Licking River Greenway wins $80,000 grant

A vision to create an urban greenway from the mouth of the Licking River to the I-275 loop in Northern Kentucky took a large step forward earlier this month when officials learned that they had won an $80,000 Recreational Trails Program Grant from the Kentucky Department for Local Government.

Thanks to the grant, construction is expected to begin on the $267,000 first phase of the project, which includes paved trails atop the river's levee walls, in late 2011.  The grant was awarded to the City of Covington which was the first of the member cities to officially adopt the Licking River Greenway Master Plan in 2008.

"With the current Licking River Greenway progress, Covington is ecstatic to hear the news about the Recreational Trails Program Grant," said Natalie Gardner, Covington Recreation Director.  "This phase one portion of the trail will begin at Clayton-Meyer Park on Thomas Street and travel south to Levassor Avenue.  First steps will be to properly engineer the trails, as well as gain the proper permits needed for a levee top trail."

Developed through Vision 2015, the master plan calls for a continuous green corridor through communities like Newport, Covington, Wilder, and Taylor Mill.  Once fully developed, the plan will stabilize riverbanks, remove invasive species and restore native wildlife, and create a new multi-level system of nature, paved, and water trails.

Officials supporting the five-mile corridor plan say that it will improve public safety, increase property values, and connect neighborhoods and businesses along the corridor.

The $80,000 matching grant adds to the $20,000 grant that the Greater Cincinnati Foundation awarded in spring 2010 to develop a Habitat Restoration Work Plan that will help with the removal of invasive species and make room for new native plants this fall.

Writer: Randy A. Simes
Photography by Scott Beseler
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