Of the 411 active cities in Kentucky, only a handful are actually walkable. Just one in three Kentuckians (32%) felt there were many destinations to go within an easy walking distance from their home, according to a poll done in April of 2010 by Kentucky Health Issues.
Known for walkability are major cities such as Covington, Louisville, Lexington, St. Matthews and Paducah, all of which have populations over 17,000.
Now, a small city in Kenton County, with just under 7,000 people, is creating a walkable home for its residents: Taylor Mill.
Founded in 1957, the town has risen through the ranks from a rural community with hundreds of people and a small operating budget to a growing city with thousands of people, all centered around the livelihood of its residents.
Taylor Mill’s mayor, Dan Bell, is a big proponent of why the city has become walkable. The Sidewalk Project started when Pride Park was built two decades ago. From there, the commission applied for grants to prioritize its goal of making the city fully walkable.
Like all cities, commissioners have run into issues while completing the project for Phase 1 and Phase 2. Regulations weren’t as strong then; now they have to jump through specific hoops to get them done.
“Federal regs [regulation] require you to hire a third-party negotiator. They have to appraise that property, base it on a value, and then offer that person that value, and then negotiate with them if they won’t take that amount,” former City Administrative Officer Brian Haney said.
Phases one and two of the Sidewalk Project have been completed. The town is now in the final phase, which has been on hold since 2017. Phase 3 will go from Saddlebrook Dr. to the Trifecta Building (Walnut Dr.) completing a loop around the city. The city received an $846,424 grant from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments for phase three, but because that budget was based on what was requested back in 2017, the costs are now higher, so the project price goes up, and the city has to eat those costs.
Even though the final phase has been held up for years, the outlook is still positive. City Commissioner Mark Kreimborg said there are a lot of positives to being a walkable city.
“Anytime you can improve the services or anything for your residents and improve the value of the property and it just makes it a better community to live in, you have a closer-knit community,” he said.
Residents also want the project to be done. They come up to Kreimborg in Remke’s, asking when the project will be finished and saying they can’t wait for it to be completed.
Haney lives off Wolf Road, about two miles from the city building. Once the sidewalks are in, he could walk to work. He believes the sidewalks can make the city much more community-based than just passing by everybody in a car.
“If I get in my car and I drive from my house to Remke’s, I’m not going to notice anybody’s house. I’m not gonna notice that this guy’s got three kids out in this front yard and a nice flower bed or a garden in the backyard. I don’t even see it if I drive by; if I’m walking by, I know you’ll notice everything,” Haney said.
Putting in the sidewalks also helps with the health of the community. More walkable and activity-friendly city environments are related to improved health both physically and mentally, according to the National Library of Medicine. Haney said people of all ages get outside and exercise using the sidewalks.
“It’s more of a social aspect too because you’re walking past your neighborhood, they’re saying, hey, it’s multi-purpose,” Kreimborg said.
Haney believes that a walkable community works best when the city has things like
recreation, parks, businesses, churches, City Hall and residential areas, all connected. He believes that in 10 to 15 years, Taylor Mill will be a city of growth.
“I honestly foresee there’ll be a time that the city, it’ll be very few blank spaces because I see the growth is just going to continue to happen, and the more walkable it is, like Mark said, that attracts people,” Haney said.
Kreimborg said this project means a lot to him. He was born and raised in Taylor Mill and started working in the city in 1985. Throughout his time, people would ask him, “Why Mark? Why do you do it?”
Sidewalks aren’t the end of what the city is doing. They tie into a larger project where the Districts of Taylor Mill, LaRosas, Skyline, and Graeter’s Ice Cream are owned by One Holland. The city bought two homes and is getting ready to buy a third to open it up to future development.
“We can say it’s a walkable community. We’ve got sidewalks coming right up to that area that’s going to make it more enticing for these companies to come in and want to build,” Kreimborg said.
Haney and Kreimborg want residents of the city to know that they hope the project is completed as much as the residents do. Kreimborg is frustrated it has taken this long but notes he’ll get it done. Haney asks residents to keep the faith.
“The good things come to those who wait, and this project will eventually get over the finish line. I hope to be around when it happens, but we’re seeing it now, so just be patient,” he said.