A grant worth more than $13,000 will help fund a banner of murals in downtown Newport.

The money was presented by the 410, a charitable giving-circle initiative of Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky.

The grant was presented to Southbank Partners at an event hosted at New Riff Distilling by roughly 100 members of the 410 and the Newport Business Association.

The mural will honor Newport's 225th anniversary coming in 2020.

“We’re proud to support the members of The 410 for their first grantmaking process, and we are thrilled that they chose to make their mark through beautifying this corridor in Newport/Bellevue,” said Horizon Community Funds President Nancy Grayson. “This is an excellent opportunity for other additional supporters to come together and leverage funding to bring this whole mural series to life.”

The funds from this grant award will be used to re-purpose a structural wall into a vibrant banner of murals in Newport. This structural floodwall is located along Dave Cowens Drive (KY Route 8) at the intersection of I-471 North (Exit 5: Newport / Bellevue). The area serves as a gateway for the downtown of both the cities of Newport and Bellevue and is directly adjacent to the east campus of New Riff Distilling and Wendling Printing Company.

Twenty panels are available for mural placement.

“This is an outstanding show of support from Northern Kentucky,” said Southbank Partners President Jack Moreland. “When we stand together, and fund together, projects like this are even easier to bring to life. I’m grateful to Horizon Community Funds for bringing The 410 to Northern Kentucky, and I’m grateful for its members.”

The project will leverage other arts and cultural projects in the area including the Riverfront Commons Trail, spanning from the City of Ludlow to Fort Thomas, the Newport River Walk Plaques, Taylor Creek Park, and New Riff Distilling, which serves as the northern point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour.

According to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Average Daily Traffic Counts at the intersection of I-471 and Dave Cowens Road / Route 8, the project will be viewed over 7 million times annually. In addition to the daily local traffic, the intersection is a main point of entry to the City of Newport and Bellevue’s economic and entertainment centers, which attract thousands of visitors annually.

-Staff report