One of the most profound changes in the Dayton area in the past decade has been the way the area around Dayton International Airport became a magnet for big businesses — distribution and logistics, mostly, but aviation maintenance and manufacturing is in the mix, too.
Reporter Lynn Hulsey examines how that happened in a series of detailed stories.
Decade of development around Dayton airport brings jobs, revenue, traffic headaches
Steve Stanley, project development specialist and retired executive director of the Montgomery County Transportation Improvement District, perhaps put it best.
“It’s really astounding how much development we’ve had here. Some of it’s good fortune. Some of it is preparation. And then there’s a fair amount of risk-taking,” Stanley told Hulsey.
Employment: About 3,300 people work at businesses on and around the airport, according to the city of Dayton.
There’s a lot to consider here. Read Hulsey’s first story here. Read Monday’s story here. Check out the photo gallery here.
Local water bills are going up across the region
The cost of delivering water has forced water costs up dramatically in some cities, Reporter Nick Blizzard found.
Rising costs: Fairborn raised its rates earlier this year and is expected to do so in both 2024 and 2025. Springboro has frozen water rates since 2018 and Troy’s last rise in costs for customers was two years earlier.
Those two cities may be exceptions, according to annual survey results of 60-plus jurisdictions. Water rates increased more than 70 times since the start of 2022, with hikes in some cities — like Dayton — happening twice, documents show.
Ohio mayors weigh their options after the passage of Issue 2
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Ohio mayors, including some from the Dayton area, are considering options — including moratoriums in the wake of Issue 2′s passage legalizing recreational marijuana, writer Nick Blizzard tells us.
The statewide Nov. 7 voter-approved measure was a topic in a recent conference call by the Ohio Mayors Alliance, whose members include Beavercreek, Dayton, Huber Heights, Kettering and Middletown.
Kettering plans to consider a temporary freeze on recreational marijuana businesses, officials said.
Preparation: “We just preparing for when this becomes legal and how governments address that and then the longer consideration, which is how you regulate the sale and use,” Keary McCarthy, executive director of the alliance, told Blizzard.
Churches, other nonprofits face tax lien sales for delinquent properties
Reporter Sydney Dawes found that more than 400 parcels in Montgomery County owned by churches and other nonprofits are delinquent in payments to the county. Dawes detailed the situation in an analysis of the county tax roll.
This includes 10 churches that owe more than $10,000. A church in Trotwood owes more than $100,000.
Why this matters: Montgomery County Treasurer John McManus said tax-exempt properties with longstanding and costly delinquencies are of particular concern to his office, and he wants to work with their property owners to reclaim past due payments.
“Our local cities and others are owed this money by those who have utilized basic services that benefit their own properties,” McManus said. “Not paying for these services is not only unfair to other organizations that pay, but it jeopardizes one’s future ownership of the property.”
Ohio Federal Research Network unveils new, $6.85 million funding round
As a bridge connecting Ohio business and academic problem-solvers with federal departments, the Ohio Federal Research Network is a player of growing importance.
Creating a network like this was a recommendation in 2015 of the Ohio Federal Military Jobs Commission.
Bottom line: The network has distributed more than $51.4 million across five funding rounds, leading to 35 projects involving 21 colleges and universities and 97 businesses in Ohio.
The sixth round, just announced, has awarded $6.85 million to several Ohio businesses and colleges to pursue national security-focused research.
Quick hits
Destination dining at its best. Alexis Larsen introduces us to Silas Creative Kitchen.
KeyBank Tower through the years. It was always Mead Tower to me, honestly.
New drive-thru holiday lights show opens at Montgomery County Fairgrounds: Here’s what to know.
An Oakwood lights display: Has become an object of controversy
A nearly $200 million Miami University building boom: Is wrapping up.
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