'4BL\ Brownfields 2000 Job Training Pilot Fact Sheet ^2] City of Toledo, OH EPA Brownfields Initiative EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states. communities, and other stakeholders 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. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Background EPA has selected the City of Toledo for a Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot. The City of Toledo is the recipient of a Brownfields Assessment Pilot focusing on the inventory and assessment of brownfields in the City and a Targeted Brownfields Site Assessment grant focusing on assessment and redevelopment planning for the Stickney West Industrial Park. The Job Training Pilot will focus on neighborhoods affected by brownfields, primarily to the north of the downtown. The targeted neighborhoods closely correlate to the City of Toledo's state Enterprise Zone. These neighborhoods are characterized by higher rates of unemployment, poverty, and minority residents. Poverty rates in these neighborhoods are as high as 60 percent and unemployment is as high as 31 percent (based on the 1990 census). The economy of the City of Toledo is depressed because of the decline of traditional heavy industries in the area. More than 100 brownfields have been identified that continue to have a negative impact on economic revitalization. Toledo's brownfields redevelopment activities are accelerating, with public and private sector investments in brownfields of approximately $1.38 billion over the past five years. These redevelopment activities are projected to require hundreds of new Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 05/01/2000 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot will train 100 participants as environmental technicians. Students will be recruited from unemployed and underemployed African-American, Hispanic, and single mother residents of the eight Toledo neighborhoods with the heaviest concentration of brownfields. The City's redevelopment efforts over the last five years have generated approximately $1.38 billion of public and private investments in brownfields redevelopment. 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 (http ://www .epa.gov/brownfields). EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team (312)886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields) Grant Recipient: City of Toledo, OH (419)936-3757 Objectives The City of Toledo plans to train 100 participants, achieve an 80 percent placement rate, and support career placement of graduates for one year after the training is completed. Participants will be recruited from unemployed and underemployed African-American, Hispanic, and single mother residents of the eight Toledo neighborhoods with the heaviest concentration of brownfields. The Pilot training program will last three months and include environmental awareness, hazardous waste site operations, leadership and supervisory training, hazardous waste management, equipment operation, pollution prevention management, sampling technology, and lead and asbestos abatement, including training in the use of innovative assessment United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA500-F-01-00-181 May 00 ------- vv^i ui^ iiv^A.1. o^vv^iai y^ais IAJ complete projects that are planned or underway. Very few environmental training programs are offered on a regular basis by training institutions in the Toledo area. Local environmental employers have indicated a need for skilled workers to address brownfields in the City. and cleanup technologies. The City of Toledo's training efforts will be supported by organizations such as the Lucas County Metropolitan Housing Authority, Northwest Ohio Building Trades Association, Owens Community College, Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, Association of General Contractors, Northwest Ohio Building Trades Association, and several environmental employers. Environmental professionals will volunteer their time to deliver seminars on careers in the environmental field as well as innovative and alternative assessment and cleanup technologies. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Conducting outreach to recruit unemployed and underemployed African-American, Hispanic, and single mother residents of the eight Toledo neighborhoods with the heaviest concentration of brownfields; • Conducting brownfields technician training, including courses in the use of innovative assessment and cleanup technologies; and • Supporting career placement of students for one year after the job training is completed. The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA500-F-01-00-181 May 00 ------- |