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**Garrison Hilliard** · August 8th 10, 06:58 PM posted to rec.bicycles.rides,rec.bicycles.misc

Ky. gives $80K for Licking greenway
By Scott Wartman ? ? August 6, 2010

COVINGTON - The state of Kentucky gave Covington $80,000 to build the
first paved part of the Licking River Greenway trail system.

The city will use the grant to build a one-mile path atop the flood
wall along the Licking River in Covington from Clayton-Meyer Park on
Thomas Street south to Levassor Avenue.

Organizers said the grant represents a watershed moment for the
greenway, which would have paths along the both sides of the Licking
River through Covington, Newport, Wilder and Taylor Mill.

The greenway will be funded piecemeal as cities get opportunities to
fund trail construction, said Kara Clark, vice president of strategic
initiatives with Vision 2015, which has led the greenway effort.
Wilder has applied for a $75,000 state grant to build part of the
trail on its riverfront.

"I think it signifies a strong commitment from the city of Covington,"
Clark said. "They worked diligently to get funding and look for very
creative sources of funding."

Construction won't begin until late 2011 because of the design work
and approvals from entities like the Army Corps of Engineers, said
Natalie Gardner, Covington's recreation director.

The cost of the one-mile paved stretch will cost $267,000. City
Commissioner Jerry Stricker donated $20,000 to the construction. The
city will pick up the remainder, Gardner said.

"It is a quality of life issue," Stricker said. "Doing these trails
will attract people to Covington."

Preliminary work on the greenway has started.

Volunteers in Covington in September cleared some of the riverfront
and built a three-quarter-mile stretch of mountain bike paths on the
banks of the Licking from the 16th Street flood wall entrance to
Holmes High School.

Covington, Wilder, Newport and Taylor Mill are in the process of
forming the Licking River Greenway and Trail Coalition to oversee the
project and seek grants. Covington and Taylor Mill have approved the
agreement and Wilder and Newport will consider it soon.

Volunteers this fall will start clearing the riverbanks to weed out
invasive species and plant native ones. The Greater Cincinnati
Foundation gave Vision 2015 a $20,000 grant for the riverbank
restoration. It also paid for a study soon to be completed by the
Northern Kentucky University Center for Applied Ecology that will
assess the habitat along the river and create a work plan for how it
will be restored.

"We really hope with the momentum it has seen already, it will keep
gaining speed," Gardner said. "Wilder applied for a land and water
grant. Taylor Mill is working on habitat restoration. All the partners
involved have the project in the forefront of their brains and want to
tackle as much as they can."

Covington is looking for volunteers to help build the trail system and
restore the habitat. To volunteer, call the Covington recreation
department at 859-292-2151.

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs....S0108/8070351/