HI
                           CD
 Brownfields 2003

 Grant  Fact Sheet

    The  Workplace,  Inc.,

  Southwest  Connecticut


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess,  safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is
real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
of which may be complicated by the presence or
potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George
W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the
Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. The job
training grants provide training for residents of commu-
nities affected by brownfields to prepare them for
employment in the assessment and cleanup of
brownfields sites. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The Workplace, Inc. was selected to receive a job
training grant. The training program will target eleven
communities in Southwest Connecticut: Ansonia,
Beacon Falls,  Derby, Naugatuck, Newtown, Oxford,
Seymour. Shelton, Thomaston. Waterbury. and
Watertown. These communities lie within the 45-mile
long Naugatuck Valley (population 292,783), which
contains more than 20% of the state's brownfield sites.
The brownfields are a legacy of the metal-working,
rubber, chemical, and oilier related industries. The
  Job Training Grant
New!
2003J
   $200,000

   EPA has selected The Workplace, Inc. for a
   brownfields job training grant. The Workplace,
   Inc. plans to train 54 students, achieve a place-
   ment rate of 83%, and track graduates for one
   year. The 25 6-hour training program will include
   hazardous material handling, lead abatement, and
   asbestos abatement. Students will be recruited
   from communities with higher unemployment and
   poverty rates. The Workplace, Inc. serves as the
   workforce investment board for Southwest
   Connecticut and will ensure placement of
   graduates in environmental jobs.
   Contacts
  For further information, including specific grant
  contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
  news and events, and publications and links, visit
  the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
  brownfields.

  EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
  617-918-1210
  http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

  Grant Recipient: The Workplace, Inc.
  203-576-7030

  Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003,
  The Workplace, Inc. also received funding for
  job training grants.
eleven communities to be served under this grant have
poverty rates and unemployment above the state
average. A quarter of the adult population has less than
a high school education. All of the employers surveyed
for this project indicated a need for entry-level environ-
mental technicians. The grant will train local residents
for much needed brownfields activities associated with
the EPA-funded Brownfields Pilot in the valley.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA 500-F-03-030
                        May 2003
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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