DHL deeds Ohio airport to local authority
DHL has deeded the Wilmington Air Park in southwest Ohio to the local Clinton County Port Authority.
The 1,500-acre Wilmington Air Park employed more than 8,000 and was the largest employer in a six-county region of southwest Ohio until DHL Express closed its national hub there in 2009.
'Negotiations first began in early June of 2009,' said John Limbert, chairman of the port authority. 'DHL and the CCPA had the assistance of representatives from the state of Ohio, from national legislators, the community and its leaders and professional consultants, all with the intent of making sure the air park would be functional and viable as the CCPA accepted ownership and began to market it in earnest.'
Included in the property transfer are about 1,500 acres of land and several buildings largely located inside the fence of the airport. ATSG, ABX Air and AMES all will continue their leases of buildings at the airport, the authority said.
'DHL is to be thanked for making the donation of this valuable asset,' Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, said in a statement. 'The business decision of DHL to close the sort operations at the Wilmington Air Park negatively impacted the community, but this donation enables the Clinton County Port Authority and the region to better control its destiny and future.'