Southbank Partners, the City of Newport and The Newport Foundation – building on the momentum of the construction of the new KY Route 9 into and through the city – have announced a partnership to develop vibrant, welcoming and highly-visible new gateway entrances into the community.
Monuments are planned for two of the new gateway roundabouts being built as part of the KY Route 9 extension project. Both offer naming rights and sponsorship opportunities and will feature uniquely-crafted murals enhanced by historic scenes and photographs of Newport.
“The Ky Route 9 project is creating tremendous opportunities in Newport by attracting new businesses, residents, visitors and investment into the city,” said Southbank Partners President Jack Moreland. “The new gateways Southbank Partners and the City of Newport are developing will provide an adequate and lasting welcome to the city.”
Newport City Manager Tom Fromme said the gateways -including a gateway arch located at the city’s entrance from Wilder along KY Route – will “provide a constant reminder of how the KY Route 9 project is serving as a catalyst for new growth, employment and access into the city.”
“We are honored to be partnering with Southbank Partners on this exciting new project,” Fromme said. “Newport has always been an inviting and welcoming community. These new gateways, along with the KY Route 9 project, will make our city even more accessible to visitors, businesses, consumers, and residents.”
Plans call for three Newport gateways, which will be located at:
• A monument at the roundabout now under construction will be at the terminus of the Taylor-Southgate Bridge near Newport on the Levee, The Newport Aquarium, and the recently opened Hampton Inn as well as the nearby Aqua residential apartments and the Aloft Hotel.
• A second monument at the roundabout also under construction will be at the terminus of the Veterans Memorial Bridge – also known as the Fourth Street Bridge – that connects Newport to Covington and near the proposed Ovation development at the Ohio and Licking Rivers on the city’s west entrance;
• A picturesque arch will also tower over Ky Route 9 at the city’s northwest entrance from Wilder where the KY Route 9 expansion begins and where New Riff Distilling is developing its $7.5 million whiskey campus. The circular gateway monuments – designed by the Cincinnati landscape architecture firm of Vivian Llambi & Associates – will be located in the center two roundabouts consisting primarily of brick and stone and enhanced by flagpoles, landscaping and lighting.
The monument design provides for park-like setting in the center of the two roundabouts that will feature a Welcome to the city as well as the Circle sponsors name. Each monument will also include 12 murals captured from historic photos and recreated through a newly created technology that involves baking the photograph subject matter onto ceramic tiles that are not subject to fading, chipping, wear and tear or other deterioration allowing the murals to last for generations. Each mural sponsors name will also be included .
To assist in the cost of the gateway monuments, Southbank Partners and The City of Newport are offering the Circle naming rights and the 24 Mural sponsorship opportunities to corporations, small businesses foundations, organizations, families and individuals through the Newport Foundation, which is a 501-C-3 organization.
The two primary Circle naming rights are being offered at $250,000 each; with the 24 Mural sponsorships being offered for $25,000 each.
“The naming rights are an excellent opportunity for a sponsor to build a legacy as well as be recognized as a destination in the community,” Moreland said. “Think of Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. The naming of the gateway monuments in Newport offers the same sort of lasting impact.
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The expansion of KY Route 9 – also known as the Licking Pike Connector – was approved by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2012 at a cost of $26 million. It is designed to connect the AA Highway (KY 9) to the Taylor-Southgate Bridge, improving access from Interstate 275 in neighboring Wilder and opening up new land for industrial, residential and commercial development in the city.
For more information on naming rights and sponsorship opportunities contact Joyce McMullin at Southbank Partners, 859-655-7700, For more information on naming rights and sponsorship opportunities contact Joyce McMullin at Southbank Partners, 859-655-7700, jmcmullin@southbankpartners.com.
NKyTribune photo by Mark Hansel
