A $1-a-year lease would turn 21 acres of former landfill near the airport into a union training site
Bill 260763 would lease the Victory Gardens and Emerson Landfill parcels to an Operating Engineers training fund, which would clean up the land first. It's up for a final vote Thursday.
Two city-owned parcels near Fort Mifflin and Hog Island roads, close to the airport, could become a training center for heavy-equipment operators. Bill 260763 would lease them, through a city development authority, to the Operating Engineers' joint apprenticeship and training fund for $1 a year. In return, the fund would clean up the contaminated land, build the facility, and set aside training slots for Philadelphians.
The bill cleared committee last week and is on the agenda for Council's Thursday, Oct. 29 session. We found no news coverage of it. Here's what the bill and the public record say.
What the bill does
According to the bill text:
- The land. About 12.49 acres known as Victory Gardens and about 8.66 acres known as Emerson Landfill, southeast of the intersection of Fort Mifflin Road and Hog Island Road. Together that's roughly 21 acres.
- The structure. The city leases the land to the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development (PAID), which subleases it to the Operating Engineers Joint Apprenticeship, Training and Safety Fund of Philadelphia, Eastern Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware, or an affiliate. PAID is the agency the city uses to hold, clean up and redevelop industrial sites, according to the Environmental Law Institute.
- Cleanup first. The training fund must first remediate the land under Pennsylvania's Act 2 Land Recycling Program, the state's standards for cleaning up contaminated sites. The city must approve the cleanup and building plans before work starts.
- Term. Ten years, with two five-year renewals at the city's sole discretion.
- Rent. $1 a year, as long as the fund completes the cleanup and keeps meeting the lease's special terms.
- Hiring terms. Each year, at least 10% of the fund's available apprentice openings must be reserved for Philadelphia residents who meet its requirements. The fund must also host city-organized job fairs on site, help the city expand the applicant pool, and offer more pre-apprentice or apprentice training for residents.
- No city money. The city and PAID take on no obligation to put money into the project.
What our records add
- Sponsors. The bill was introduced Sept. 24 by "Councilmember Lozada for Council President Johnson," according to its cover page. Our record lists Council President Kenyatta Johnson as primary sponsor and Quetcy Lozada as co-sponsor.
- Path so far. Referred to the Committee on Public Property and Public Works at the Sept. 24 session. Approved by that committee at its Oct. 21 hearing. First reading at the Oct. 22 session. It has moved from introduction to a possible final vote in 35 days.
- What's missing. The bill has no cleanup cost estimate, no construction timeline, and no estimate of how many apprentices the site would train. The 10% set-aside is a share of openings, not a fixed number.
Why it matters
Under the bill's terms, the tenant pays for the cleanup in exchange for nearly free rent, and the city puts in no money. For residents, the main public benefit in the bill is the apprenticeship set-aside and the job fairs. Operating engineers run cranes, excavators and other heavy equipment, and the union's apprenticeship programs train people for that work (IUOE training page).
What's next
If Council passes the bill Thursday, it goes to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. After that, the city and PAID would negotiate the lease and sublease, which the City Solicitor must approve. The cleanup and building plans would then need city sign-off before work begins. The vote will appear on the matter page. Our guide to Thursday's agenda has the rest.