Thumbs up to  I-75 ‘job shuttles’

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10:49 AM Friday, November 6, 2009

Here are this week’s “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” selections:

Ask anyone what they think Ohio’s top issue is and the answer you’re likely to receive is: Jobs. So it was reassuring to see Gov. Ted Strickland in Butler County’s West Chester Twp. earlier this week in support of a $24 million state package to keep Intelligrated Systems Inc.’s operations in southwest Ohio. Kentucky officials had been trying to lure the company south of the Ohio River, but Intelligrated accepted Ohio’s offer and said it’s staying put. Intelligrated — which designs, engineers and installs unit material handling systems for other companies, like Procter & Gamble and Home Depot — has 310 jobs in West Chester Twp. and 215 in nearby Mason, and plans to create 267 more within the next three years. We’re glad Intelligrated is staying and growing in the Buckeye State.

Of course, jobs can go unfilled if prospective employees do not have adequate transportation. That’s why we’re a supporter of efficient mass-transit systems and why this week’s announcement of two “Butler County Job Shuttle” buses, to be operated by the Butler County Regional Transit Authority, was excellent news. BCRTA has been awarded a $409,000 grant for the shuttles, which will provide $5 one-way trips along the Interstate 75 corridor from 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays. “We are targeting residents of Middletown, Monroe, Trenton, Hamilton and Fairfield,” Carla Lakatos, BCRTA executive director, told staff writer Denise Wilson. “We’re focusing on lower-income, entry-level positions for people who don’t necessarily have a reliable car and need a little help to get to and from work.” If that description fits you, we urge you to look into this new service. For more information, call (513) 785-5237.

Thumbs up to this week’s important announcement that a $300 million project to provide electricity for AK Steel’s Middletown Works — not to mention 220 temporary construction jobs — looks promising after the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $30 million to Air Products and Chemicals Inc. of Middletown. If given the green light, Air Products will construct a “combined cycle power generation plant” at the Middletown Works over the next two years that, when completed, will use excess blast-furnace gas to generate power for the steel plant. AK Steel’s spokesman said the project still faces “many hurdles,” but we’re hopeful the federal government’s contribution will make this project a reality — and help keep the Middletown Works viable for years to come.

OK, everyone had a chuckle this week at the expense of the young driver who dressed up as a Breathalyzer test for Halloween and then — with an irony that nearly defies belief — failed a real Breathalyzer test in Oxford when stopped by police. May we suggest that James Miller, the 20-year-old Cincinnati man now facing charges related to his high blood-alcohol level last weekend, consider a different costume for next Halloween? Perhaps a pot of coffee?

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And how about the liars and thieves who work at Streetleathal Motorsports on Germantown Rd! They take your money and then refuse to deliver the part you pay for and when you demand your money back they want to keep that too.

Joel
11:14 AM, 11/7/2009

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