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Last GM building falls to make way for TechTown

Photos: Demolition for TechTown

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Dropping flags to signal the beginning of a building demolition are, from left: Rashad Young, Dayton city manager; U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville; Phil Parker, president and CEO of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce; Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin; and Steve Budd, president of CityWide Development Corp. City, county and federal officials, along with construction and economic development representatives, gathered at the Tech Town site in Dayton on Tuesday, Aug. 11, to ceremonially begin the demolition of Building 5, the last to be demolished.

Staff photo by Chris Stewart Dropping flags to signal the beginning of a building demolition are, from left: Rashad Young, Dayton city manager; U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville; Phil Parker, president and CEO of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce; Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin; and Steve Budd, president of CityWide Development Corp. City, county and federal officials, along with construction and economic development representatives, gathered at the Tech Town site in Dayton on Tuesday, Aug. 11, to ceremonially begin the demolition of Building 5, the last to be demolished.

By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer Updated 7:20 PM Tuesday, August 11, 2009

DAYTON — Demolition of the sole remaining General Motors manufacturing plant off Monument Avenue marked the end of Dayton’s 10-year effort to convert the former brownfield into shovel-ready property for its premier high tech campus, TechTown.

“We must congratulate General Motors. They have worked very hard with us on this project,” Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin said. “They have earned our appreciation for their ongoing cooperation and support in this very complicated, complicated environmental clean-up.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, joined Dayton city leaders Tuesday, Aug. 11, to witness the first strike of a wrecking ball on Building No. 5, a final relic of the Harrison Radiator complex.

The Harrison plant, vacant since mid-1995, produced air conditioners for automobiles and employed thousands. The site once held numerous buildings, constructed between 1870 and 1981.

The city had considered rehabbing Building No. 5, closed since 1995, but found it more cost effective to demolish and rebuild.

“We’re here today to mark an end, but (also) a beginning of something very exciting,” McLin said. “The demolition of this massive structure will be the most publicly visible step in the transition of this site from an old economy to a new economy.”

For years, the crumbling six-story structure, pitted with broken windows, marred other progress on the site. It also caused many to question whether TechTown would ever be a reality.

“People will watch this (demolition and new construction) and have confidence we will get it done,” Dayton City Manager Rashad Young said.

Construction of a 60,000-square-foot building on the site is expected to begin in spring 2010, Shelley Dickstein, assistant city manager for strategic development, said. The city already is marketing the building to prospective tenants.

The city will celebrate the grand opening of the first TechTown building in late August. The Creative Technology Accelerator is a 42,000 square-foot structure just west of the demolition site. That building is fully leased and occupied.

The technology-based campus is Dayton’s attempt to compete with suburban office parks.

The project emerged nearly a decade ago as ToolTown, when the tool and die industry and manufacturing jobs were more plentiful in Dayton. As manufacturing jobs dried up, the city’s economic development focus shifted to emerging industries: Advanced Materials, sensors, radio frequency identification devices or RFID, and information technology.

ToolTown died. TechTown emerged.

Acquiring the land for TechTown began when Turner was mayor of Dayton.

TechTown forum Aug. 20

Get the first look at TechTown during DaytonB2B’s Dynamic Dialogues. “How can emerging technologies translate into business opportunities for you?” will be from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20 at TechTown, 711 E. Monument Ave. Participants will be able to meet, exchange ideas and socialize with business leaders who are shaping the region’s economic growth through innovation. There will be “speed networking” sessions and networking. Presenting sponsors are the city of Dayton and the University of Dayton School of Business Administration. Cost is $25. Advance registration is required. Space is limited. Register at Event.DaytonB2B.com or call 937-225-0785.

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