| This will be my final report as Chairperson of CORBA, as we will be voting in a new Chair at our October 23 member meeting. I want to sincerely thank each of you for your hard work, dedication, and commitment to CORBA during my time in this role. It has been an honor to serve, and I am excited to continue supporting our mission in a different capacity. At our October meeting, members will have the opportunity to vote on our next Chairperson. With your approval, Tony Nath of C&B Marine will take on this leadership role. Tony brings valuable experience and strong industry perspective, and I believe CORBA will continue to grow and thrive under his guidance. I also want to draw your attention to a few important items. The American River Roots festival is coming up soon and will be a remarkable celebration of the history and significance of the river. Equally important, the Ohio Department of Transportation has released the Ohio Maritime Plan for public comment. This plan will shape the future of maritime activity in our state, and I strongly encourage every member to review it and submit comments by October 13. In my role as Executive Director of We Work the Waterways, I also invite you to join us on October 28 aboard BB Riverboats for our Maritime Interaction Day. This event gives students a hands-on opportunity to explore careers in our industry, and your participation helps inspire the next generation of maritime professionals. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as Chair. With your continued engagement, I believe CORBA’s future is brighter than ever. America’s River Roots Festival – Bill Kinzeler The America’s River Roots Festival will be held in the Greater Cincinnati region October 8h through the 12th. The event will be like the Tall Stacks events that were held in Cincinnati in past years. This festival is “A signature event to kick off America’s 250th birthday celebration”. Nine excursion boats from throughout the inland waterways will be on hand, including the true steamboats, Belle of Louisville, of the port of Louisville, KY. and the Natchez, of the port of New Orleans, LA. The Belle of Louisville is a US National Historic Landmark. The Boat was built in Pittsburgh in 1914 as the Idlewild. In 1947 the boat was renamed Avalon and became a “tramp” excursion boat that visited cities throughout the Mississippi River system. The boat traveled the inland waterway system until the late 1950’s. The Avalon is considered the most travelled steamboat in American history. The Avalon was rescued from the scrapper’s torch when it was purchased at auction by Judge Marlow Cook for Jefferson County, Kentucky. The boat was restored under the direction of marine architect Alan Bates of Louisville and renamed. The same Capt. Alan Bates that oversaw the restoration of the Belle of Louisville designed the steamer Natchez. It was built in 1975 in Braithwaite, La., for the New Orleans Steamboat Company. The engines on the Natchez were originally on the steam towboat Clairton built in 1927. Except for brief forays to other places, such as this appearance at River Roots, the Natchez has called the port of New Orleans home. There are 175 scheduled lunch, brunch, dinner, sightseeing and themed cruises during the celebration. The two steamboats and the seven other excursion boats represent Pittsburgh, St. Paul, Moline, and Memphis, Beginning on Thursday, October 9, over one hundred local artisans will be populating the Purple People Bridge, Cincinnati, and Newport city fronts. The festival opens at 11:00 daily. Three stages located in Cincinnati and Newport will feature musical entertainment featuring regionally recognized, emerging and local artists. Cultural and historic presentations will take place at the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Freedom Center. A river industry exhibit will be located on the Newport city front, featuring modern working towboats and Coast Guard assets that can be toured by the public. Nearby, the ever-popular USS Nightmare, a Halloween themed “haunted boat” that utilizes the former Corps of Engineers sidewheel steam dredge William S. Mitchell will be open for daylight tours. There will be opening and closing parades of excursion vessels and other craft, as well as scheduled boat races on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A Rozzi produced fireworks show will be held at the end of the festival on Sunday night, October 12 at 8:30. For more information about the America’s River Roots Festival, to obtain cruise tickets or even to volunteer to work in the event, go to: americasriverroots.com To sign up to volunteer at the maritime exhibit visit: https://doodle.com/sign-up-sheet/participate/6fe1a851-64b8-4b0f-9b7a-556b8a6a6bd5/select Ohio Maritime Plan – Eric Thomas At long last, ODOT is unveiling the draft of the Ohio Maritime Plan, which is open for comment. Recall that I have served on the OMP Steering Committee since its inception 18 or so months ago. I invite (encourage) each of you to please review the draft at the link below, and share or invite others that may be interested. If you have comments or feedback you are welcome to submit those directly to Randy Lane, or funnel them through me and I can make a response on behalf of CORBA as a whole. This was (is) a VERY IMPORTANT ENDEAVOR FOR CORBA and the OHIO RIVER, so please give this your attention and consideration. TO: Ohio Ports Ohio Maritime Plan Steering Committee Ohio River Commission Regional Transportation Planning Agencies The Ohio Department of Transportation has posted its DRAFT Ohio Maritime Plan for stakeholder and public comment. Below are links to the draft plan and related materials. Please review and share with interested parties in your networks for comment. Comments will be accepted through Monday, October 13th by email to randy.lane@dot.ohio.gov. DRAFT Ohio Maritime Plan: Ohio Maritime Plan | Ohio Department of Transportation Port Profiles: Port Profiles | Ohio Department of Transportation Technical Working Papers and Materials: Working Papers & Materials | Ohio Department of Transportation Ohio Maritime System Infographic: OMPInfographic.pdf Randy Lane Freight and Maritime Manager ODOT Office of Statewide Planning & Research 1980 W. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43223 614.387.2369 transportation.ohio.gov Southern Ohio Southeast Indiana Northern Kentucky (SOSINK) Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC) Report – Barry Whitton Seems like the 2025 summer recreational boating season just got underway. Most of the Ohio River Events, several with USCG river closures, are in the rearview mirror. These events included Paddlefest, Cincinnati Red Bull Flugtag, and the end of summer Riverfest Fireworks Celebration. I am happy to report that all of these incidents went off without an incident, thanks to great cooperation between public safety first responders on both sides of the River and the private industry commercial maritime partners. Preparations are underway for one last Ohio River Event, America’s River Roots. The River Roots Celebration is October 8th through October 12 and will include historic riverboat races, cruises and possible evening fireworks displays. If the planned fireworks occur plan on some River closures during this great event. The SOSINK AMSC held its quarterly summer meeting at the Kenton County, Kentucky Government Center on July 24th, presided over by Chairperson Todd Schulkers (Kenton County Deputy EMA Director) and Vice Chairperson Lieutenant Brandon Shoults (Indiana Department of Natural Resource). As before a full agenda included the AMSC Subcommittee Reports: Land & Water Port Camera Systems, Marine Transportation System Recovery & Mitigation, Strategic Planning & Grants, Interoperability Communications in the Port, Rescue & Response, and Awareness, Prevention & Protection Law Enforcement Response. The Land & Water Port Camera Subcommittee Chair, Barry Whitton, gave an update on the current Port Security Cameras in Cincinnati and Covington as well as the new Newport PD Port Security Cameras. New Business included updates on the America’s River Roots Festival, a recap of the 2025 Marine Firefighting Training (more info below) and a very informative presentation, update on the new Brent Spence Corridor Companion Bridge Project by Will Banik from the Walsh Kokosing Construction Team. Finally, this SOSINK AMSC Meeting was the last for Mr. Jim Armstrong. Jim had a long, dedicated career with the Coast Guard, enlisted in April 1976 and served 22 years of active duty. After a brief pause in military service, Jim returned as a USCG civilian in 2010, as our Sector Ohio Valley Port Security Specialist (PSS). Jim retired in July of this year with 37 years of service with the CG. Jim is now back with Armstrong Training Solutions (ATS) which he founded in 1998, where he is working as a maritime consultant, teaching Incident Command System, management training, and conducting oil spill and maritime security exercises with the commercial maritime industry. We wish Jim good luck, and he will be missed. We welcome our new PSS, US Coast Guard Brian Biefeld. Also, welcome our new Sector Ohio Valley, Captain of the Port, Captain Randy Preston, coming to our area from Charleston, South Carolina. As mentioned above, the Southern Ohio, Southeastern Indiana & Northern Kentucky (SOSINK) AMSC conducted a Marine Firefighting Training Class at the Boone County Sheriff’s Office in Burlington, Kentucky on July 17th, 2025. The training was sponsored by the USCG and Marathon Petroleum. There were over 50 attendees from all over the Port. The all-day class featured speakers from the USCG, local fire departments on their watercraft and on water firefighting capabilities and a presentation by Rick Francis, T&T Marine Salvage, Houston Texas, on firefighting techniques on large marine fires on tankers and inland waterway barge, tugs, etc. Our work with SOSINK AMSC, port partner first responders will continue throughout the year and into 2026. |
AWMI × CORBA Riverboat Meeting — July 17, 2025 • BB Riverboats, Newport, KY James Rose AWMI Cincinnati/NKY and CORBA teamed up for a working night on the water—bringing together leaders from steel, logistics, manufacturing, and maritime to compare notes, solve problems, and line up next steps. A live look at CORIS (Central Ohio River Information System) showed how shared mapping and inventory visibility cut friction at the dock and on rail. Event Highlights Talk tracks around barge & gt; rail handoffs, coil & bulk handling, and project cargo staging. CORIS overview to align planning windows and reduce touch points. Dinner aboard and two drink tickets per guest to keep conversations moving. About CORBA & AWMI CORBA connects businesses along the Central Ohio River corridor to grow river commerce, improve infrastructure, and champion smart policy—so cargo moves safely, efficiently, and competitively. AWMI develops, retains, and advances women in the metals industry through education, mentorship, and networking. The Cincinnati/NKY Chapter brings together manufacturers, processors, and logistics partners to move the industry forward. |
