In advance of baseball’s showcase game in mid-July, the Covington Business Council has announced a return performance of its effort to cleanup downtown city streets.
CBC and its non-profit foundation the Urban Partnership (UP) have contracted with Tag Team, a Graffiti Removal Service, operated by former City Code Enforcement Director Keith Bales, to perform daily street sweeps from July 1 through the 15th:
Removing litter
Deodorizing alleys
Removing graffiti in the right-of-way
The work is being funded by a generous grant from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. US Bank Foundation. CBC/UP Executive Director Pat Frew says he is grateful for the support and excited the cleanup crews are returning.
“The last time we had these crews on the street more than 40 tons of litter was collected and more than 800 graffiti tags were removed in a 21 month period in 2011 and 2012. While this will be a shorter and more concentrated effort the impact might even be greater because of the impression it will create with thousands of influential visitors descending on both riverfronts.
“A cleaner Covington will communicate a more welcoming environment and will tell our guests that we’re glad they’re here and that we have a great deal of pride in our community,” added Frew.
Bales said he is equally thrilled to be a part of this initiative. “When I worked for the City, the before and after picture from the previous cleanup effort in the Central Business District was remarkable. I still remember the pride I felt looking at the transformation. Tag Team will do its part to restore that cleaner Covington feel.”
Bales’ crew will perform a pre-dawn sweep every morning during its two week surveillance. And will have crews in professionally-attired green Tag Team company uniforms daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. providing service and acting as friendly community ambassadors. Crews will clean from 5th Street south to the Ohio River and will cover Greenup to Philadelphia Streets to the east and west respectively. To report problems in those areas contact Tag Team at 859-283-2267.