I
UJ
Brownfields 2007
Grant Fact Sheet
Camden, AR
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 Camden was selected to receive a job
training grant. Camden (population 13,154) is a rural
community located in Ouachita County in southern
Arkansas. Half of Camden's residents are minorities
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected the City of Camden for a job
training grant. Camden plans to train 30 partici-
pants and place at least 24 in environmental jobs.
Students will be tracked using a specialized career
planning system that will track graduates and
provide them with support throughout their
lifetime. The Arkansas Workforce Center will
also monitor graduates for several years. The
training program will provide 344-hour training
sessions over a nine-week period. The training
program will include coursework in OSHA safety
regulations, HAZWOPER, lead and asbestos
abatement, confined space entry, and industrial
chemical spill response. Students will be able to
convert their training and certifications into
college credit. Southern Arkansas University
(SAU) Tech will provide the primary trainers. The
Southwest Arkansas Workforce Investment
Board will recruit prospective trainees from the
City of Camden and Ouachita County. The City
of Camden will work with SAU Tech and the
Workforce Investment Board 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 6 Brownfields Team
214-665-6755
www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields
Grant Recipient: City of Camden, AR
870-836-6436
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-06-260
November 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
-------
and more than 22 percent live below the poverty level.
The unemployment rate in Ouachita County is nearly 8
percent, compared to the national average of 4.6
percent. Camden has been focusing its brownfields
efforts on the Adams Avenue Redevelopment site.
which is located in the heart of the city along the
Ouachita River. Once fully cleaned up and redevel-
oped, this 80-acre redevelopment project will help
return a blighted area of the city to productive use. The
Ouachita Valley Business and Technology Develop-
ment Center was recently constructed on one of the
cleaned up parcels. Through this grant, Camden
residents will be given the opportunity to actively
participate in the cleanup and redevelopment of the
Adams Avenue Redevelopment and other brownfield
sites in the city and surrounding area. In addition, the
skills gained by program participants will lead to
sustainable future employment in the environmental
field.
------- |