Aerospace Foundation receives $50K; project to create jobs in area

By: Jamie-Leigh Bissett
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

SMYRNA- The Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation received a $50,000 USDA Rural Development Grant on Monday to help fund 80 geothermal wells that will provide heating and cooling for the Innovation Technology Exploration Center in Smyrna.

“This will improve the quality of life for Delawareans and increase economic opportunities,” said Jack Tarburton, state director USDA Rural Development.

The grant consists of federal and state money and will be matched by a $30,000 Alternative Energy Rebate from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, as well as money from DASEF’s reserves, president and CEO Dr. Stephanie Wright said.

The project will cost about $500,000 to complete.

Dr. Wright said the geothermal wells will save the foundation 60 percent in energy costs compared to using conventional heating and cooling systems.

“This is great news for Kent County,” DNREC secretary Collin O’Mara said. “The money DASEF is saving on heating and cooling can now be put back into other programs.”

He said the project will also create jobs for the area- now and in the future.

“The (geothermal) wells that have to be drilled, you can’t outsource that. These are American jobs and labor,” Mr. O’Mara said. “These are also the jobs of the future. The exploration center will inspire thousands of kids who come through here each year.”

Installing a geothermal well at the center is not only good for the economy, it’s also part of the DASEF learning experience, Dr. Wright said.

“We focus on how land, air and water interact with us and what impact we have on earth,” she said, adding geothermal wells reduce the impact on the earth.
Also, as Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., pointed out, the wells, along with the solar panels that were installed on the building’s roof in 2010, are steps towards reducing the country’s dependence on foreign oil, cleaning the air, and “addressing the threat of climate change.”

“This place is a home run with runners on base,” Sen. Carper said. “The thousands of people who will come through here won’t just hear about a concept, they will see it in action.”

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said he was “thrilled” to play a small role in thanking those who have continued to support DASEF’s vision of creating a learning environment that will “light a fire in thousands of young people.”

“This can and should provide a remarkable resource for teachers and students up and down the state,” he said.

Rep. John Carney, D-Del., said he was “impressed” with the building’s progress, admitting he didn’t think it was possible to build something one beam at a time.

He said he was also impressed by the increase in foot traffic to the Outpost Center, saying in 2007 about 2,000 people visited the center compared to 2011, when nearly 13-17,000 people came.

“This facility will light the fire for dreams of thousands of kids,” Rep. Carney said.

Founded in 1989, the Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation is an independent educational organization whose mission is to implement programs that motivate, engage, educate, and inspire people of all backgrounds.

The 40 acres on which the outpost and innovative centers sit is owned by Kent County and is being leased to DASEF for the next 100 years.

The facility, which began with the land lease in 2003, is broken down into two phases: Phase I is made up of the Environmental Outpost Center and Mountjoy Observatory, which opened in 2007, and Phase II, the Innovation Technology Exploration Center, which is still under construction.

Phase II, Dr. Wright said, will be an “applied learning experience” fit with a resource center, discovery theater, interactive exhibits, learning modules, teacher development rooms and a dormitory for those attending overnight academies and events.

She said about $7 million is still needed to complete the center, adding no completion date is set because the foundation is building it as it receives funding to avoid going into debt.

“It will take us as long as it takes us,” Dr. Wright said, adding any and all donations to the cause are welcome.

For more information about the aerospace foundation or to donate to the construction fund, visit www.dasef.org.

Staff writer Jamie-Leigh Bissett can be reached at 741-8250 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.