The Kenton County Extension Office is continuing to focus attention on urban areas, chiefly downtown Covington, and the office is looking for help.
The Extension is attempting to help improve the area by instituting a program called Cov+Tell to find out what is needed to boost revitalization. This program is done in conjunction with the University of Kentucky under the Urban Extension Consortium.
“We are not just cooking and cows anymore,” said Daniel Allen, Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resource Education. “The Extension office has a lot to offer people in the urban areas, but we don’t have as much visibility.”
So Allen and Denise Donahue, an Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development Education, organized a community project which is aimed at celebrating and gathering feedback about Covington, saying they want to make it about “a city we all know and love”.
But they knew they would need help, and they thought they would like viewpoints from early career young people living in the city. The agency wants to include families, and they view the project as ageless.
“Our first thought was a photo/voices project, because with a photograph you can tell a story,” said Donahue. “We wanted people to tell us what they love about Covington, and something they would like to see changed. At the end of the project we will create a film or just a photo art installation and invite people to come and see what we have collected. Then we can also tailor the Extension’s programs to fit the needs that we see.”
Allen and his wife have a daughter, Laura Allen, who is a young career woman living in downtown Covington. Allen recruited Laura by explaining what he wanted to do, and she liked the plan enough to spread the word to some of her friends and getting them onboard.
Laura’s friends, Kara Henry, Scott Sanker, Micah Sipple, Haley Donohue, Alex Willet, Emory Davis and Brandon George, jumped in to help.
Kara, a graphic designer who also lives in Covington, designed tee shirts for the group to wear that sports the name they have given to the project, Cov+Tell, in a speech bubble on the front, and Show us your Covington on the back.
“I’ve been working in Covington for almost five years now, and living here for one, so when I was asked to be a part of this community project I was thrilled to start to give back to the community that has given me so much,” Kara said. “I’d love to see this project really take off and create a sense of belonging in the people of Covington. Showing citizens that their voice matters and can make a difference is so important in creating a community and I think this project can be a really great platform for that.”
The group created press boxes, large envelopes with information inside that would encourage people to take part in this project.
“We’re collecting stories in the form of photos, short videos, and written submissions from citizens of Covington, Kentucky, and using the submissions we receive to create a final project interpreting and showcasing the voices of Covington,” the group stated in the press packet. “The data gathered will be used to inform decisions on community programs offered by the Kenton County Extension Serice and partners.”
There is a QR code that will take people directly to a form to submit their photos, or they can go to the Google form here. They also have Instagram and Facebook pages where people can find info about the project.
There are 18 different neighborhoods in Covington, and the organizers would love to hear from residents in every sector.
“We have gone door to door, and we have gone to the Victorian at Riverside, and the Golden Towers,” said Laura. “We have also gone to the Farmer’s Market and set up so people could access the form though our equipment.”
The group wants to put Covington in a new light.
“We want this to be a grassroots project,” said Laura. “We want it to be a reflection of the people from the bottom up, not necessarily from the top down.”
They have received 20 submissions so far. Laura said the submissions touch on greenspaces, and bicycle and pedestrian safety, especially in the light of the young woman who was killed while riding her bike on the 12th Street Bridge.
“I would like to see empty lots be turned into mini-parks, or safe spaces for kids,” said Micah Sipple, who also lives in a Covington neighborhood. “If we could think about putting a basketball hoop in a lot, or something, that would be better, and give kids something to do.”
The group plans to be at events through the fall, including Oktoberfest, which is September 9 and 10, and the Farmers’ Market in Covington to collect more information, photos and submissions. Then just after the first of the year they hope to have a presentation for the public to showcase the submissions and photos.
“We’d like to do a movie, a red-carpet type of thing,” said Laura. “It would be great to have it at a place like the Madison, but we haven’t reached out to them yet. We could look into the library. Whatever happens, it will happen in Covington.”
She said they really want to make it available to the people so they can see that their submissions are being carefully considered, so they will find a way to put the final results online.
“We want the people to say this is what I love about Covington, but I would like to see this improved or changed, so we can pay attention, and then set about highlighting the good things and changing things that aren’t working,” said Daniel Allen. “We really want people to respond and help us with this project.”
