ST. PETERSBURG - A long-awaited Job Corps Center, which aims to provide a steppingstone to troubled teens and young adults, is projected to contribute $7 million annually to the local economy, Pinellas County economic development officials said.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, National Director of the Office of Job Corps Esther R. Johnson and U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young joined county commission chairman Bob Stewart and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker at the groundbreaking ceremony for the project Thursday afternoon.

"We have worked for a number of years on this project, which will be extremely significant for the future of our city," Baker said.

The $40 million, federally funded center will occupy 17 vacant acres at Fifth Avenue South and 22nd Street South, in the Midtown area of south-central St. Petersburg. The city has been trying to attract a major employer to the economically disadvantaged area for years, hoping to revitalize the rundown industrial section southwest of Tropicana Field.

When finished in summer 2009, the center will include 10 buildings serving about 300 low-income people ages 16 through 24 who will receive education and training in health care, construction, automotive and machine repair, and information technology.

The center also will create more than 100 permanent jobs for staff and faculty.

"As a community, we've worked diligently for almost a decade to establish this Pinellas County Job Corps Center for our young people," Stewart said. "The opportunities for bright futures and the career training it will provide for our kids will be the culmination of our efforts."