Birmingham will soon offer thousands of power tools and equipment for rent by community organizations to use in volunteer efforts to improve neighorhoods and remove blight.

The Birmingham City Council voted Aug. 22 to approve a $345,000 agreement with ToolBank USA Inc. to develop a 5,000-square-foot facility that will house tools and equipment to assist with projects through a Birmingham ToolBank affiliate to be called Magic City ToolBank.

That will include two full-time employees and one part-time employee to help with maintenance, answer questions about rental equipment and provide “expert instruction on the proper use of tools and equipment utilizing safety precautions.”

The service will be available to neighborhood associations and non-for-profit agencies working in the city.

“It really empowers our residents in a way that we haven’t seen before,” said Council member Carol Clarke.

The funding comes from American Rescue Plan Act fund allocated through City Council districts 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9.