Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Winston-Salem, NC

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development 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. 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.

JOB TRAINING GRANT

$183,000

EPA has selected the City of Winston-Salem for a job training grant. The city plans to train up to 40 students, place 26 graduates in environmental technician jobs, and track students for one year. The training program will offer 214 hours of course work, including HAZWOPER, 8-hour HAZMAT, air quality issues, assessments and field testing, soil and water management, field observation, and introduction to technology and remediation. An additional 8 hours of HAZWOPER recertification will be provided. Forsyth Technical Community College will be the primary trainer. Students will be recruited from among unemployed or underemployed residents of the Liberty Street Corridor, Southeast Gateway community, and other areas of the city affected by brownfields. The Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments Workforce Development Board will assist with the placement of graduates in environmental technician jobs.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Winston-Salem was selected to receive a job training grant. Declining textile and tobacco industries have severely affected the city's economy (population 185,776) and left the city littered with brownfields. This grant will focus on residents of the Liberty Street Corridor (unemployment 17 percent, poverty 27-47 percent), Southeast Gateway community (unemployment 20 percent, poverty 46 percent), and other areas of the city affected by brownfields. The Liberty Street Corridor, Southeast Gateway district, and downtown are among the city's oldest commercial and industrial areas. This five-mile-long area is experiencing significant redevelopment, with several large redevelopment projects being planned or underway. The combination of accelerating redevelopment work and continuing loss of industrial jobs is increasing the demand for trained environmental technicians.

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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8660
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm

Grant Recipient: Winston-Salem, NC
336-747-7475

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.