What's keeping this Covington green space from being a park?

A Covington-based street hockey league can't play during the COVID-19 pandemic, so instead, they're working to uplift the green space surrounding their court.

THIS WEEKEND, A GROUP INCOVINGTON WILL WORK TO CLEANUP ONE OF THE CITY'S BIGGESTGREENSPACES.WHILE LITTER IS A BIG,ONGOING PROBLEM IN THE AREA,THAT'S NOT THE BIGGESTCHALLENGE THE NEIGHBORHOOD ISDEALING WITH.

AS REPORTER PATLAFLEUR TELLS US - THAT ISN'TSTOPPING RESIDENTS FROM SEEINGTHE PARK'S POTENTIAL.FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS...(NATSHOCKEY GAME VIDEO)(VO)JESSEKLEINHENZ AND THE COVINGTONSTREET HOCKEY LEAGUE HAVE METAT KENNY SHIELDS PARK INMAINSTRASSE VILLAGE FOR GOINGON TWO YEARS.IT DIDN'T TAKELONG FOR IT TO BECOME MORETHAN A GAME.(SOT) JesseKleinhenz/Covington StreetHockey League10:58:58 Westarted looking for ways thatwe could help impact thecommunity rather than, youknow, just being a bunch ofslap-stick guys playing.(VO)WHILE COVID-19 HAS MEANT THEGROUP OF MORE THAN 100 HOCKEYPLAYERS STILL DOESN'T MEET TOPLAY, IT HASN'T STOPPED THEMFROM STAYING ACTIVE.THE GROUPQUICKLY NOTICED A LITTERPROBLEM PILING UP IN THEGRASSY AREA ADJACENT TO THEPARK.(SOT) Kleinhenz11:00:38We came to realize that a lotof trash is coming from theinterstate, coming down thehill.

And then also, this isthe lowest part of Mainstrasseand so a lot of trash blowsover the hill into the basinarea.(BUTT SOTs)11:01:04 Itseems right now like it's aperpetual problem.(VO)SHANNONRATTERMAN, WITH THE COVINGTON-BASED NONPROFIT, CENTER FORGREAT NEIGHBORHOODS HAS HADHER EYE ON THE AREA FOR AWHILE.ALREADY EQUIPPED WITH AWALKING AND BIKING TRAIL, ANDSITTING ADJACENT TO ANEIGHBORHOOD POOL, SHE SAIDSOME RESIDENTS HAVE APPROACHEDHER ORGANIZATION WITH IDEAS.(SOT) Shannon Ratterman/CenterFor Great Neighborhoods11:10:07 It's not an enormousspace, but it's big enough for-- there could be a Frisbeegolf course11:10:53 Thehillside here would be perfectfor cutting in rough bikingtrails, like not paved.

M orelikeyou see in Devou.(VO)THE CITYHAS ITS EYE ON THE AREA, TOO,BUT THE CHALLENGES EXTENDBEYOND LITTER.THE FIELD ALSOSERVES AS AN OVERFLOW AREA FORSTORM WATER AND SANITARYDRAINAGE WHEN THE OHIO RIVERRISES.KEN SMITH OVERSEESNEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT FORTHE CITY.(SOT) Ken Smith/Cityof Covington06:34:15 Inextreme heavy rains there canbe overflows.

(BUTT SOTs)06:34:52 Ultimately we wouldhave to figure out a solutionfor the volume going into thecombined system, and thatwould undoubtedly involveremoving the storm water andthat's a big undertaking.(VO)SD-1 TOLD WCPO IN A STATEMENTFRIDAY THAT THE WATER DISTRICT"DOES WHAT IT CAN TO KEEP THEAREA AS DRY AS POSSIBLE" BUTTHERE ARE "SIGNIFICANTCHALLENGES" TO CONTROLLING THEOVERFLOW, WHICH IS PRIMARILYRAIN WATER.STILL - PICKING UPTHE LITTER ON A REGULAR BASISIS A FIRST STEP.(SOT)THE PARK CLEAN-UP IS SCHEDULEDFOR TOMORROW MORNING FROM 9 AMTO NOON.YOU CAN FIND OUT WHERETO GO TO HELP OUT AT WCPO-DOT-COM.