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WILMINGTON AIR PARK PROPOSAL
Developers, officials hope project liberates =
county's=20
jobless
Monday, March 9, 2009 5:30 AM
ONN-TV
COURTESY OF MONOMOBILE CORP.
The three-wheeled electric Liberator can go 40 miles an hour on = the=20 street, but in theory could reach 100 mph when mounted on a = monorail=20 system. WILMINGTON, Ohio -- Is it a plane? A car? A =
monorail?=20
Yes. Sort of. It's known formally as the "Liberator," but some officials in=20 economically distressed Clinton County are calling it something = else: a=20 reason to hope, or at least dream. In the Wilmington area, hopes and dreams have been in short = supply=20 lately. Clinton County is reeling from DHL's decision to pull out = of the=20 U.S. domestic-delivery market, a move that will eliminate at least = 8,000=20 jobs once the international shipping company shuts down its = air-cargo hub=20 at Wilmington Air Park. Already, more than 3,000 workers associated with the airport, = long the=20 area's biggest employer, have been laid off. Wilmington itself has = a=20 population of just 12,000. Now, area officials, with a hand from the state, are struggling = to help=20 their newly unemployed neighbors and come up with alternative uses = for the=20 2,200-acre air park. Two weeks ago, the Wilmington Economic Task Force and the Ohio=20 Department of Development identified three groups that have shown = interest=20 in redeveloping the air park. Their focus: manufacturing, = distribution and=20 aircraft maintenance. Although the Liberator is far less conventional than any of = those=20 plans, a proposal involving it has sparked excitement among county = officials. In mid-February, the county's commissioners signed a letter of = support=20 for the project, suggesting that it could lead to "a revolution in = mass=20 transit." "It's a great project -- one of those things that somebody's=20 imagination came up with," Commissioner Randy Riley said. "It's a = great=20 idea, and the time for the idea is now." So, what, precisely, is the Liberator = proposal? The Liberator's inventors, Jay Andress and Andy Webster, both = of whom=20 live in the Cincinnati area, want to build a mile-long test track = in=20 Clinton County. They think Wilmington Air Park or the area around = it would=20 be an ideal place to fine-tune -- and show off -- the unusual = hybrid=20 vehicle they've developed in the past decade. The Liberator is a lightweight, three-wheel electric car that = can=20 travel up to 40 mph on traditional roads using only its battery. = But what=20 really makes the vehicle stand out is the set of wheels mounted on = its=20 roof. In theory, those wheels will enable the Liberator to ascend a = ramp and=20 connect to an overhead I-beam, or rail. Power supplied by the = monorail=20 then would propel the suspended vehicle at speeds exceeding 100 = mph=20 without input from the driver. While the car is on the track, its = battery=20 would recharge. "It'd be great for a community like Wilmington, because a lot = of the=20 people there have to drive to Cincinnati and Columbus on a regular = basis,"=20 Andress said. "With our car, you just connect to the system and = relax --=20 take it easy." Of course, it'll be hard for the area's out-of-work residents = to=20 envision sitting back and relaxing until they once again have = steady=20 incomes. Don't worry, the inventors say: The Liberator project would = boost=20 employment. "In three to four years, we can generate 400 to 500 jobs," = Webster=20 said, adding that the "mad dash" to build a test track would = create an=20 even greater number of temporary construction jobs. Riley, who has been following Andress and Webster's progress = for more=20 than a year, said he'd love to see a Liberator test track at = Wilmington=20 Air Park, although he acknowledges that ownership of that facility = might=20 be an obstacle. The county commissioner said he's optimistic that Wilmington = Mayor=20 David Raizk will persuade DHL's corporate parent, Germany's = Deutsche Post=20 World Net, to cede control of the property to the community. At = the same=20 time, he said, a determination that the air park is off-limits = wouldn't=20 derail the Liberator. When Riley and his fellow commissioners signed the letter of = support=20 this month, they emphasized that the test track should complement = -- not=20 compete with -- the redevelopment proposals being considered by = the=20 Wilmington Economic Task Force. The county reportedly is planning a 10-mile bypass around = Wilmington.=20 That, Riley said, could open the door to additional placement = options for=20 a test track. Andress and Webster, who have built a Liberator prototype and = formed a=20 company called MonoMobile Corp., said they need $5.5 million to = get their=20 concept off the ground. Webster, the president of a multistate industrial-equipment = company,=20 said MonoMobile has 10 development partners, including the = National=20 Composite Center, Wright State University and the Air Force = Institute of=20 Technology, all based in Ohio. MonoMobile hopes to hear this spring whether it will receive a = $2.8=20 million matching grant from Ohio's Third Frontier Project, which = promotes=20 high-tech innovation. "We feel that if we can build a demonstration track, = southwestern Ohio=20 could become the transportation-technology center of the world," = Andress=20 said. This month, Andress and Webster are heading to Washington, = D.C., to=20 seek the support of the state's congressional delegation. Riley, the commissioner, has been doing groundwork in the = nation's=20 capital. He said he recently championed the Liberator project in a = letter=20 to a federal power broker with a reputation for promoting hopes = and=20 dreams: President Barack Obama. =E2=80=A2 To view a related story that aired on ONN-TV, go to = onntv.com Story tools
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