/ D \ Brownfields 2001 Job Training Pilot Fact Sheet \ J City of Winston-Salem, NC 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 Winston-Salem for a Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot. The City of Winston-Salem (population 143,000) also is the recipient of a Brownfields Assessment Pilot that focuses on the City's Liberty Street Corridor Pilot Area. Residents of this three-mile long corridor are 84% minority. The decline of tobacco and clothing manufacturing facilities in the Corridor have contributed to the economic distress of residents, who suffer from an overall unemployment rate of 12%. The Job Training Pilot focuses on two public housing complexes within the Liberty Street Corridor. These residents are among the most economically disadvantaged residents of Winston-Salem: more than 91% live below the poverty line and the unemployment rate is 83%. However, the Brownfields Assessment Pilot has spurred the development of an Airport Business Park in close proximity to the two housing complexes. This development project will involve the clearance of 200 properties, many of which have been contaminated by past industrial activities. There is a need to provide local residents with the skills required to access the environmental jobs created by the Airport Business Park and other redevelopment projects in the City. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 12/01/2000 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot will train 40 residents recruited from two public housing developments located within the economically distressed Liberty Street Gateway Pilot Area. When completed, the training will enable them to have access to the environmental technical jobs created by the Airport Business Park and other redevelopment projects in the City. 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 4 Brownfields Team (404) 562-8792 EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site (http ://www .epa.gov/region4/waste/bf) Grant Recipient: Winston-Salem,NC (336)727-8040 Objectives The City of Winston-Salem and its partners plan to train 40 participants, achieve an 80% placement rate, and support career placement of graduates for one year after the training is completed. Participants will be recruited from the Piedmont Park and Cleveland Avenue Homes communities. The Pilot training program will consist of an introduction to environmental media, OSHA health and safety, sampling, field measurement, field screening techniques, introduction to environmental regulations, hazardous waste management, CAD operation, and GIS operation, including training in the use of innovative assessment and cleanup technologies. Classes will be offered during the day, evening, and on weekends, as necessary. The training efforts of the City of Winston-Salem will United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-01-00-274 nil- a ancl Emergency ^ __ Protection Agency Response (5105T) Dec 00 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- be supported by organizations such as the State of North Carolina, Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston-Salem State University, Wake Forest University, North Carolina A&T State, and a number of community-based organizations, financial institutions, civic groups, and private companies. A Job Training Advisory Council comprised of community representatives from a variety of private and public organizations will oversee the program. Local employers have committed to hire participants to fill environmental jobs. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Conducting outreach to recruit residents from the Piedmont Park and Cleveland Avenue Homes communities located within the Liberty Street Gateway Pilot Area; • Conducting training for entry-level positions as brownfields field 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 Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 and Emergency Response (5105T) Solid Waste EPA 500-F-01-00-274 Dec 00 ------- |