EPA Announces Availability of Funding for Brownfields Job Training Program Grants

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BOSTON — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Fiscal Year 2026 Brownfields Job Training Grants Program. 
 
These grants put the agency's commitment to protect human health and the environment into action while remaining good stewards of tax dollars and advancing policies to energize the economy.
 
"The Brownfields Job Training Grants Program is a prime example of how we can be both environmental stewards and champions of good-paying jobs for American families," said EPA Administrator Zeldin. "EPA is Powering the Great American Comeback, ensuring our nation has the cleanest air, land, and water, while directly strengthening local economies." 
 
This funding helps communities address challenges posed by Brownfields through robust job training programs that work alongside remediation and redevelopment efforts. Grant awards are selected through a competitive process and are available for up to $500,000 with a project period of up to five years. The total amount of funding available for the competition is estimated to range from $10,000,000 to $14,000,000.
 
The grant application may be found on https://www.Grants.gov and applicants must apply by September 26, 2025. For more information, visit EPA's Brownfields Job Training Grants website.
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Dalton Eyes New Software to Streamline Payroll

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Since taking on the role of town manager, Eric Anderson has been finding ways to streamline operations to save on labor hours — now he is eyeing improving workforce management. 
 
"By my rough math, we're chewing up some 1,500 hours a year doing payroll, and there's just no reason for that. The way we're doing it now is incredibly inefficient," he told the Select Board last week. 
 
The board approved Anderson's recommendation to undergo contract negotiations with TimeClock Plus, a scheduling software designed to simplify employee time tracking and workforce management.
 
The town has 62 paid employees who currently submit their timesheets on paper, which are then manually reviewed by department heads, who calculate hours, vacation time, and prepare cover sheets before forwarding them to the treasurer or town manager to be approved. 
 
The assistant treasurer then spends several days each week processing the town's payroll, Anderson said. 
 
As part of his efforts to streamline this process, Anderson looked at multiple different services narrowing it down to TimeClock Plus, or TCP, because of its ease of integration with the town's regular financial software and that it's commonly used by municipalities. 
 
"Some of the payroll programs are designed to go directly to payroll companies, but since we do our payroll in house, this cuts all the manual correlation, and it filters directly into our existing [Enterprise Resource Planning] financial software," he said. 
 
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