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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
The Workplace, Inc.,
Stamford, CT
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. Abrownfield 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
brownfields job training grants provide residents of
communities impacted by brownfields with the skills
and training needed to effectively gain employment in
assessment and cleanup activities associated with
brownfield redevelopment and environmental
remediation. 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 grant will target residents of the
City of Stamford, but particularly the 8,000 residents of
the depressed South End and Waterside neighbor-
Job Training Grant
$141,7640
EPA has selected The Workplace, Inc. for a job
training grant. The Workplace plans to train 54
students, place at least 45 graduates in environ-
mental jobs, and track them for at least one year.
Candidates selected for training must currently be
unemployed and have a family income that is less
than 50 percent of the federal poverty level,
unemployed and certified as a dislocated worker,
or considered to be most in need. Trainees will
achieve environmental, health, and safety skills
through classroom and field experience. Gradu-
ates of the basic course will receive lead and
asbestos abatement, HAZWOPER, and technical
environmental certificates. Several additional
certifications will be offered to those who go
beyond the basic course level. The Workplace will
use a competitive bidding process to select the
organizations to provide candidate screening,
training, and job placement services.
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
617-918-1305
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/
Grant Recipient: The Workplace, Inc., CT
203-610-8530
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
hoods. The unemployment rate is nearly 12 percent in
South End and more than 7 percent in Waterside. The
poverty rate is 24 percent in South End and 11 percent
in Waterside. As Stamford transformed from a
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-267
December 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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manufacturing center into a corporate hub during the
last decade, these neighborhoods were left with vacant
factories, abandoned sites, and over 200 acres of
brownfields. Revitalizing the South End and Waterside
neighborhoods is critical to Stamford's continued
growth. Many local businesses are eager to expand
their facilities, and the area's numerous brownfields
exhibit excellent redevelopment potential. Local
demand for skilled workers is high, as evidenced by a
recent community audit that found that over half of
local environmental employers are having difficulty
filling entry-level positions.
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