Last July, when Cincinnati was chosen to host the MLB’s All-Star Game, league officials also began researching community projects to coincide with the big game. At that time, Covington’s former Programs and Strategic Projects manager Natalie Gardner suggested Meinken Field.
All-told costs came in at over $1M, with Gardner taking responsiblity for raising $330,000 in completion costs and organizing more than 60 volunteers to landscape the neighboring grounds.
Gardner was surprised upon arriving at the field for the first official baseball game of the season to see her name gracing the sign leading into the parking lot.
“I definitely squeezed out a few tears out there,” Gardner admitted.
Gardner’s colleague Eric Neff, Director of Human Resources for Covington Independent Schools District, also received recognition for his work on the project. Both Gardner and Neff were inducted into the Covington Public Schools Hall of Fame at the opening ceremony on Friday, March 18.
Read the full River City News story here.
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