FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2005

HEATH, OHIO – The Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority announced that a project to extend a roadway serving the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center (COATC) business campus is now complete. The 4,200 foot extension project opens up 120 previously undeveloped acres located five miles north of Interstate 70 in Heath.

The project represents the first major infrastructure improvements to this property in over 50 years.

“The Ohio-Erie canal was built adjacent to this property in the 19th century, aerospace-related facilities for aluminum making and defense system repairs came in the next century, and now we are welcoming a new era in the 21st century with more ready-to-go, available land,” said Port Authority director Rick Platt. “With open access rail service coupled with aggressive incentives, including a pre-1994 Community Reinvestment area and foreign trade zone status, the COATC enjoys a niche unmatched in Central Ohio.”

The Port Authority acquired 290 acres in early 2002 with intent of expanding the COATC which was established in 1996 when the Port Authority became owner and changed the name of the former Newark Air Force Base in Heath. Today, according to Business First, the 350-acre COATC is the 18th largest industrial park in Central Ohio.

The over $800,000 project was partly funded by a state grant.

The Port Authority-owned COATC has enjoyed good news for 2005. The two largest defense-related tenants, Boeing and Bionetics, signed lease extensions through 2010 this year and Boeing, in March, announced a $4.2 million expansion project that promises 35 new jobs. The expansion project is currently underway.

The Port Authority also celebrates 10 years since its creation by the cities of Heath and Newark and the Licking County Commissioners this year. The Port Authority has grown to become the fourth largest in Ohio.