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Allegany County staff report Brownfields commitments, workforce pilot updates and two routine grants approved
Summary
Staff reported Brownfields grant commitments of about $328,000 of a $500,000 program, discussed local-hire rules for green-energy pilots and the ARC building grant timeline; the committee approved a $5,000 Skill Up MOE application and authorized filling a senior employment and training counselor position.
Melissa, a county staff member, updated the committee on Brownfields grant management and related redevelopment work, saying the program's target is $500,000 and that about $328,000 appears to be committed so far.
"One of the things we focused on in the last few weeks was where are we really at in terms of money we think we've committed? It's an estimate, but ... it's looking like about 328,000," Melissa told the committee.
She said staff will add a column to the Brownfields dashboard showing redevelopment opportunity to help prioritize sites and that the ARC grant application for a new building (design completed with architect CPL) will be decided around October. Melissa also summarized ACLDC loan applications: four legitimate applications (one pending), two applications judged ineligible, and one withdrawn.
Committee members asked about local-hire provisions for county pilot projects (including solar). Melissa said pilot contracts request 90% local labor unless a project meets one of five waiver conditions (for example, if specialized skills are unavailable). "Local" is defined broadly for rural projects as roughly an hour to 75 minutes'drive shed around the site; projects must report quarterly and annually on hiring.
Rita Slovak Lynch, the county's employment and training director, provided program statistics for the federal fiscal year just ended and sought approvals for two administrative items. She reported $49,000 in training funds used for tuition assistance in the last year, 988 customer contacts in June, roughly 50 youth placed in the summer youth employment program so far and a calculated $55,000 return to the community from training-related hires.
Rita asked the committee to authorize applying for a $5,000 Skill Up Allegheny grant from the Allegany County Area Foundation and to approve posting to fill a senior employment and training counselor position (the incumbent left for private-sector HR). Members moved and seconded both items; the chair called voice votes and the motions carried.
Why this matters: the Brownfields program directs remediation dollars toward sites with high redevelopment potential, the workforce updates show active youth placement and training output, and the approved grant application and hiring authorization keep program operations funded and staffed.
Next steps: staff will update the Brownfields dashboard, report back next month on local-hire compliance for the Moraine solar pilot, and begin the hiring process for the counselor position.
