It's been four months since we got our first glimpse at what the gateways into Newport could look like as the Kentucky Route 9 expansion project reaches its completion.

On Monday, the city commission approved the contract with Vivian Llambi and Associates for basic design services related to the structures that will be installed in two new turnabouts. One will be near the 4th Street bridge between Newport and Covington, and the other at the foot of the Taylor-Southgate Bridge between Newport and Cincinnati.

SEE PREVIOUSLY: What new gateways into Newport may look like

The contract is valued at $114,000.

City Manager Tom Fromme said that inside the roundabouts will be circular monuments standing 8-ft. high with tiled panels depicting pieces of Newport's history.

"We are going to raise money for that, from the public and from the business community to do this," Fromme said. It is a very important endeavor we want to undertake here. We have an opportunity, a once-in-a-generation at minimum opportunity to put a nice face, a beautiful face on the City of Newport."

The project also includes a gateway near 12th Street.

Excitement to the proposal was not universal. Resident Kyle Randall expressed concern that there could be difficulty associated with directing people to one part of town or another if the useful landmarks like the roundabout features look the same. "It seems like a loss to use one design when you have an opportunity for two great designs," Randall said. "You could have a fountain or a large tree, any number of possibilities. It seems like a loss to use the same design twice."

Fromme said that alternative designs proved not to be cost-effective. Instead, the new features would be history lessons, including the story of James Taylor, the founder of Newport.

"Most people don't know who James Taylor is," Fromme said. "It may be a fleeting thing in the back of their minds who that is, but he's the founder of Newport and pretty much the founder of Campbell County, which includes Kenton and Boone Counties. He owned most of the property in eastern Cincinnati. He was the one that was responsible for bringing the fort here in Newport, which ultimately ended up in Ft. Thomas."

Commissioner Beth Fennell shared Fromme's enthusiasm.

"You will see the Taylor name, Taylor heirs, in subdivisions in Bellevue, Dayton, Ft. Thomas, south into Campbell County," said Fennell, a real estate appraiser who comes across the Taylor name often. "Still to this day those subdivisions are named for him and his heirs."

Commissioner Frank Peluso expressed concern about the radius being one that tractor-trailers could use. "I don't want to see them in the landscaping," he said. Fromme said that the state's engineers are aware of that concern, and he also said that there would be no advertising on the structures. "I don't know who started that dirty rumor but let me squash that right now," Fromme said. "There was nothing in that presentation - I guess that's somebody trying to minimize something. There's not going to be like a big sign, like Big Lots or something up here. This is to recognize our history and that's it. "The companies we want to recruit for this are not in it for the advertising. They're in it for the benefit of the city and the residents of Newport."

Other notes:

City Clerk Amy Able was honored for earning her position in the Athenian Leadership Society of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. Able was surprised by the city administration with her recognition on Monday.

Resident Heidi Fausz invited neighbors to join in the second Trash Bash Challenge, an event in which volunteers pick up a bag of trash over the course of an hour. Last time, the effort picked up more than 1,000 pounds of garbage by 100 volunteers. This year, Fausz is aiming for 2,000 pounds of trash by 200 people. Free snacks will be provided. It is scheduled for Sunday, September 11, from 2 to 5 p.m. For information, click here.

-Michael Monks, editor & publisher