A part of southwest Ohio that’s about to lose a DHL shipping hub is pushing for local control of the air park and considering ideas such as a “green enterprise zone,” which could give tax incentives for employers to go there and develop alternative energy projects.

Wilmington and the surrounding Clinton and Highland counties areas, faced with the loss of more than 8,000 jobs, has become representative of the economic woes affecting areas across the state and the nation as business closures and layoffs increase.

DHL’s plans to reduce its U.S. operations and move away from using the Wilmington Air Park as its hub for moving packages by air drew the attention of state leaders and the presidential campaigns. Officials and residents now want the area to become the symbol of what communities around the country can do to pull themselves out of the economic tailspin.

“Nothing incenses me more than to have people talk about ending up a ghost town,” Wilmington Mayor David Raizk said Tuesday. “We are all pulling together, we are not about to roll over and play dead, and I think we really could become a leader for other communities in similar situations.”

Raizk said the area is trying everything, including a formal request Monday to the head of DHL Express in Bonn, Germany. The letter asks DHL and parent corporation Deutsche Post World Net to donate the 2,200-acre air park to the community.

DHL Express has said it will end its U.S. domestic deliveries by Jan. 30, and the company plans to hire competitor United Parcel Service to replace ABX Air and ASTAR Air Cargo, which now transport DHL packages by air from the Wilmington hub.

DHL spokesman Jonathan Baker said Tuesday the company will consider a donation.

Area officials also are encouraged by suggestions from residents of the community. About 100 residents attended a meeting last week on a proposal by two Wilmington natives newly returned to the hard-hit area and determined to do what they can to help.

Taylor Stuckert and Mark Rembert want a “green enterprise zone” designation that they foresee leading to public-private partnership opportunities and state and federal tax incentives for developing green energy technology and energy conservation businesses.

They hope it will draw alternative and renewable energy manufacturers to the area and spur development of jobs for handling installation of green energy and energy conservation equipment in homes and businesses.

“We don’t think this type of green enterprise zone designation has been done before, and we think it’s vital to position this area to get any state and federal funding that may become available for green efforts,” Stuckert said.

The two still are working on the specifics, but officials are listening.

“The concept needs to be fleshed out more, but they’ve got a lot of people thinking about how we might use green efforts for redevelopment,” said Wilmington City Council President Fred Ertel.

Kevin Carver, the state’s regional economic development director for the Dayton region, said Tuesday he is aware of the suggestion, but couldn’t comment until the concept is better defined.

The area also is pinning hopes on a recently named economic recovery coordinator set to start in January whose job will be to develop a comprehensive development strategy for Clinton as well as Highland and Fayette counties.

Raizk and Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher also lead an economic task force that includes local, state and national officials along with community and business representatives.

A task force committee has sent out information requests to more than 100 businesses, economic development consulting groups and others around the world seeking ideas on ways to redevelop the air park if the community does get control of it, said Christian Schock, executive director of the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission.

Carver said he thinks the efforts of the city, county and surrounding areas to pull together to come up with potential solutions is a model for areas facing similar economic binds.

Raizk attributes a great part of the area’s strength in coping with the economic crisis to its agricultural heritage.

“We’re used to neighbors helping neighbors and all pulling together,” he said.