Funding recommendations by DDC includes projects in Greene County

GREENE COUNTY — Several Greene County projects have been included among the recommendations by the Dayton Development Coalition in its “wish list” to the state's Office of Budget & Management for the 2015-2016 State Capital Bill.

The projects will be reviewed by Gov. John Kasich, his administration and members of the Ohio General Assembly for possible inclusion in the 2015-2016 State Capital Budget.

“The list includes projects that have high job creation potential and broad community backing, and that support regional priorities,” said David C. Melin, Regional President of PNC Bank. Melin is the chair of the Dayton Region Priority Development and Advocacy Committee (PDAC), the panel charged by the Coalition to evaluate the projects. “I want to thank the members of the PDAC for participating in this important regional initiative and creating a list of projects that will benefit the entire region.”

The list of 36 projects reflects a request of $30,675,000 for the region. The last capital bill to include community projects was in 2008. Funding for each non-state-owned project in that year's bill averaged approximately $800,000.

The Dayton Development Coalition was one of eight economic development organizations chosen by the Kasich Administration to recommend a prioritized list of projects for state funding.

Among those on the list is $1.5 million for the Dayton Regional Cyber Lab and Analyst Innovation Center at Wright State University and another $1.5 million to WSU for an Integrated Laboratory for Applied Airspace and Human Performance Simulation.

The Dayton Regional Cyber Lab recommendation says the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's cyber and defense intelligence agencies, including Air Force Research Labs, Air Force Institute of Technology, and National Air and Space Intelligence Center, are seeking a complementary lab near the base to house equipment and nationally unique capabilities in human-centered cyberspace research.

The recommendation adds that the lab would “provide a means to enable operators to see and conduct human-centered cyberspace research in secure, classified environments to transition capabilities and improve our national defense.”

In its recommendation for the Applied Airspace and Human Performance Simulation, the DDC states “This project addresses and solves critical national needs by combining and leveraging the academic and research capabilities of Wright State University, Sinclair Community College, and Clark State Community College. This joint effort will uniquely position the Dayton Region and Ohio as a leader in the UAS and Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) sectors by establishing a novel integrated lab and network centered at WSU's National Center for Medical Readiness (NCMR).”

The lab would provide resources and opportunities for research and development, testing, and workforce development with cutting edge simulation, modeling and LVC technology.

The proposal adds that the project would require the partial renovation and expansion of the existing NCMR building at Calamityville.

A third request for Wright State is $1 million for Gaming Research Integration for Learning Laboratory (GRILL) and Student Education Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

This project is a collaboration between WSU, Air Force Research Labs, and the Dayton Regional STEM School. An unused portion of the STEM School, located on Woodman Drive in Kettering, would be used to house the GRILL program.

The Regional Cyber Lab project was ranked fourth by the DDC while the Integrated Laboratory for Applied Airspace and Human Performance Simulation was sixth on the list. GRILL ranked 13th.

A fourth Wright State University recommendation, the Southwestern Ohio Healthcare Collaborative, is ranked 28th and is listed at $1 million.

Other Greene County projects on the DDC list include $1 million for the Greene County Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport Hangar Project (ranked 29th out of 32 projects), $500,000 for the Greene County Airport Ramp (27th) and $150,000 for Greene County Airport Property Acquisition (30th).

The hangar project would enable the airport to construct an additional hangar while the property acquisition would add 12 acres to the size of the airport for potential future strategic expansion and growth.

The airport ramp project would enable the construction of a ramp that is deemed a need at the airport.

Antioch College EnviroFlight, part of Antioch College Corporation, is on the list at 26th with a recommendation of $600,000.

At 19th on the list is the Center for Business and Education by the Village of Yellow Springs. The DDC recommendation is for $125,000.

Another project, the Direct Metal Sintering (3-D) Manufacturing Initiative is ranked 11th with a recommendation of $750,000. In that project, the University of Dayton seeks to partner with Central State University in the purchase of a direct metal sintering machine and the appropriate supporting infrastructure. This would allow research, developing educational classes, and support of regional industry.

The Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) involves automated machines that build high-quality metal parts from 3D CAD files with no molds or tools. This process could be used in the making of industrial components, medical devices, aerospace hardware, and energy systems.

In the recommendation, DDC states “DMLS is used by several companies in the area and, through the development of an effective curriculum built around the proposed equipment, Central State University and UD will be addressing a very real workforce development need.”

Contact William Duffield at bduffield@civitasmedia.com or 372-4444 ext. 133.