By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

COVINGTON - Construction of a $2 million glass pavilion at Devou Park's highest point will begin in April, now that a Kenton County judge has approved the plans.

The Memorial Building in Devou Park, will be replaced by a $2 million building donated by the Drees Co. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

The 10,000-square-foot reception hall and conference center was donated by the Drees Co., a Fort Mitchell-based home builder. Drees hopes to finish construction by the end of the year to mark the company's 75th anniversary.

The one-story brick-and-stone building eventually will replace the park's Devou Memorial Building. That building will stay open until the new one is finished.

"Groundbreaking is tentatively set between April 14 and 18, with construction beginning on April 21," Drees Co. spokeswoman Anne Mitchell said Friday.

The project required court approval because Kenton Circuit Court has jurisdiction over the William P. Devou Trust. Devou left the hilly, 700-acre park to the city of Covington as a gift to its residents, and it is administered by the city and the trust.

"The existing Devou Memorial Building lacks the sufficient size and capacity to accommodate its current demand," Kenton Circuit Judge Steven R. Jaeger wrote in his 12-page ruling Thursday.

As a result, the judge wrote that the old building's use "has been and will continue to be limited, and the park has lost and will continue to lose significant potential revenues."

The judge wrote that the Memorial Building needs to be renovated or replaced and can't accommodate demand.

The new pavilion, which will hold between 300 and 387 people, depending on its use, would remedy that, the judge wrote.

Judge Jaeger gave his approval based on several conditions. Among them:

• The Devou Memorial Building must remain in operation until the new building opens.

• The new building will be named "The Drees Pavilion at Devou Memorial Overlook," or a similar name that identifies Drees as the donor and the Devou family as the subject of the memorial.

• Once the new pavilion opens for business, all requirements for the Devou Memorial Building will apply to it.

• A newly formed nonprofit entity governed by a city-appointed board of directors will be responsible for operations and management of the pavilion.

City officials have said they believe the new building will generate more than enough to cover its maintenance and operation.

Any extra money could go into an account for repairs or renovations, and possibly other Devou projects, city officials told the judge.

• Any trees and underbrush that are removed to give the new building the best view of the Ohio River and surrounding territory must be done "in the least intrusive manner possible."

"That's fantastic," Covington Mayor Butch Callery said of Judge Jaeger's ruling. "We're trying to make that park family friendly, and this will just add another dimension to it."

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com