Rachel Morrison/Pioneer
The Capitol Hill Building, located on 325 SW 25, sits unoccupied until hazardous asbestos is removed. Chris Varga, project coordinator, said $200,000 is coming from the Brownfields Program, which provides federal funding and grants to help clean up buildings and properties that have environmental issues. The project is scheduled to begin in mid-September and end sometime around December, he said.

Federal stimulus dollars will provide a $200,000 grant to remove asbestos from the college’s recently-acquired Capitol Hill Center at 325 SW 25 St., said Chris Varga, Oklahoma City project coordinator.

Varga said the funding is coming from the Brownfields Program, which provides federal funding and grants to help clean up buildings and properties that have environmental issues.

“The Brownfields Program helps in identifying and removing hazardous environmental situations in buildings,” he said.

“The Brownfields Program helped OCCC receive a $200,000 clean up grant through stimulus money from the federal government.”

Vargas said the OCCC Capitol Hill Center, currently being housed at the Latino Community Development Agency located at 420 SW 10th, will move into the new building when the project is completed.

Vargas said the grant was necessary because removing the hazardous asbestos materials that will be costly and the building can’t be occupied until that’s done.

Kimberly Kyker, science professor, said the asbestos removal is vital.

“The removal of the asbestos will help insure the health and safety of the students and staff at the center,” she said.

Varga said removal of the asbestos materials is set to take place in mid-September and should be finished by the end of December, he said.

The Capitol Hill center opened its doors in 2000 with the help of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education grant.

Some of the courses being offered at the OCCC Capitol Hill Center are Basic Computer Skills, Professional Development and English as a Second Language, and computer courses in Korean.

For more information on the Capitol Hill Center, call 405-272-5140.

More information about the Brownfields program can be found at www.epa.gov/brownfields.

To contact Christy Johnson, email onlineeditor@occc.edu.