The Mahaska County Conservation Board was recently awarded a transportation-related grant offered through an Iowa Department of Transportation, Iowa Workforce Development and Federal Highway Administration partnership.

The grant through the Urban Youth Corps Program, which was created in 1997, offers meaningful and productive transportation-related work for disadvantaged youth ages 16 to 18 throughout the state. It is designed to empower at-risk youth with barriers to employment.

Mike Gipple, MCCB director, said they received a grant total of $35,863, with Iowa DOT kicking in $22, 809, MCCB cash matching $10,174 with an additional in-kind match of $2,280. Gipple said they have 13 projects planned for the money. He said the grant money would go toward MCCB transportation related work, including trails, training, boat ramp, park planning and native grass seeding.

Gipple said they plan on hiring several workers. He said individuals who are eligible and interested should go to the Mahaska County Auditors office in the courthouse and ask for a county application.

“We look for at-risk youth. They must be currently unemployed,” Gipple said. “They must face a barrier to employment.”

Gipple said he was excited about the program because it works. He said MCCB Park Ranger Carrie Bond was an Urban Youth Corps worker.

“After one season of working with us through this program, she wanted to do this for a career,” Gipple said. “And when she actually came to us, she just wanted a seasonal job.”

Gipple said they are required by the grant to devote several days to teaching resume writing and job interview skills. He said many youth lack the experience to convey a message explaining their skills and abilities to potential employers.

“We’ll spend three, four days at the end of the summer and we will make each one of the kids write a resume,” Gipple said. “We’ll make each one of the kids go through a mock interview.”

Rebecca Law, Urban Youth Corps Program manager, in an email said “barriers to employment” might include: Low basic skills or no high school diploma or GED; teen parents; youth with disabilities; little or no work history and homeless youth.

Besides MCCB, the Iowa DOT also approved Urban Youth Corps grant awards for Dubuque County Conservation Board, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (Wabash Trace Nature Trail), Mayor’s Youth Empowerment Program in Iowa City and Trees Forever in Linn County.

According to an Iowa DOT email, examples of eligible transportation-related work projects include pedestrian and bicycle facilities, pedestrian and bicycle safety and educational activities, acquisition of scenic or historic easements and sites and scenic or historic highway programs, including tourist and welcome centers. Other project that would qualify include landscaping and scenic beautification, historic preservation, rehabilitation and operation of historic transportation buildings, structures or facilities, conversion of abandoned railway corridors to trails, inventory, control, and removal of outdoor advertising, archaeological planning and research, environmental mitigation of runoff pollution and provision of wildlife connectivity and establishment of transportation museums; and other similar project.

For more information about Urban Youth Corps, visit their Web site at http://www.sysplan.dot.state.ia.us/Urban_Youth_Corps.htm.

Herald City Editor Michael Schaffer can be reached by email at mschaffer@oskyherald.com