A \ Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant
tSE./ Fact Sheet
Canton, OH
RECOUERY.GOV
EPA Brownfields Program
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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into
law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The
Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our
economy, and create or save millions of jobs. This law
provided stimulus funds to the Brownfields Program to
award grants to train unemployed or underemployed
individuals to evaluate and clean up former industrial and
commercial sites. Under this law, EPA will provide
financial assistance to eligible applicants through four
competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving
loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Canton was selected to receive a job training
grant. Located in northeast Ohio, Canton (population
78,319) has a history of heavy manufacturing. A number
of former industrial sites are now brownfields. Several
residential neighborhoods have been affected by a plume
of contaminated groundwater and now require
groundwater monitoring. The city has an unemployment
rate greater than the county and state as a whole. The
program will train graduates for jobs at companies
working to address contamination, benefiting both
residents and the community. A recent labor market
assessment by the state found that the occupations with
the highest projected rate of increase were hazardous
materials removal workers, occupational health and safety
specialists, and supervisors and managers of construction
trades. Employers are enthusiastic about opportunities to
hire graduates from this program, as there is currently a
shortage of trained personnel for environmental jobs.
Job Training Grant
$444,004.00
EPA has selected the City of Canton for a job
training grant. Canton plans to train 105
participants, graduate 92 students, place at least
69 graduates in environmental jobs, and track
graduates for one year following employment.
The training program will consist of 232 hours, 14
college credits, and 30 weeks of classes.
Graduates will receive certifications in OSHA
10-hour health and safety training, HAZWOPER,
lead abatement, asbestos worker 32-hour training,
and sustainable green building technologies. The
primary trainers will be instructors from the
Environmental Health and Safety Technology
program at Stark State College of Technology.
The city will work with over 12 private
environmental contractors 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
(http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
(312)886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)
Grant Recipient: City of Canton, Ohio
(330) 489-3330
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)
EPA 560-F-09-487
August 2009
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