9 Anniston residents finish training with Brownfield Institute program

By David Bracken
Star Staff Writer
07-27-2004

Chemical contaminants in Anniston are a decidedly local problem in that it is the city's residents who must be tested for contamination and deal with any health risks. But the act of cleaning up the city has, for the most part, been left to companies and workers who do not call Anniston home. On Monday, nine western Anniston residents took a small step towards changing that as they received HAZWOPER training certificates for completing a Brownfield Institute Environmental Technician Training Program. "We're probably going to get jobs, but we might not keep them," said Derene Allen, who went through the training with his wife, Telesa. His pessimism about keeping a job came while he noted that companies with no ties to the community may not be as diligent in their testing methods. The certification, which refers to The Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard, is the first phase of the institute's larger Anniston-based training program. The program trains disadvantaged west Anniston residents in environmental assessment, analysis and remediation. The goal is both to educate residents about potential dangers in the community and to provide employment opportunities. The Allens received their certificates Monday, and both said the training had opened their eyes to the dangers in the community and the need for proper and thorough testing. Derene Allen said he coaches little league football and is now careful about where he lets his team practice. Telesa Allen said that when experts recently came to her mother's yard to test for lead contamination, she made sure her mother knew the proper testing procedures. "I;m going to make sure it's cleaned up right," she said. "I still have to live here." For the last two months, participants spent four days a week, four hours a day, learning about a variety of environmental issues. The students took samples from Snow Creek and other sites around Anniston and analyzed the soil samples for contaminants like lead. They also received computer training and spent time in a Jacksonville State University laboratory. The class was taught by two JSU professors, Safaa Al-Hamdani, professor of biology, and Dr. James Rayburn, an associate professor of biology. Al-Hamdani said the students, most of whom had little background in environmental issues, were eager to learn and often ended up staying after class. "The students' interest made our jobs much easier," he said. Al-Hamdani said three more HAZWOPER courses will be offered and the curriculum will likely evolve. In the future, the instructors hope to focus the program on particular environmental issues the local community needs expertise in. Much of the discussion during Monday�s ceremony, which was attended by Anniston Mayor Chip Howell and Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce President Sherri Sumners, focused on the advantages of training local citizens to test for contaminants and clean them up. "There's a sensitivity people here have for the community," Sumners said. "Nobody takes better care than them." She said the next step is matching graduates with companies, which the chamber hopes to facilitate by informing its members of the local resource now available. William H. Teasley, director of the Brownfield Institute's programs in Anniston, said the HAZWOPER course is one of three the institute plans to offer. The others will cover heavy equipment operations, environmental landscaping and first aid & CPR, he said. Brownfield programs operate under the Environmental Protection Agency, which awarded Anniston a $161,000 job-training grant. Participants in the programs must have a GED or high school diploma and be between the ages of 17 and 35. Teasley said he's been in discussions with McClellan, the Joint Powers Authority and companies working in Anniston about hiring the graduates, and is optimistic that the training will translate into jobs. Besides creating employment opportunities, he said the graduates will help educate the local community. "It creates a homegrown resource," he said. "What they've learned over the past couple of months provides neighbors with someone they can ask."

About David Bracken

David Bracken is a master's student in the University of Missouri's School of Journalism. He is working this summer as an intern for The Star. Last summer he worked as a general assignment reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.