Wright Brothers not safe from sequester

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - The Wright Brothers place in history is secure, but because of sequestration some of the places where they made that history may not be.

"This is a really cool story and this is where it happened," says Dean Alexander, Superintendent of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

You'll find the clearest picture of just what the Wright Brothers accomplished at the park, but federal budget cuts in the form of sequestration threaten to do what the laws of gravity couldn't, ground the Wright Brothers.

"We have to figure out ways to absorb those costs into our park budgets," Alexander says.

The park depends on seasonal workers but will likely be able to hire only half as many this year.

"We rely on those employees to do a lot of our programming, keep our facilities open and operate things during the summer," Alexander says.

Without as many workers, the park is considering closing one of its visitor centers two days a week and cutting things like walking tours.

Those who will feel the impact the most are students.

"Almost every park is going to have to cut back on the number of school programs they're doing," Alexander says.

You may wonder what the Wright Brothers have to teach today's kids more than 100 years after their famous first flight, but Alexander says some things never get old.

"It should be an excellent model for the public and children in particular learn about how to critically analyze problems and solve problems and create things," Alexander says.

The Paul Laurence Dunbar House may also see reduced hours this summer because of budget cuts.