FORT MITCHELL, Ky,, 03/14/2013 - A Friday morning meeting that started as a discussion about public-private partnerships ended with some heated debate over whether tolls should help fund construction of a new Brent Spence Bridge. At the center of that debate was Matth Toebben, the German-born entrepreneur who has spent more than 50 years literally helping to build the Northern Kentucky region. Toebben warned that if a toll for the Brent Spence Bridge goes through, “Northern Kentucky is going to be bled to the point where there’s nothing left but the university.” The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce hosted the discussion Friday morning at its offices in Fort Mitchell. Dozens of business leaders packed the chamber’s conference room to hear a presentation by John Farris and Tom Howard of Commonwealth Economics, a firm that has experience with public-private partnerships around the state. Proponents of a bridge toll have argued that it’s the best – and most realistic – option to generate the local money needed for the $2.7 billion bridge project and get it built as quickly as possible. But Toebben, founder and chairman of Toebben Builders and Developers, Matth Toebben Construction and Toebben Ltd., and other opponents of tolls said at the meeting that Northern Kentucky must fight for other alternatives for the sake of the region.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 18:24:04 +0000
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