Civil Municipal - May 2024

a sense of belonging and unity among its diverse residents. Covington is pulsing with this fun sense of community that can be felt throughout the region. .“We embed fun into everything we do, and that’s an important element of who we are,” Bolli reiterates. There’s no better way to see this than at Covington’s “Love the Cov” event, which brought out hundreds of people.The focus of this event was to celebrate what residents love most about the city and discuss how to do more of those things. Tons of people proudly wear their “Love the Cov” shirts, branded with the city’s colorful logo. Love the Cov can additionally be felt at the numerous community events, service projects, and food drives throughout the year. Matching this energy, a couple of years ago, Covington created a city mascot, Karma, the Chameleon. Karma is a colorful character who has become an adored ambassador for the community, showing up to business grand openings and all sorts of city events. Covington has many other events throughout the year. During the summer, they hold amazing daytime events throughout the city and host music and evening movies at Covington Community Park, which is the city’s first community park. Covington’s top five activities are walking, picnicking, cooking out, bicycle riding, and social events outdoors, which are supported by the city’s natural and active park spaces and beautiful trails that provide regional connections. CONNECTING COVINGTON Although keeping things light at heart, Covington is also indisputably focused on efficiency and productivity. Covington also thrives when it comes to infrastructure development as well. One current project Bolli highlights involves State Route 516, the main thoroughfare through the middle of town. This important artery operated as a two-lane highway that was overloaded with vehicles moving to and from Covington from surrounding communities. To alleviate congestion, the city prioritized the need to add capacity to this vital transportation link. 81 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 05 COVINGTON, WA