Rhonda Whitaker, center, presents a check from Duke Energy to representatives of the city and the Westside Action Coalition
Duke Energy has provided $2000 to help replace trees vandalized on Holman Avenue in Covington earlier this year.
On July 7, vandals damaged 17 recently planted trees on Holman Avenue in Covington, part of a beautification project of the Westside Coalition.
In 2014, the Covington Urban Forestry Division along with more than 100 volunteers planted trees in an effort to improve Covington’s urban environment.
As a result, the program was awarded the Community Environmental Luminary Award from the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection.
The program continued to expand and in 2015 the Center for Great Neighborhoods issued a $2,000 grant to plant more trees along the street. Along with funds from the City of Covington and a donation from local tree farmer Gus Wolf 40 trees were planted.
On July 7, 17 of those trees on Holman Avenue were cut in half in the middle of the night.
The Westside Action Coalition neighborhood group has been dedicated to replanting the trees, and contributions to the effort from community and business groups, like the Duke Energy grant, is making the restoration possible.
