Kansas City has a large number of vacant buildings and there’s been a number of initiatives to get them rehabilitated.
But there are some buildings that just need to be torn down.
The city is hoping its new initiative will create future employment for some KC residents.
Update on Dangerous Building Inventory starting May 2016 as shown. #KCStat pic.twitter.com/CmiseS5AGx
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The city is teaming up with the Full Employment Council, Neighborhoods and Housing Services Department, and the National Association of Construction Contractors Cooperation, Inc. for an ‘Earn-While You Learn’ demolition and deconstruction program.
The program will train a minimum of 20 Kansas City residents to develop demolition and deconstruction skills and get them prepared for the workforce.
"We hope that this will be a project better able to demonstrate how through this aspect of making neighborhoods better, by reducing these abandoned houses, structures, that we can reemploy that same community as well and close to the areas in which they live,” Full Employment Council President, Clyde McQueen said.
McQueen says they’ll be working with roughly 12 Kansas City certified contractors for this program.
“We train people on the job by the employers themselves in the various deconstruction and demolition techniques,” McQueen said. “With the presumption being once they successfully complete the training, they will be hired on full time with that particular contractor.
There will be eight weeks of training and program leaders state they’ll also earn money while they’re being trained.
To see if you qualify, you can stop by the Full Employment Council office located at 1740 Paseo Boulevard.
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Rae Daniel can be reached at Rae.Daniel@KSHB.com.
