The city of Newport is continuing its partnership with Southbank Partners by updating its interlocal agreement and paying its $50,000 dues.
Southbank Partners comprises Bellevue, Dayton, Covington, Fort Thomas, Ludlow, Silver Grove, Newport, Wilder and Southgate. Wilder and Southgate were added at the end of 2024. Southbank, a nonprofit regional economic development organization, works directly with the city managers and mayors of the nine cities. Newport City Manager John Hayden said the benefit of the city’s partnership with Southbank outweighs the cost of its dues.
He said there are opportunities for grants that Newport might not be large enough to qualify for, so having Southbank as the agency on behalf of the city allows them to acquire that funding. Hayden said Southbank has secured significant funding throughout the partnership that benefits the city.
“I would say to the board that this is the best investment of $50,000 we can have because, like I said, that money comes back significantly more over time,” Hayden said.
When Southbank was founded 28 years ago, it focused on the Northern Kentucky riverfront, with the founding cities of Newport, Covington and Bellevue.
Southbank Partners President & CEO Will Weber said at the meeting that in the late 90s, urban sprawl impacted many cities along the riverbanks, and many people were moving to the suburbs. Southbank and the three founding cities looked at the future revitalization that could occur in those areas to bring everybody back from the suburbs to the urban area.
“These are the ones that have the similar strengths and weaknesses these opportunities to embrace as people come back down to the urban core, while at the same token, have shared similar threats, the aging infrastructure, the transportation difficulties, and embracing those and working together is really where we have seen the success of this partnership of cities,” Weber said.
He said that when multiple cities have a particular priority, it’s best to align those resources so that Southbank can help tackle that objective. When applying for grants, Southbank acts as the applicant, the beneficiary, or the fiscal agent (holding the funds on behalf of those applying).
Examples of projects Southbank has helped facilitate are:
- Riverfront Commons– $ 8.5 million. Part of this project includes $5.5 million into Festival Park in Newport. $3 million went toward a US Army Corps of Engineers to study the retaining wall along the Festival Park. $2.5 million Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Regional Council of Governments grant in 2021 for the river walk through Riverfront Commons.
- Pedestrian bridges– $ 1.8 million.
- RAISE grant-$315,331. Administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, it provides funding for significant local or regional surface transportation infrastructure projects.
- Port of entry (Riverboat Row & Dave Cowens)-$250,000.
- James Taylor Park– $ 600,000.
- Inaugural riverfront cleanup-$500.
- US-27 and AA/Route 9 Corridor Assessment– $ 20,000.
- Special events, BLINK and America’s River Roots– $ 30,000.
Newport Commissioner Ken Rechtin said he was concerned about “mission creep and focus” regarding Southbank. He said when Southbank first started, the focus was the riverfront and the river cities.
“Now it seems that you’re creeping, honestly, into areas that aren’t focused on the river,” Rechtin said.
Weber said that, traditionally, Southbank focused on the cities on the “south bank” of the Ohio River. Their service area is the Ohio River from Devou Park to Pendry Park and the regional corridor of Route 8, Route 9, and U.S. 27. Weber said the addition of Wilder and Southgate is specific to those corridors.
“It’s all project-specific in those instances and seeing the opportunity to be part of a larger regional partnership and advocating for this urban area,” Weber said. “We were very intentional about the language change from not just river cities, but urban core.”
