It is a massive industrial plot of potential that sits off of Baumhart Rd in Lorain. It’s the site of the former Ford plant where the economic heartbeat of the city used to be.
On Monday, it was Lordstown on the hearts and in the minds of people in Lorain.They’ve been there and are still trying to bounce back.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes in this town and we’re still trying to climb out of it,” John Wago told Channel 3 News.
He worked at what is now the shell of the former Ford plant, an electrician who started in 1958 when the doors opened.
“Econoline vans, Cougars, Thunderbirds, Falcons...you name it we made it out there,” said Wargo.
The man, born and raised Lorain, married and raised his own kids in Lorain, remembers well when the Ford plant pulled out in 2005.
“I lost a lot of good friends because when they shut down, they went to Tennessee,” Wargo recalls.
Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer is of a different generation of born and raised Lorain.
“I remember full well late 90s. I was 13. Friends on my street moved to Kentucky when Ford originally announced they were cutting back operations and then in 2005 everything left,” said Ritenaur.
News of Lordstown losing their GM plant hits extremely close to home for this Lorain mayor trying to rebuild the city where he grew up.
“When I saw that headline, I just immediately had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I drive by it about a month ago and it just reminds you of Barnhart Rd. and the old Ford plant. This one in Lordstown had activity and cars being made.To see that news of completely shutting down. A very very difficult part of Lorain’s history was remembered today because of that,” said Ritenaur.
“The city passed a temporary income tax increase,which is still on the books, to cover the $2 million plus in income taxes from losing the plant,” said Ritenaur.
Gone are the days when manufacturing drove the economy in Lorain.
“We are still a proud manufacturing community but it’s different. We had to go in a different direction. We had to diversify. Downtown is a prime example. We used to have the Ore docks out there now that is a centerpiece of trying to develop the waterfront. Broadway was heavy retail that has shuttered down and now we’re starting to see some new life on Broadway coming back so we are sort of seguing our downtown into more of an entertainment district," he said.
Losing a plant like that has an economic impact but it also has just the mental, social, community feel impact. I can’t imagine what Lordstown is going through today. We know life goes on but it’s hard. You’re caught in a changing world and economy,” said Ritenaur.