COVINGTON — Even as the United Way denied a review of its decision to stop funding the Northern Kentucky Community Center, the charity pledged to continue serving the center's east-side Covington neighborhood.

        “The United Way is committed to serving the people of East Covington,” said spokeswoman Carol Aquino. “One of the things we had already done was talk with some of the ministers and make sure that people knew to contact us if they needed emergency assistance. We are committed to making sure the dollars are there for East Covington.”

        Ms. Aquino said United Way representatives will be talking with East Covington community leaders and setting up forums within the next few weeks to determine program needs.

        Nonprofit organizations also will be invited to submit proposals for meeting East Covington's needs.

        Some community center supporters, including board chairman Cliff Cooper, have said the United Way's decision to stop funding the center is an attempt to get the board to fire Rollins Davis, the center's executive director. Others have suggested the United Way's decision was made so the charity could direct its dollars to competing agencies.

        Ms. Aquino denied those allegations.

        “No decisions whatsoever have been made about how those dollars will be used,” Ms. Aquino said Wednesday. “We were waiting for the appeals process to be completed.”

        Last month, the United Way notified the private, nonprofit center — in the heart of Covington's African-American community — that it was cutting its funding for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The charity cited management concerns and the center's inability to show what it had accomplished with its United Way-funded programs.

        Wednesday, Ms. Aquino declined to discuss specifics about United Way's denial of the appeal.

        The center is dealing with financial problems including how to pay at least $80,000 in delinquent utility bills. While the center still offers a day care for 29 children and programs in youth development, other programs — such as a federal program that provided free food to more than 130 families — recently have been discontinued. Since April, most of the center's paid staff has been laid off.

        On June 12, board members of the Northern Kentucky Community Center unsuccessfully appealed the loss of $171,167 in fiscal year 2002 United Way funding — nearly half of its budget. Center officials requested a review of that decision, which was denied by United Way's executive committee this week.

        Mr. Cooper could not be reached for comment Wednesday. However, last week, he vowed to keep the Northern Kentucky Community Center open. He said then that the board was developing a plan to generate funds and become self-sustaining. Once that plan is final, Mr. Cooper said, it would be made public. The center also receives money from the city, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and private donations.

        Northern Kentucky NAACP member Allen Wilkinson, who has ties to the east side through his family, friends and his former church, said the community center's board must bring “integrity and credibility” to the center to restore the confidence of the community.

        Mr. Wilkinson has been participating in community meetings called by the NAACP to discuss the center's future and the best way to serve East Covington. He suggested the board ought to review its bylaws and make changes, continue efforts to restructure the board and bring in new members who can offer expertise, and create a special advisory committee of community leaders “to offer suggestions and ensure that stuff like this doesn't happen again.”

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