BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT B1
COMMUNITY RECORDER
Owner Amber Jones and her son Jacob in AJ’s Creations.
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Covington, Independence, Latonia, Ryland Heights, Taylor Mill E-mail: kynews@communitypress.com T h u r s d a y, F e b r u a r y 1 7 , 2 0 1 1
Volume 15 Issue 18 © 2011 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Hey kids! Become a Recorder carrier and earn your own spending money and still have time for other fun activities, since delivery is just once a week on Thursdays. It’s your own business where your neighbors rely on you to deliver information about their community. You’ll learn valuable business skills and gain experience in customer service and money management. You’ll also be able to earn bonuses. Call 781-4421.
Giving back
Sabrina Collins’ view on life is simple. She’s received a lot in life and thinks its important to give in return. Collins, a sixth-grader at Twenhofel Middle School, was recently recognized nationally for her community-oriented spirit of giving with the Nicolas Green Award. Read more about when Collins started her giving back philosophy, and what her former Kenton Elementary teacher, Tammy Harris, has to say about her. SCHOOLS, A5
W e b s i t e : N K Y. c o m B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
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City seeks terrace funding By Regan Coomer
rcoomer@nky.com
Independence will soon submit the paperwork for a state grant that would allow for construction of terracing in front of the amphitheater near Memorial Park. The project would create seven rows of terracing on the hillside in front of the amphitheater. The terracing would allow residents to sit and watch performances at the amphitheater without having to scale the steep hillside. A handicap ramp will run down the middle of the terraced seating. “The terrace will allow people to sit and watch the programs,” said City Administrator Dan Groth. “We just know we’ll get better use out of the amphitheater if we do this.” Independence is asking for $51,000 of the state’s Land and Water Conservation Fund monies, a 50 percent match for the projected construction cost of $102,000. The city’s match will be a combination of funds and in-kind service, Groth said. Groth said the hill is “fairly steep” and a challenge for some seniors and handicapped individuals who would like to watch a show at the amphitheater. Independence Senior Center Director Dave Millward agreed, saying “It would be a lot easier to access it and it would be more comfortable watching events there.” Millward said the hillside is “awful” to deal with when residents try to go to the amphitheater. “I think it would benefit everybody, not just the seniors,” he said. “Everybody slides down that hill on their blankets because it’s so steep.” Groth hopes to hear back from the state by this summer and start construction on the terrace some time this year.
REGAN COOMER/STAFF
Valentine’s greetings
Independence Senior Chorus members Marilyn Miller, Naomi Wolf and Virginia Noen belt out a romantic song Feb. 10. The idea for the group formed in November and meets weekly. For more photographs of the group practicing and information see page A4.
Kenton teachers staying healthy By Regan Coomer rcoomer@nky.com
Teachers and staff at Kenton Elementary in Independence are learning how to tell diets to buzz OFF. The 30 women are participating in a 12-week program, Outsmarting Female Fat (OFF), taught by professional dietitians from the Northern Kentucky Independent Health District. The program is based on the national bestseller “Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell” and teaches women to eat in a way that works for their bodies, not against them, said Kenton Elementary’s school nurse, Paula Rust. “It’s not a diet. It’s supposed to be a lifestyle change,” Rust explained.
Women in the OFF program learn about lower-fat foods, fitness and exercise, increasing fiber intake, daytime eating and how to shrink meals. “We always focus on staff wellness. We’re trying to do a few things to increase camaraderie amongst the staff. It’s also something a great deal of people seem to be interested in,” Rust said. The OFF program is being used in conjunction with a weekly Zumba class taught at the school by a staff member and the Love It or Lose It program, where staff are invited to sign up for a weekly weigh-in. After an allotted number of weeks, a prize is given to the person who loses the most weight. “There’s this whole trend in health care these days to not just
care for the sick, but also to keep people well,” Rust said. Kenton Elementary’s Jill Schuler joined the OFF program because she’s just like every woman “trying to get in shape and stay healthy.” While the program is in its early days, Schuler said it’s already had an effect. “I’m starting to notice more why I eat when I eat,” she said. The OFF program is a good solution because it doesn’t cut out any type of food as “bad.” “It doesn’t matter what the number is as long as you’re losing inches, firming up and feeling better,” she said. Learn more about OFF at waterhousepublications.com or by calling the health department at 578-3689.
Covington takes budget on a road show Crazy Quilters
Students at St. Joseph School in Crescent Springs stitch love and caring into their work as part of the Crazy Quilters club. The quilts they make warm children and families at the Ronald McDonald House and have even travelled to Afghanistan. LIFE, B1
To place an ad, call 283-7290.
Regan Coomer rcoomer@nky.com
Covington will present a plan to battle a projected $3.8 million deficit in the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year at a series of community meetings March 1, 3 and 23. Residents and business owners are invited to attend the meetings, being held around the city, to learn where Covington’s money comes from, where it is spent and how city officials hope to find a budget solution. “We’ll be showing that the city has some serious budget challenges – some of it is within the city’s control and some of it is not,” explained City Manager Larry Klein.
Roadshow meetings
• 6:30 p.m. March 1 at Mother of God Church, 119 W. Sixth Street • 7 p.m. March 3 at the Center for Great Neighborhoods, 1650 Russell Street • 7 p.m. March 23 at Madison Avenue Christian Church, 1530 Madison Avenue Pension rates and the state of the economy cannot be changed by the city; however, employee benefits, health care and salaries are under the city’s province, Klein said. Currently, of the $48 million in Covington’s general fund, $12 million goes to health care and
pension, Klein said, adding that the cost for employee benefits have gone up 7 percent the last two years. The city is currently in negotiations with the city’s three labor unions to change employees’ health benefits; if negotiations go as planned, employees will be required to make a greater contribution toward their health care costs, Klein said. Unless negotiations allow money to be funneled from health care to the city’s general fund, Covington may have to make hard personnel decisions, Klein said. “We have to change the health care plan or employee benefits or the city may be looking at lay-
offs,” he said. “Development of the next budget will be ongoing over the next couple of months. Two or three months should tell the tale of whether we can reach these goals.” One Budget Roadshow meeting has already taken place - residents at the meeting were cordial and asked great questions, said Angela Cook, Assistant to the City Manager. “They really got it. They really understood that we need to make some changes in personnel with our health benefits,” she said. “While they didn’t agree with everything we said, no one got upset. It was a really positive experience all the way around,” said Cook
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