Last year’s official opening of the $6.5 million revampment of the Covington Plaza helped revive the formerly neglected riverfront in Covington.
One feature is a small concrete ramp for paddlers, or canoeing and kayaking enthusiasts. The canoe ramp provides a link between the 11-mile River Commons hiking & biking trail and the Ohio River.
On June 4, two 40-foot long Voyageur canoes containing 18 rowers from the Ohio River Way Coalition arrived at the canoe ramp to formally acknowledge Covington’s contributions to the revived riverfront area. The rowers dropped off a commemorative sign and participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The customized 24-inch by 30-inch metal wayfinding sign designates the canoe ramp as mile marker 471 along the Ohio River. Covington plans to mount the sign so it won’t be ripped away by future floods.
“The dream that so many people had for so many years is finally coming true,” Covington Mayor Joe Meyer said during the ceremony. “The goal of city fathers has for years been to reconnect our city to the river. Floodwalls are delightful. But they bring ‘bad’ in that they wall us off from the river in a negative way.”
The paddlers were participating in the Ohio River Challenge, a 250-mile canoe trip from Portsmouth, Ohio to Louisville, Kentucky. The trip began on May 31 and is a tribute to the people who paddled similar boats during the fur trading era in the United States.
Members of the ORWC also invited Covington to participate in the advocacy group in order to promote recreation, attract tourism, and stimulate economic development along the Ohio River.
