By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Southbank Partners opened a new section of the much anticipated Riverwalk in Dayton Tuesday.
“This milestone marks another important step toward completing the full 20-mile Riverwalk in Dayton, spanning across eight cities along the south bank of the Ohio River,” said Southbank Partners President Will Weber.
Southbank Partners invited the community to come and celebrate the opening of the new section of the walk as they recognized the partners and community leaders who helped make this possible.
Riverfront Commons is Northern Kentucky’s riverfront district, spreading along the banks of the Ohio River, featuring breathtaking views, diverse cultural experiences, and outdoor adventures without end. The commons consists of eight cities, including Bromley, Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton, Ft. Thomas, and Silver Grove, stretching over 20 miles.
Southbank Partners recognized that this stretch of riverfront property really represented Kentucky, and they have dubbed this stretch the ‘front porch of the south.’ This Dayton portion of the Riverwalk represents phases 2 and 3 of the project. The city of Ludlow was phase 1.
“It is really important to have a Riverwalk to connect these communities,” Weber stated. “It is an active transportation system for urban living.”
He said every year USA Today has their top ten Riverwalks, and he talked about how it usually takes large metropolitan cities to develop something like the one in Northern Kentucky. He marveled at how eight cities worked together to create something that rivals Riverwalks in the large cities.
Ben Baker, mayor of Dayton, said it was a beautiful day in the city of Dayton for everyone who calls the banks of the Ohio river home.
“It’s an important step forward toward a bold and inspiring vision,” Baker said. “Each phase that opens up brings us closer to creating a world class active destination where families can walk, bike, run and gather while enjoying some of the most beautiful river views anywhere in the country.”
He said it improves the quality of life, and creates endless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.
“The Ohio River has always been our connector,” he said. “It’s bigger than just one city.”
He thanked two former mayors and the former city administrators as well as the former council members.
Campbell County Judge Executive Steve Pendery noted the amount of younger people involved in the creation of the Riverwalk, and he gave them credit.
“In my generation we were wedded to cars,” he said. “I can see that you are dedicated to the quality of life and creating a better work/life balance.”
He said that he is not satisfied with seeing so many people on their phones, or in front of the tv, and he is happy to see that infrastructures such as this Riverwalk are a bridge to seeing other people, wanting to connect with people. He told everyone that regardless of political affiliation, people are good, and it is a worthy goal to get to know people. This Riverwalk, he said, would be a good way to open the door and meet people in the community, a way of bringing the community together.
But he warned that there could be delays.
“These things tend to move at the speed of government,” he said. “But we’re persistent, and we’re going to see it through.”
Andy Reser, Transportation Programmer for OKI, talked about the things that have been done, and promised that more great things would be coming.
Ben Baker summed it up best.
“When cities collaborate, remarkable things can happen,” Baker said. “Today we are celebrating more than just new pavement. We are celebrating something deeper. We are celebrating a promise that our riverfront belongs to everyone. A promise that future generations will have places to gather together and to explore and create their own memories. A promise that we will continue to work together until we have the entire 20-mile riverfront and it becomes a reality. The best chapters of our river communities are still to be written. Congratulations to everyone.”
With that, the ribbon was cut by speople who were involved with making the Riverwalk come into being.