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

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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.

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