Brownfields 2002 Job Training Pilot Fact Sheet
Groundwork Providence, Inc., Rhode Island
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 Groundwork Providence, Inc. for a
Brownfields Job Training and Development
Demonstration Pilot. Groundwork Providence's
assessment pilot partners are the City of Providence
Brownfields Assessment Pilot and the Rhode Island
Economic Development Corporation Brownfields
Assessment Pilot. The Rhode Island Development
Corporation, along with the Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management, also received a Brownfields
Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot. In addition, the City
of Providence and State of Rhode Island are a
Brownfields Showcase Community. For the first time in
its history, over half of the residents of Providence
(population 173,600) are minorities. The Job Training
Pilot will focus on the City's three federal Enterprise
Communities, where residents are predominantly
minority and neighborhood poverty rates are as high as
47%.
Providence once was a center for manufacturing. The
City contains hundreds of manufacturing mills, most of
which now are underused or abandoned. Approximately
150 mills are being considered for economic
development or historic preservation. Planning for major
redevelopment projects along the industrial waterfront
and in gateway communities is underway. Providence is
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 12/01/2001
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot will train 90 students as
environmental technicians. Students will be recruited
from three Enterprise Community neighborhoods for
employment at major redevelopment projects along
the industrial waterfront, in gateway communities,
and for the preservation and reuse of historical
industrial properties.
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 1 Brownfields Team
(617)918-1424
EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/regionl/brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Groundwork Providence Inc.,
Providence, RI
(401)351-6440
Objectives
Groundwork Providence, Inc. plans to train 90 students,
achieve a 75% placement rate, and support career
placement of graduates for one year after the training is
completed. Students will be recruited from
underemployed or unemployed residents of the three
Enterprise Community neighborhoods impacted by
brownfields. The 252-hour Pilot training program will
consist of worker health and safety (HAZWOPER.
construction and safety); environmental training and
remediation technologies (lead worker, inspector, and
supervisor and asbestos worker and supervisor); and
innovative remediation technologies (classroom,
laboratory, and field experience), including training in
the use of innovative assessment and cleanup
technologies.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA500-F-01-01-353
Dec 01
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industrial properties, and the State has a new program The training efforts of Groundwork Providence, Inc.
that offers tax incentives to businesses reusing vacant mill will be supported by organizations such as the
space. There is a high demand for environmental Community College of Rhode Island, Dorcas Place,
technicians to participate in these redevelopment Federal Hill House, The Urban League, The New
activities, particularly for technicians with training in the England Consortium, and University of Rhode Island.
use of in situ remediation technologies that can be used at All public and private partners will participate on an
buildings slated for renovation. advisory committee. The Providence Department of
Planning and Development has committed to placing
graduates on its list of first-source hires.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting outreach to underemployed or
unemployed residents of the three Enterprise
Community neighborhoods impacted by
brownfields;
• Conducting training for entry-level positions as
brownfields technicians, 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 _ ., . w__tp
Environmental and Emergency EPA 500-F-01-01-353
Protection Agency ResDonse(51oVn Dec 01
Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (bl Ob I)
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