U.S House Oks $44M for 14 projects in region
Federal spending bill moves these projects closer to completion.
The U.S. House voted Wednesday to appropriate over $44 million that will go toward 14 projects in the Miami Valley. “This funding bolsters o u r economy, strengthens our infrastructure, and increases the Miami Valley’s competitiveness throughout our state,” said Congressman Mike Turner, R-Dayton. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the largest local benefactor with $18 million designated to plan and design a 214,000-square-foot facility to “streamline organizations” that serve the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, according to a press release from the congressman’s office.
Turner and others have noted that the AFLCMC facilities at Wright-Patterson have been in poor shape and lack the ability to expand as the center grows. Turner told this news organization in December that current conditions are “not reflective of the great work that’s being done by the people in acquisition.”
The $18 million in planning and design is one of the first steps to create an all-new headquarters that’s expected to cost more than $200 million.
The city of Dayton is set to receive $8 million in total from the bill. Four million dollars will go toward restoring and renovating the historic Wright Brothers’ Airplane Factory, which stands desolate after a devastating fire in spring 2023.
Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr. commended Turner for his work to help “restore the historic Wright Company Factory as the city does our diligence to make this site an asset for the community.”
“This is truly a transformative project for West Dayton and Congressman Turner’s support remains critical,” Mims said.
Another $4 million will go toward the city’s water department to expand its water quality testing capacity and capability. The city’s water quality laboratory is active in testing for forever chemicals, or PFAS, in the local water supply — a service that Mims called an asset for the region.
The rest of the bill’s allocated projects and their price tags are
as follows:
■ $3.5 million to Five Rivers MetroParks to improve park plumbing, electrical and lighting systems, as well as the construction of programming space
■ $3 million to St. Mary’s Development Corporation to restore and renovate the Veterans Affairs History Center
■ $2 million to the University of Dayton for new equipment at its Microsystems Workforce and Research Center, which Turner said will allow the university to provide specialized training to accelerate the region’s manufacturing output
■ $2 million to Sinclair Community College to expand its Unmanned Aerial Systems Training Initiative
■ $2 million to the Dayton Children’s Foundation to construct a new threestory facility for outpatient mental services
■ $1.5 million to Beavercreek Twp. to improve the safety of the Valley Bell Connector that connects commuters from Greene County to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
■ $1.5 million to improve Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s perimeter security fence in Riverside
■ $1.4 million to the Boys and Girls Club of Dayton to improve facilities and build community spaces in the city
■ $1 million to seal and decontaminate the American Carco site in Harrison Twp. after the manufacturing facility leaked chemicals into the ground
■ $750,000 to increase the capacity of the Tri-Cities Regional Wastewater Authority’s wastewater management system
■ $200,000 to the Army Corps of Engineers to enhance flood protection infrastructure in Dayton and Miamisburg.
Turner is up for re-election this year. He’s unopposed in the in the Republican primary on March 19, but will face the winner of a crowded Democratic primary this November. The Democratic candidates are David Esrati, Amy Cox, Joe Kuzniar and Tony Pombo.