Friday, May 07, 1999
Riverboat dock joins Newport's long list of 'what's new'
And a kiosk near aquarium gives information
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT — The new BB Riverboats dock adjacent to Sloppy Joe's restaurant on Riverboat Row was christened Thursday as part of a triple-header celebration put on by SouthBank Partners Inc.
“It's seems like we're having a celebration about every week in the city,” Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli said. “There's so much happening in the city, so many new things to talk about.”
In addition to christening the BB Riverboats dock, which features one-hour sightseeing cruises leaving four times a day, the crowd of 100 city and county officials and business leaders also took part in a ribbon cutting for the first outdoor SouthBank interactive information computer kiosk near the dock and just below the Oceanic Adventures Newport Aquarium.
The celebration also marked the one-year anniversary of the SouthBank Shuttle, which carries passengers at 25 cents per trip through downtown Cincinnati, Covington, Newport and Bellevue.
“We've been very successful in riverfront development,” Mr. Guidugli told the gathering. “But nothing like this can happen without transportation.”
Mark Donaghy, general manager of TANK, said the SouthBank Shuttle “is the most successful single thing (the transit company) has ever done.”
The shuttle, composed of 10 blue minivans, now carries an average of 4,000 passengers a week through the four river cities, and that number grows to 6,000 a week when there are special events or games at Cinergy Stadium and Firstar Center.
It's no coincidence that the new BB Riverboats dock and the SouthBank outdoor kiosk are just below the aquarium, which opens to the public May 15.
Alan Bernstein, president of BB Riverboats, explained that the company and Sloppy Joe's, which is owned by the Bernstein family, have developed a partnership with the aquarium.
“We will offer what we call a triple treat ticket that will include a visit to the aquarium, a meal at Sloppy Joe's and a sightseeing tour on BB Riverboats,” Mr. Bernstein said.
The new dock, just below the Taylor-Southgate Bridge, will also be a stopping point for a water taxi service planned by SouthBank and expected to begin operation as a pilot program next spring. Initially the boats will taxi passengers between Newport and Cincinnati.
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