Projects funded through the City’s Neighborhood Grant Program in the past have included signs, banners, picnic tables, benches, dog waste stations, flower pots, and landscaping.
Ideas include landscaping, safety signs, dog waste stations & tour
COVINGTON, Ky. – Eleven neighborhood groups are due to receive funding from the City of Covington for small improvement projects ranging from fruit trees to pedestrian safety signs to dog waste stations to historic walking tour signs.
The funding – totaling more than $50,000 – is on the consent agenda of the Covington Board of Commissioners tonight, part of the latest round of the ongoing Neighborhood Grant Program.
The grants range from $2,500 to $6,320 and are awarded to neighborhood associations and groups of residents for projects that improve their surroundings.
“This year was a little different than other years, we actually for the first year received more grant requests than we had funds available,” Neighborhood Services Director Brandon Holmes told the Commission.
The recipients and their projects:
- Eastside -- $5,000 – Randolph Park improvements: fruit trees, plaque, benches, pool chairs, paint.
- Historic Licking Riverside -- $5,000 – “Discover The Cov” stroll & stream historic walking tour (banners, QR codes, design, poles, etc.)
- Latonia -- $6,320 – Halloween Block Party, banners.
- Levassor Park -- $3,500 – “Slower is safer” radar signs, neighborhood gathering.
- Linden Grove Cemetery (Westside, Peaselburg, and Seminary Square) -- $5,000 – Signage (with QR codes).
- MainStrasse Village -- $2,500 – “PAWrade” pet parade and “Pick Up After Your Dog” signs.
- Old Town/Mutter Gottes -- $4,264 – Banners, dog waste stations, neighborhood garage sale and spring social.
- Old Seminary Square -- $4,450 – Trees, plantings.
- Peaselburg -- $5,420 – Sign, banners, planters.
- Wallace Woods -- $5,461 – Pedestrian safety initiatives: thermostatic painting of intersections, “slow down” yard signs.
- Westside -- $4,085 – Banners.
A 12th application wasn’t funded but could be up for consideration next year.
Commissioner Tim Downing, long an advocate of the program, said the projects demonstrate the community pride and work ethic that make Covington great.
“The amount of engagement from our residents has always been inspiring to me – communities throughout Covington pooling their time and resources to make their neighborhood cleaner, safer, and more vibrant,” Downing said. “I would encourage every resident who sees an opportunity for improvement in their area to participate with their neighborhood group. Engage and energize your community – it takes a village!”
The Commission set aside $60,000 for this year’s grants. Holmes said $3,000 was set aside in a contingency fund, and some funds were used to hire The Center for Great Neighborhoods, a non-profit that worked with many of the neighborhood groups to fine-tune their applications and figure out implementation plans.
A committee of City and Center staff reviewed the applications.
Under the program’s guidelines, projects must:
- Be neighborhood focused and initiated by residents who live in a neighborhood.
- Enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood through visible physical improvements or special activities.
- Be able to be executed within a reasonable period.
- Have demonstrated neighborhood support.
- Have a neighborhood-wide benefit or general benefit to the area.
- Be sustainable.
Program guidelines and an application form can be found HERE.
# # #