By Ryan Clark
NKyTribune reporter
During the Civil War, when the residents of Cincinnati feared they would be attacked by the South, the “Black Brigade” — a group of African-Americans who are known as some of the first to be employed to defend the Union — built a series of forts and military roads to protect the area.
Their efforts did much to hold back the Confederate Army, and now, one Fort Wright citizen hopes the group can be recognized and remembered.
Timothy Siegrist, of Fort Wright, came to the Covington Commission’s regularly scheduled legislative meeting Tuesday night to tell the story of the Black Brigade — and to make a request, similar to one he’s already made to his own city’s council.
“I have a suggestion for the naming of the upcoming (Brent Spence) companion bridge,” he said. “I recently approached the city of Fort Wright with this proposal, and they agreed. … In order to keep the name free of all politics — we don’t need any more division among citizens — I suggest the companion bridge be named The Black Brigade of Cincinnati Bridge.”
Siegrist went on to explain the history of the Brigade, noting how 700 free black men volunteered to build the fortifications.
“When the Confederate Army approached and saw the defenses which were constructed by these men, they returned South and our region was saved from death and destruction,” he explained. “I think we could all learn some history by honoring these men. They are a part of our history.”
He then asked the Commission to draft a resolution and support the naming of the bridge to honor the Brigade.
“I realize you have no direct say in the naming of the bridge, but if enough people and cities find it appropriate, it can happen,” he said. “Keep in mind — this bridge, as well as the others, connect the North to the South. Thank you.”
Smart Outdoor Kiosk
Commissioners approved an agreement with Rove iQ and Southbank Partners to install a kiosk near Riverfront Commons/Covington Landing.
Southbank has agreed to cover all of the hard costs totaling $87,580, and Rove iQ has agreed to waive the annual license fee of $4,800. The city would only be responsible for a $5,000 annual payment for the warranty/service agreement, City Manager Ken Smith said last week.
Advertising revenue generation is expected to first cover the donated license fee and then the city’s $5,000 annual cost. Revenues in excess of $9,800 would be shared equally between the two entities.
Commissioner Tim Downing just wanted to make sure that residents know the city isn’t on the hook for any money.
“I appreciate South Bank sponsoring this,” he said last week. “Generally, when the city has something like this show up it can automatically be assumed by the public that this is a cost the city incurred. … At the same time that we were talking about cutting costs in other areas, I would just want to make sure that South Bank is getting full credit for the sponsorship, and that that’s something we’re very clear with the public on.”
Two other kiosks are also planned for the area. The double-sided kiosks will offer communication programmed by the city, and could feature things like maps, community news and other helpful information. Officials said the kiosks could be updated daily.
Fiscal Presentation
Budget Director Joel Baker gave a presentation on the Fiscal Year 2024 Second Quarter Report, which ran from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Revenues tallied $34,179,540, while expenditures came in at $32,158,214.
Resignations
Commissioners approved the resignations of:
• Ben Oldiges, Parks and Recreation Manager, Neighborhood Services
• Ryan Jones, Police Officer, Police Department
Reappointments
Commissioners approved the reappointments of:
• Lawrence Widlowski, Devou Properties, Inc.
• Dinesh Ganapathy, Devou Properties, Inc.
• Greg Engelman, Devou Properties, Inc.
• Linda Cobbs-Banks, Human Rights Commission
• Charles Fann, Human Rights Commission
Code Enforcement
Ken Smith took a moment Tuesday to acknowledge the work of the Code Enforcement staff.
“They’ve been working really hard to get property owners to get their rental licenses and to complete the inspections in this fiscal year,” he said. “They’ve already issued 275 citations with 150 of those coming since the beginning of the year. They’ve gotten over 150 property owners to take care of that rental license and they’ve done about 124 inspections since the beginning of the year.”
Executive Session
Mayor Joseph U. Meyer noted at the end of the meeting that the Commissioners would adjourn into an executive session, “for the purposes of discussing economic development.”
The Mayor noted that all of the Commission’s public activity had been concluded and no further action would be taken.
Next Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Covington Commission meeting will be a caucus meeting held at 6 p.m., March 19, at the City Building at 20 W. Pike St. in Covington. The meetings can be followed live on Fioptics channel 815, Spectrum channel 203, the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky (TBNK) website, the TBNK Facebook page @TBNKonline, and the TBNK Roku channels.
