the development and engineering level. Theyre doing their best to appropriately solve a bad situation.