The Newark native and NBA great will share further details alongside Mayor Ras Baraka and other dignitaries on Tuesday
NEWARK - NBA great Shaquille O'Neal will return to his native city once again Tuesday to help city officials unveil a new program aimed at steering residents into local labor unions.
"Project Impact Newark" will assist minority, veteran and female Newarkers prepare for union entrance exams, secure apprenticeships and get jobs in trades such as construction, plumbing and carpentry.
According to a city media advisory, many successful participants will be put to work on the "One Riverview" high-rise apartment tower on Rector Street.
PLUS: State OKs use of rental car tax to close Newark budget gaps
Full details on the program are set to be revealed by O'Neal, Mayor Ras Baraka and other officials at a press conference Tuesday morning at City Hall.
O'Neal has often returned to Newark since leaving the city for basketball stardom in the late 1980s. In recent years, he helped fund the city's first new movie theatre in decades, launched a children's book and co-hosted a downtown basketball tournament with Baraka.
The $68 million "One Riveriew" project at the former site of Science High School has been stalled since a high-profile ribbon cutting in 2013.
Last month, however, the City Council unanimously voted to kick in $2 million in car rental tax revenues to help jump start construction. At the time, New Brunswick-based Boraie Development said it expected to begin demolishing the existing structure by year's end.
In a separate deal approved the same day, the city also granted Boraie development rights to a parcel of land across Route 21 from the proposed tower site. The deal came after Boraie agreed not to pursue legal action after design changes to the long-delayed Triangle Park effectively eliminated its commercial stake in the project.
Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.