COVINGTON — The Tristate's only Roman Catholic Basilica welcomed workboots and tape measures this week.

        About 60 contractors interested in bidding on what has been controversial renovation work at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption got a chance to ask questions and tour the historic church earlier this week.

Sister Madonna Kling, C.D.P., prepares an Advent wreath Thursday at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        Bids on the project will be opened Jan. 16, said architectural consultant Bill Brown of Colorado Springs, Colo. There are 18 different bid packages — such as stained-glass window restoration — and about seven bidders for each package.

        “The work is right on schedule,” Mr. Brown said. “Lord willing, everything will continue to proceed smoothly.”

        KZF Inc. of Cincinnati is the architect of record working closely with Mr. Brown. KZF was the project manager for the cathedral's reroofing in 1994.

        “This project offers different challenges because we are working around priceless artifacts such as the stained-glass windows,” said Charlie Kemp, a project architect with KZF.

        For instance, his firm is working on a way to pipe new air conditioning into existing vents in the Stations of The Cross without damaging the murals.

REPAIRS PLANNED

The plan calls for structural repairs including:    • Upgrades to fire prevention and security.    • Infrastructure work, such as adding air conditioning.    • Cleaning and repairs, such as washing the exterior limestone and restoring the stained-glass windows.

        The project is moving ahead, despite some objections to the renovation. Much of the controversy centered around the plan to move the church's massive marble altar — currently not used for worship — from its traditional place in the front of the church to a location closer to the people. The change is prompted by Vatican II reforms nearly four decades old.

        The restoration of the cathedral is costing $4.7 million, with $500,000 set aside in an endowment for upkeep, said Tim Fitzgerald, spokesman for the Diocese of Covington. The money was raised through a capital campaign, which ended active solicitation earlier this year.

        Across the Ohio River, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, which has 232 parishes in 19 southwest Ohio counties, has seen a number of its churches move the altar forward, sometimes 15 to 20 feet. Spokesman Dan Andriacco said those moves in Ohio have never generated significant controversy.

        “Anytime a church is renovated, it stirs up powerful emotions,” Mr. Andriacco said. “And with any significant renovations, you will get people who do and don't like it.”

        The cathedral will be closed during the work, which is to begin April 16, and be completed in time for re-dedication Dec. 8, 2001, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

        Arrangements are being made for cathedral parishioners to attend service during the closure at St. John Church, 625 Pike Street,

        The cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Covington and is visited by some 70,000 people annually. Pope Pius XII gave the cathedral the title of basilica in 1953, meaning it has the proper ceremonial items for the Pope to visit.

        The cathedral, dedicated in 1901, is a replica of the Gothic Abbey Church of Saint-Denis in Paris. Its interior three-tiered walls are drawn from Notre Dame de Chartres, and its facade is a mini-copy of Cathedral de Notre Dame in Paris.

        Its interior and exterior were last repaired and reconditioned in 1946. There also was a major renovation in 1950.

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