I UJ Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet Roanoke, VA 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 City of Roanoke was selected to receive a job training grant. Located in southern Virginia, Roanoke is steadily losing population to the surrounding county, which is significantly more affluent than the city. In the Job Training Grant $173,263 EPA has selected the City of Roanoke for a job training grant. Roanoke plans to train 45 students, place 26 graduates in environmental jobs, and track students for one year. The training program will provide 270 hours of course work in hazard- ous waste operations and response, sampling techniques, lead and asbestos abatement, and OSHA general and construction industry. Good- will Industries, This Valley Works, and the Virginia Employment Commission will provide referrals to the program. Students will be recruited from the communities surrounding the brownfields redevel- opment target areas adjacent to the Roanoke River Greenway and the South Jefferson Rede- velopment Area. The primary trainer will be the Virginia Western Community College. Roanoke will work with the Western Virginia Workforce Development Board and Virginia Employment Commission to place 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 3 Brownfields Team 215-814-3246 http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm Grant Recipient: City of Roanoke, VA 540-853-2344 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. neighborhoods targeted for recruitment (population 4,846), the median household income is 22 percent Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-06-256 November 2006 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- lower than that of the city median. Some census blocks in the target neighborhoods suffer from a poverty rate of 56 percent, and 40 percent of residents are minori- ties. Anumber of the city's long-dormant brownfields are situated along the Roanoke River flood plain. Many of these properties were abandoned following a decline in the city's manufacturing base and railroad industry. These deteriorated properties have depleted capital from the city's economy and contributed to blight and poverty. With brownfields redevelopment activities underway for the South Jefferson Redevelopment Area and Roanoke River Greenway, skilled environ- mental technicians are needed to address the environ- mental conditions and prepare the properties for new development, parks, and recreation. ------- |