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It’s been more than a century since anything came easy for the former Wright Airplane Co. factory site.
Years of work to redevelop the more-than-a-century-old buildings were set back in late March in what U.S. Rep. Mike Turner and Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr. both called “arson” this week. One walk around the buildings confirms that fire damage is extensive.
“The suspicion is arson, of course,” Mims said Tuesday.
Nevertheless, help may be on the way.
$4 million for fire-damaged Wright factory may be on its way
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
The House Appropriations Committee approved $4 million to restore the former Wright Airplane Co. factory buildings southeast of West Third Street and Abbey Avenue.
‘Historic building:’ Committee approval is an important step, but it’s just one step, Turner said Tuesday.
Approval by the full House and Senate, as well as President Biden’s signature, are needed to get the money to the city of Dayton, which owns the property.
It won’t be enough, Mims acknowledged. “We’ll be asking for more,” he said.
Want to do business near a Meijer store?
Reporter Eric Schwartzberg tells us that Meijer is working to draw restaurants and other businesses to outlots near stores across the region, including in Miami Twp., Kettering, Huber Heights and Beavercreek.
“The goal is to continue adding value and convenience for our shoppers with the addition of food and services for busy families, adding to the one-stop-shopping experience inside our stores,” Meijer spokeswoman Erin Cataldo told us.
Coffee. And maybe tacos: The changes are making room for Biggby Coffee, and possibly, a Taco John’s, among other businesses. Plans for that new-to-the-area restaurant will be reviewed at a Miami Twp. Zoning Commission meeting next month.
Study: There are jobs in Dayton. But many are low-paying
Keying off a Policy Matters Ohio analysis, reporter Cory Frolik this week told us that three of the four most common jobs in the region tend to pay lower wages, which means workers may need government aid to put food on the table and pay bills.
Gains tempered by inflation: More than 33,000 people in the Dayton metro area work in fast food, retail or have cashier jobs where the median pay is between about $11.45 and $13.70 per hour, the analysis found.
Heidelberg anchors delivery operations in Moraine
Credit: Dayton Daily News
Credit: Dayton Daily News
Heidelberg Distributing Co. is consolidating the warehouse and delivery operations of two of its Southwestern Ohio locations, bringing that work to its Dryden Road facility in Moraine, the company confirmed this week.
“Underutilized:” An internal email this newspaper obtained says space in the company’s large Moraine warehouse is underutilized, currently at 23% capacity. It also says the three facilities now serving this part of the state are only some 48 miles apart at most.
Headed to the Sunshine State?
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
If so, there’s good news.
Avelo, the Dayton International Airport’s newest airline, has extended bookings through mid-February, which means local residents will continue to have nonstop service to the “theme park capital of the world” for at least six more months.
Dayton to Orlando: Avelo recently said that it is now taking reservations for its twice-weekly flight from Dayton to Orlando International Airport through Feb. 12.
Making moves
The Greentree Group, a provider of business and technology solutions, announced the promotion of Fred Damuth to principal.
A native of Southern Oregon, Damuth began his career at the Air Force Academy, where he graduated with a bachelor’s in English and an Arabic minor. His military service included time as an intelligence officer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
He joined The Greentree Group in August 2019.
Quick hits
Who has the best chocolates in Dayton? According to you, these are the finalists.
The historic Manhattan building in Dayton: It’s where I work. But that’s not why it’s historic.
Wellness studio opens near Patterson Park neighborhood: Say hello to “Collective Good Integrated Health.”
How much do you really know about Carillon Park? This quiz may ring some bells.
AFRL harnesses AI for the first time to fly a jet. The laboratory headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base recently reported the historic moment.
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