[font=Verdana]Work crews started to demolish the remaining dilapidated buildings across from the [/font][font=Verdana]National[/font][font=Verdana] [/font][font=Verdana]Museum[/font][font=Verdana] for the United States Air Force in [/font][font=Verdana]Riverside[/font][font=Verdana] to make way for the city's potentially $30 million [/font][font=Verdana]Center[/font][font=Verdana] of [/font][font=Verdana]Flight[/font][font=Verdana] development project. [/font]

[font=Verdana]The 17-acre site is slated to house at least two hotels, several restaurants and high-tech office space catering to the more than 1 million museum visitors each year, as well as the government contractors doing business at Wright-Patterson Air Force base. [/font]

[font=Verdana]Workers from Dayton-based Steve R. Rouch Inc. began plowing into this round of demolition, which will include the Best Inn, Kecho's Bar and the former Cassano's restaurant. Riverside Mayor Ken Curp said simply removing the blighted properties will be an improvement. [/font]

[font=Verdana]"This has long been a blighted area with problem businesses," he said. [/font]

[font=Verdana]A new 66-unit, three-story Comfort Suites hotel has been announced as one of the development's anchors and is set for construction to begin in late March. Street and other infrastructure work is nearly complete. [/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][size=2]Curp said he expects the completed development to generate more than $500,000 annually in tax revenue for the city.[/size] [/size][/font]