Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast BCONE News

Call for Nominations 2025: Join the BCONE Board of Directors

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 17:26:04 GMT

BCONE is inviting nominations from BCONE members in good standing for up to three (3) Board seats. Current terms expire in December 2025.

We are seeking committed members with experience in various aspects of BCONE who are passionate about supporting our mission and driving the organization's growth through active Board service.

Key Details

Nominees must be BCONE members in good standing. Self-nominations are welcome.
Submit nominations by 5:00pm ET on Friday, September 26, 2025.
Sitting Board Members seeking another term must re-nominate and submit a completed application by the deadline.
All nominees are subject to conflict of interest review.

How to Nominate

Email Andrea Poinsett at apoinsett@geiconsultants.com to request the nomination packet and application.

Selection Process and Timeline

September 26, 2025 (by 5:00 PM ET): Nomination and application deadline
Week of September 28 or October 6: Short vetting interview via Microsoft Teams with one or more members of the Nominating Committee
Final slate: Certified by the Nominating Committee and presented to the full Board at the October Board meeting

Why Serve on the Board?

Shape strategy, programming, and partnerships that move BCONE forward
Support members, advance best practices, and strengthen our professional community
Build your leadership profile while making a measurable contribution

If you’re ready to lead (or know someone who is), please submit a nomination.

Thank you for helping guide BCONE’s next chapter.

Welcome Aboard: Introducing BCONE's 2024 Board Members!

Wed, 01 May 2024 14:13:30 GMT

By Jeff Campbell, Peak Environmental and BCONE Marketing Committee Chair

BCONE is pleased to announce that Steve Zemba, Cailyn Locci, and Michael Tyszko recently joined the organization's Board of Directors. Melina Ambrosino, President of BCONE, welcomed the new members, stating, “I look forward to our new members’ contribution to the mission of BCONE, and extending the reach of the organization into new geographic areas and new industries.”

Steve Zemba – Voting Board Member

Steven Zemba is a Project Director at Sanborn, Head & Associates, Inc., where he provides health risk assessments and air quality services from their Randolph, VT office. He is a Mechanical Engineer by degree (Carnegie Mellon University and MIT), forming a basis for decades of experience as a risk assessor with extensive technical expertise in the areas of air pollution and fate and transport modeling. His current focus is on qualitative and quantitative assessments of health and environmental risks, with emphasis on pollutant migration modeling, including application of these tools to contaminated waste disposal sites. He is also a Lecturer at UMass Lowell and Tufts University.

Caillyn Locci - Scholarship Committee Chair (non-voting member)

Ms. Locci is a Senior Project Manager at Weston & Sampson, providing site characterization and remediation services out of their Ballston Spa, NY office. She is graduate of Tulane University and she holds a Professional Geologist license in the State of New York. In addition to her Board responsibilities, for BCONE, Cailyn will serve as the Scholarship Committee Chair, contributing to the educational goals of the organization, and supporting the development of future professionals in the redevelopment industry.

Michael W. Tyszko - Education Committee Chair (non-voting member)

Michael W. Tyszko is a Member of Bousquet Holstein PLLC in the firm’s Syracuse office. Mike’s legal practice focuses on economic development incentives, including brownfield and other tax credits, in addition to a broad range of business matters. Mike is an honors graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Syracuse Law Review. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he was a member of Michigan’s inaugural class of Stamps Scholars. In addition to his work with BCONE, Mike serves on the board of directors for the Redhouse Arts Center and the Syracuse University Brass Ensemble in Syracuse. He resides in Syracuse with his family and two goldendoodle dogs.

We are excited to see the contribution these members will lend to the board and BCONE's mission.

About the Author:

Jeff Campbell is an environmental consultant with over 25 years of experience remediating soil, groundwater and vapor for industrial, commercial, and retail customers. Peak Environmental, A Nova Group GBC Company, provides high-quality, professional, and cost-effective consulting services related to identifying and remediating environmental liabilities. For more on Peak Environmental, please visit their website at: https://peak-environmental.com.

October Jersey City PPG Plant Tour and Pour Event a Great Success!

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:54:41 GMT

BCONE would like to thank everyone who attended the October 18th Tour and Pour Event in Jersey City. We had over 40 people in attendance and think you will agree it was a great success!

While this was a team effort, we would like to extend a big thanks to Katie Patel for her idea and Jersey City connections! The tour covered some of the site’s history and remediation techniques used to accommodate the clean-up.

After the tour, we all enjoyed some brews at The 902 Brewery. It was perfectly located with a view of the Jersey City PPG Chromium Site to the west and NYC skyline to the east.

Posted October 24, 2023

Foss Commences Two New Eras: Mass DEP & BCONE

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 14:34:20 GMT

By Steve Dwyer

David Foss has worked to bring people together for more than two decades -- now, the newly appointed Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) Board Member is eager to become one more “new voice” within BCONE to help shape and refine the organization’s ambitious agenda led by its executives, who are also new to the group this year.

Late 2022 proved to be a transitional time for the veteran environmental consultant, who joined MassDEP as Statewide Brownfields Coordinator in October and subsequently became affiliated with BCONE.

Now, Foss is eager to integrate his skills and knowledge into the group, serving on the regulatory committee. One of his core tenets is this: “You can go fast alone; but if you want to go far, you go far together.’ You need people working together towards a common goal,” Foss revealed to me in late June.

An environmental consultant on the private side for 25-plus years (CPG and LSP), Foss has worked both with and for municipalities and regional planning commissions, including more than 40 cities and towns in Massachusetts, with an emphasis on best-practices of brownfield redevelopment.

A career shift occurred last fall when Foss accepted the position as Statewide Brownfields Coordinator for MassDEP. “My approach now, within the public-side capacity, is that I treat all Massachusetts communities as ‘clients’ -- as if I’m their consultant, advising them on everything, from the front-end identification and assessment of sites to helping identify funding streams and financial incentives.”

When Foss joined the MassDEP team, his association with BCONE effectively commenced as well. As is the case with many BCONE private-corporate or public-governmental affiliates, employees are encouraged to get involved -- all to lend a voice to enhance the brownfield redevelopment narrative in the Northeast.

Enter Foss, who has made quick work of things -- becoming BCONE-affiliated and now Board member within the regulatory committee. What he has long mastered -- and BCONE can expect to reap in return -- is a prioritization of communication and collaboration.

Brings People Together

Foss’s first event as a representative of BCONE occurred last fall during the September 2022 Northeast Sustainable Community Workshop (NSCW) conference in Connecticut. (See upcoming BCONE Events). “I arrived and announced myself as the new Statewide Brownfield Coordinator. I enjoy bringing people together to get projects done, acting as a translator/communicator, which has been honed over my years as a consultant. Two parties, such as the private-public partnership, have to be on the same page to make projects a reality -- from assessment to the cleanup phase to the final redevelopment,” he says.

Speaking about some front-burner issues he is eager to champion this year and next within BCONE -- all to move the needle forward on best-practices brownfield redevelopment -- Foss cited several issues.

Speaking about some front-burner issues, he is eager to champion this year and next within BCONE -- all to move the needle forward on best-practices brownfield redevelopment. Foss has long believed that enhancing community engagement can’t be underestimated, from hosting public meetings to talking about pertinent issues and gathering input from neighbors and residents in Brownfields communities. That speaks to the engagement needed to win over local residents when it comes to setting straight their perceptions, and reconciling their misconceptions, about brownfield remediation and end use development. In short, highlight that projects in their communities are intended to work for them and not against them.

Foss draws on experiences he’s had when state regulators and private-side developers sat down to discuss projects at the front end of the process. Within that, Foss worked to help foster the “common” to build the “ground.” “I have long worked to bring many entities together,” he says.

On community engagement, Foss strives to create a working environment that’s “friendly and open,” and, of course, results-driven. Environmental justice is a topic that most BCONE participants have on their front burners, and Foss is in lock-step with that critical topic. “We can’t just ‘check a box’ and obtain feedback from local residents,” but understand that it is mission critical to make sure locals get a seat at the table, and that residents reap end-use benefits.

A third key platform Foss advocates for is the green energy movement, across wind, solar, anerobic digestion, geo-thermal and more. Matching green energy components such as a solar array where it’s most amenable as an end use -- think solar on contaminated land or a landfill. “We have great opportunities in Massachusetts to promote solar on previously-used properties and prioritize these parcels rather than clearing a forest. I am always working to get creative and identify the practical incentives that can promote green energy,” he says.

A fourth goal is branching out to academia -- getting students stoked about brownfield redevelopment careers in the environmental industry. “I have spoken to Earth Science classes at UMass-Amhurst and Northeastern University to promote environmental science careers,” says Foss, a Colgate University grad. “I’m happy to show environmental or engineering students that there’s a pathway in this industry that can lead to great career satisfaction. We get to make a real difference in peoples’ lives.”

Looking Forward

Looking ahead to his work with BCONE, Foss says “one interesting aspect of being in the private sector for so long is that I worked on projects in multiple states and crossed paths with counterparts in New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut and more.” Translated, that means that while he operates in Massachusetts, Foss doesn’t operate in a silo, having broadened his geographic horizons over the years.

In singling out relationships he has forged with BCONE board members John Gross in Pennsylvania and Mark Lewis in Connecticut, Foss is also eager to establish a rapport with Regulatory Committee colleagues Karen Cahill and Mike Deely, who also recently became BCONE Board members. “I’m eager to get started, to offer my vision and a fresh perspective.”

Collaboration is the “water that I swim in, and frankly I enjoy meaningful engagement with people. For brownfield redevelopment to work, particularly for the types of projects that face hurdles, you need to get out in front of the process. Get people in the room, at the table early—make it so it’s very organic and productive.”

Posted July 5, 2023

From the Desk of the ED: BCONE Member States Receive Large Grant Awards from EPA

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 15:46:34 GMT

By Anne Lazo, BCONE Executive Director

What are the odds that the 2023 EPA Brownfield Grants notice came out while attending my first BCONE Regulatory Committee meeting as the Executive Director? It was exciting to hear how each state would benefit from these funds. This year’s grant awards were the most significant investment ever made in brownfield redevelopments!

Undoubtedly, the funds for all the states will provide the added financial assistance to revitalize our communities. I see these projects creating more affordable housing along with job growth. I envision the start-up of new business enterprises. Most importantly, I see greener, healthier spaces for those in these areas.

The members of BCONE’s Regulatory Committee will undoubtedly be busy implementing these grants in their respective states. These awards are a true testament to the commitment the states in EPA Regions 1, 2 and 3 have made toward cleaning up brownfields.

Here is a listing of the funding breakdowns:

Brownfields Multipurpose Assessment & Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (MARC) Grant: 262 communities were selected to receive 267 grants totaling more than $215M; the highest funding level ever announced. You can find out more here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2023-brownfields-multipurpose-assessment-revolving-loan-fund
Non-Competitive Supplemental Funding through the Existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant Program: $45M in non-competitive supplemental funding was given to 22 successful RLF program grantees. Read more here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2023-brownfields-multipurpose-assessment-revolving-loan-fund
Brownfields Technical Assistance Providers (TAB) and Research Grants: 5 TAB providers were awarded $53M in grants. Among those, the University of Connecticut (UCONN) received $5M in funding as the Region 1 TAB provider, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) received $10M in TAB funding for Regions 2 and 4, and the West Virginia University Research Corporation received $5M in TAB for Region #3.

In closing, I would like to mention that the 2023 Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop Planning Committee will be working with the Regulatory Committee to hold a virtual “Ask the Regulator” session as a pre-Conference program. We should be opening registration this month and hope you will join us for what is shaping up to be one of the industry’s best Conferences focused on brownfield redevelopment and sustainability.

Posted June 20, 2023

Boyle Embarks Upon New Chapter With a Boatload of Fond BCONE Recollections

Tue, 09 May 2023 18:36:41 GMT

By Steve Dwyer

This is a narrative about a professional career with countless contributions to her industry as a regulator with the NJDEP, an industry expert at GEI Consultants, and a manager providing steadfast and effective service to not-for-profit brownfield entities.

Susan Boyle is retiring, doing it “cold turkey-style,” resting comfortably that “all the pieces are in place” for her successors. Sue is also pleased to know she can now consume a cup of hot coffee before it becomes iced coffee.

Sue, first and foremost, is retiring from her “day job” as an Senior Environmental Practice Leader at GEI Consultants Inc. But that retirement has a domino effect, as she’s also stepping aside from her dual roles as contracted executive director of both BCONE and the New York City Brownfield Partnership. Both not-for-profit duties over time became part of her“day job” too.

These affiliations lasted longer than Sue had originally anticipated. Sue spent 27 years on the public side of the environmental remediation sector with the New Jersey Hazardous Waste Facilities Siting Commission and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), where she advanced all the way to Assistant Commissioner. Sue then entered the private sector in 2008 when she joined GEI Consultants.

Summing up the career ride, Sue told me that she is tinged with a “bittersweet sentiment because I love running organizations. But there are other things in life,” that Sue can’t wait to start pursuing.

“I plan to go ‘cold turkey’ and totally step away for at least six months. I can’t wait to not have to set an alarm clock—and I’m thrilled about the idea of drinking a cup of coffee before it gets cold!”

Read ahead for a recent conversation with Sue on the past, present and future.

Q: Take us back to the beginning and your recollection of joining BCONE?

SB: I helped shape the BCONE mission, bylaws, policies and procedures—I had a voice in all that from the outset. This was different than the Partnership, which had already established them. Similar to the Partnership, the group needed an executive director and, knowing how busy everyone was, I approached them about becoming ED, under contract with GEI.

Looking back, BCONE grew out of the National Brownfield Association [the “other” NBA]; NBA had established unique, autonomous chapters. Three chapters on the East Coast banned together to create the Tri- State Brownfields Conference for a number of years, where someone from each of the three states [New York, New Jersey and Connecticut] broached the front-burner brownfield issues for their respective states that needed to be addressed—maybe it was environmental liability or insurance challenges. Pennsylvania was brought in, too, making it a four-state conference. Over time it was clear that the separate chapters were not beneficial to the members who worked in multiple states, especially those in real estate regions that crossed state borders (think Metro NY). So eventually BCONE established an operating structure that would be more holistic and seamless.

Over time, I was proud of helping with several evolving organizational polices, including having board term limits established, so new professionals would have a seat at the table, bringing new voices and new perspectives.

Q: While at GEI, how did BCONE involvement go over and be accepted?

SB: It was a non-issue since BCONE was a GEI client at the outset of the group’s charter, so GEI participants agreed, whether as Board members or regular members, with the BCONE agenda.

Q: What was the early reception of non-for-profit brownfields organizations among those professionals in the Tri-State area and, by extension, the Northeast region?

SB: I think it was well received, and the missions and bylaws of both organizations were very clear and stated. With both non-profits, the language was specific about the overall composition of the board and the overall membership. We wanted a blending of both public and private professionals and also wanted to establish an eclectic balance across all professional capacities, such as environmental consultants, attorneys, environmental insurance professionals, lenders, architects, and others. It’s been an ongoing mission—and challenge—to engage with and bring in some of these professional capacities to a greater degree outside of the core environmental consultant world. But both the Partnership and BCONE have made great strides in effecting that.

Q: At the outset of your affiliations with BCONE, and even into 2023, what are some areas you’d like to see improved upon?

SB: One of the frustrations I’ve always cite is that BCONE offers excellent pro bono services to both public and private sectors—it was very frustrating that more organizations didn’t take advantage of those services. It was a question of, how do we reach them in the first place?

What has also been challenging is getting information out—spreading the word—about successful brownfield projects that go live in the BCONE geography. We have so many environmental consultants who are involved on the front end of a project cycle, but unfortunately many gone by the time development projects go live. We want to shine a light on so many of the success stories, but need a better mechanism to do so. At the Partnership, the Big Apple Brownfield Awards serve as a great vehicle to help shine a light on ‘success stories.’ I think the annual NSCW event can serve as that vehicle for shining a brighter light on more of these winning projects; over the past few years, a project of the year has been recognized at NSCW.

Also within BCONE one vital stride that needs to be made is growing the membership rolls—I think it’s experienced slower growth than we had anticipated. BCONE has such a large geographic footprint, so the question is ’how can we offer more compelling services to states from Maine to Maryland?' The organization has long been environmental consultant-heavy in representation, and we’ve always strived to branch out and be more inclusive.

Q: What is one evolving initiative at BCONE that you have seen build and grow over time?

SB: The BCONE scholarship program has evolved more and more each year to where we now recognize student projects in a way that it really helps prepare them for their professional futures. We’ve had affiliations with professors from UCONN, CCNY, Lafayette, Stevens and more. I’m proud of the way they award the scholarships. The NSCW, and its predecessor Tri-State Conference, have been huge successes. Both groups are building stronger alliances with universities and getting involved as guest lecturers. And, it was amazing that both BCONE and Partnership had excellent response to online events during Covid, and this remains a strength. With BCONE, this is a game-changer because of the wide geography, and with it, the logistical challenges.

Q: What are some personal and professional aspects about new BCONE executive director Anne Lazo that allows you to step way confident about the future—and also as it relates to new Partnership executive director Laura Senkevitch?

SB: They both know their respective organizations very well. Anne Lazo has been BCONE’s webmaster for quite a while, and has literally read every word about BCONE—she’s probably the only person besides me who has. Anne knows the organization so well, and I know she’s eager to balance live and virtual events, including Regulatory Roundtables and Hot Topic events. With NSCW, Anne is also eager to establish a more diversified geographic balance of cities and states that have the potential and desire to host events like NSCW.

Laura knows so much about taking non-profits forward, having held leadership roles in both fundraising and program development at Human Rights First and Fortune Society. She has significant experience across such areas as donor cultivation, program development, strategic partnership management, non-profit board governance, and more. She’ll work extremely well with the Partnership leadership team.

I’m also very heartened that both BCONE and the Partnership have hired administrative assistants in Michele Hurley [BCONE] and Marianne Leone [Partnership]. I think we have grown the professional services area to where you have the right mix of staff—and that all the piece are in place. Finally, the two organizations collaborate often on events of interest to both memberships—the Women in Environmental Professions webinar series and the Back to the Burbs? Back to the Office? webinar series we did during Covid to name a few.

Q: As you step aside from the day-to-day grind, what kind of inroads will you be most eager to see accomplished at BCONE?

SB: I’m super excited about the inroads made in Upstate New York. Both Nancy [board member and VP Struzenski Farrell] and [board member] Linda [Shaw] are looking to grow membership there...it’s an important geographic area. Selfishly, I’m happy about this development because I spent a lot of my life in Upstate New York, it’s close to me. Plus, the expansion occurring in Massachusetts and Connecticut have been very encouraging, in the context of hosting the first full-day NSCW Conference to take place outside of New Jersey or New York City.

Posted May 9, 2023

BCONE 2023 Leadership Changes

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:07:04 GMT

The Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) Board of Directors has named new executives to lead the organization through 2023 and beyond. The change process was completed pursuant to organization articles, leading to the selection of Melina Ambrosino as President, and Almariet Roberts and Nancy Struzenski-Farrell as Vice Presidents. In addition, the Board of Directors has appointed Anne Lazo as the Executive Director and Michelle Hurley as the Assistant to the Director. Rick Shoyer, the BCONE’s outgoing President, said “This succession of leadership demonstrates the strength of the organization, which has so many dedicated and experienced professionals that are willing to commit their time to leadership roles.”

Melina Ambrosino thanked the Board of Directors, and said “I am excited for the opportunity to lead BCONE, and look forward to fulfilling its mission. The new leadership team considers benefits to our members to be of primary importance, and we will continue to engage them to ensure BCONE provides high value webinars, seminars, networking events and trade shows, such as our annual Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW), which was a great success last year.”

BCONE is a regional non-profit organization promoting the successful redevelopment of underutilized properties to the benefit of local economies. Our membership includes individuals from private companies, government agencies and academic institutions that are active in the real estate, lending, legal, insurance, engineering, environmental, contracting and other sectors that support redevelopment projects.

You can view our list of Directors and Officers by clicking here.

Posted May 16, 2023

‘North Stars’ Motivate New Board Members

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 22:21:33 GMT

By Steve Dwyer

To Joseph Kraycik, environmental-oriented “north stars” keep him both personally and professionally motivated. It’s a vision that will serve BCONE quite well.

Kraycik, (P.G., CQA), Senior Consulting Geoscientist at Environmental Standards Inc., Valley Forge, PA, was elected to the BCONE Board of Directors last fall, along with Andrea Poinsett, Senior Professional at GEI Consultants, Inc.

Kraycik was raised on the outskirts of Allentown, PA, in a rural area. “The community where I grew up expanded rapidly -- it was an example of growth not well planned, and it epitomized urban sprawl. It’s important to preserve green space while also fostering economic growth. The key is identifying brownfields for re-development over greenfields.”

For Poinsett, a north star is a recollection of her mother avoiding swimming in the Atlantic Ocean “because she wanted to ‘see her toes,’” says Andrea, referencing pollution-laden waterways, both large and small.

“It was an experience that drove me. I have always been eager to stay on top of an environmental and sustainability focus and do so by taking a holistic focus on the process. Professionally, we can get very narrow with our focus, so it’s important to be able to look at the larger picture. It’s what I consider vital,” says Poinsett, a Penn State University grad with a Master of Science (M.S.) in Geosciences.

Both new BCONE board members are eager to get started with their service, all to make BCONE even stronger with the unique professional lens they offer for additional perspective. “I’m excited to be part of the BCONE board and share my experiences and successes with others,” Joe says.

A Robust Wish List

As a board member, Kraycik is eager to use the platform to foster more effective environmental justice in the redevelopment process, all to identify areas within the BCONE footprint that are in dire need of revitalization and flip the script for the local neighborhood fortunes.

Using predictive modeling, identifying technology and tapping existing databases can make a clear difference in pinpointing smart neighborhood revitalization, all in the name of best-practices environmental justice.

“How can we help the urban areas in need obtain state, local and national funding? That’s the question. And then, how do we convert these blighted properties into productive resources? Community involvement is a vital part of the process,” Joe says.

Kraycik has been involved with BCONE for five years, an introduction that started when Environmental Standards established a corporate membership and encouraged their employees to jump aboard. “We had been collaborating with former board member Brian Clark for years. Eventually, I became a member of the Pennsylvania expansion committee,” he says.

Kraycik says that BCONE amasses “a pretty expansive footprint, so it’s incumbent to drill down” and establish a way for people to engage with BCONE in ways that make a difference. One way is to schedule smaller state satellite events where people can more easily mingle and interact.

“It can be intimidating to join a larger group where you see so many people at once,” which makes it hard to have quality networking. “Starting small on the state level with workshops is one solution.”

On inroads made with the Pennsylvania expansion committee, Kraycik wants to establish better organization representation in western Pennsylvania. He also spoke about the effectiveness of what he calls “Tour and Pour” events—field trips that allow people to see first-hand the compelling results being made within urban redevelopment. Western Pennsylvania communities are one example.

“The Tour and Pour events have gone very well, so we want to push westward and also move to the north part of the state -- to areas like the Lehigh Valley and Harrisburg,” Joe notes.

“Sharing our experiences is important. He says that speaking at events and writing blogs are ways to carry this out,” he says. “We also want to drive the group's visibility and show the experience we have to promote and execute responsible and sustainable development: we need to take the lessons we have learned -- good and bad -- and share them with others.”

Kraycik says he’s closely attuned to the mission-critical nature of solid and thorough grant proposals that can resonate with the U.S. EPA when they are doling out grant money.

“EPA’s focus on grants always seems to shift its priorities from year to year: maybe one year the emphasis is on promoting green space, another year it’s environmental justice or jobs creation. Grants that resonate with EPA are so important -- it’s part of the job description that I am passionate about,” he says.

BCONE Roots Trace A Decade

About Poinsett’s affiliation with BCONE, the relationship began as a volunteer in support of NSCW years ago, such as setting up in advance of the event plus day-of obligations. She also provided content to the website on occasion.

“That volunteering work resonated with me and continues today -- you can get involved in brownfields in so many different areas, as BCONE brings all types of professionals together. I look forward to working with others in BCONE and hope to help connect people through BCONE,” says Andrea.

Andrea has an expansive affinity for “problem-solving and research -- finding that ‘one’ little detail that someone else might have missed. I perform a lot of front-end due diligence and love new green and sustainable technologies -- innovations that have emerged. At GEI, I developed a niche for conducting historical reviews of former brownfield properties through information gathering.”

“We all talk about all the different aspects of brownfields and how BCONE’s geographic footprint can connect people in the region in all different corners of the brownfields world. I am excited about the expansion areas geographically and also about working to bring other brownfields practitioners together,” she closes.

Posted March 20, 2023

A Familiar Face Takes the Lead: Lazo Launching New Chapter as BCONE Executive Director

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:05:39 GMT

Well-qualified BCONE webmaster, and more, eager to take the baton from Boyle this spring…and run with it.

By Steve Dwyer

The only constant in life is change, which happens to be afoot at BCONE with the installation of Anne Lazo as executive director-elect and Michele Hurley as assistant to the director.

Lazo has accumulated years of experience with BCONE, as she’s been a part of the working team since almost the organization's inception. During this time, BCONE has benefitted from her years of results-driven experience as the Chief Executive Officer at Eagle Soars Consulting and Motorhead Advantage.

It's within these CEO positions that Anne directly manages the building of brand awareness for clients, with a focus on creating greater loyalty with employees, vendors and customers. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Her more than 36 years of professional experience will permeate the BCONE organization as Lazo prepares to succeed outgoing Executive Director Susan Boyle, who announced her retirement in 2022 and is effective this spring.

One word for the transition is “bittersweet” to Anne and the entire organization. To Lazo, Sue has been a friend and a mentor, and her imprint on BCONE operations will be lasting. On the flip side, Anne knows the show must go on and is excited about this golden opportunity. And why not: it was Sue who tapped her to take over the post.

“Sue approached me earlier in 2022 and asked about my interest in the ED post,” recalls Lazo, who was officially appointed during the Fall 2022 BCONE Board of Directors meeting. “At first, I thought she was kidding.”

It's no joke, and one key reason is this: “I’ve worked with BCONE since almost the start, know the organization, I’ve read every word ever e-blasted or put on social media about BCONE, and know the lay of the land. I have such a passion for the organization,” says Lazo, who, among other roles, has been BCONE’s webmaster. She also is closely affiliated with the New Jersey Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association and the New York City Brownfield Partnership.

“What’s exciting is that BCONE gets stronger each year -- and I can’t wait to form an even closer relationship with our new leadership team: President Melina Ambrosino and VPs Almariet Roberts and Nancy Struzenski.”

Turning A Page

Anne Lazo will be ably assisted by Michele Hurley, a 1992 Boston College alum with a degree in business management and marketing. Regarded as “a very detail-oriented and organized person, Michele has worked in the marketing department for an environmental company and as an administrative assistant for a stock brokerage firm. After a few years, she told me that she opted to pursue a career in education as she had always dreamed of becoming a teacher.

“I’ve also been told that my patience and ability to multitask -- think 15 preschoolers at once -- will serve me well. I am excited to be part of this innovative team,” she notes.

Meanwhile, Anne looks forward to working with Melina, Almariet and Nancy, adding that “my goals are aligned with the leadership team. I was able to see their leadership and organization styles when Tiesha Green and I worked with them on the 2022 NSCW. One way I can complement the strengths of the leadership team is with my skills that have been cultivated on the business end of the equation.”

Melina, on the other hand, had established an affinity for financial services, tax credit strategies and serving in consulting mode for developers. Anne says she’s eager to use her business acumen to build membership and recruit a new breed of professionals to join BCONE, starting with engagement at live or virtual events.

“One goal is to break out our messaging. Find out why our members joined BCONE and use it to make BCONE appealing to others. Everyone joins for different reasons. We want to engage our members and get them to articulate their ‘why.’” We aim to attract more professionals across different industry groups like attorneys, architects, lenders, insurance companies and more. We’re eager to hone our messaging to accomplish that goal. It would also be ideal to have more of our members write stories for our digital platform.”

Hurley landed at BCONE in early 2023, as “a friend of a friend of a sister-in-law mentioned that she had heard of an opening at BCONE and that it was a very flexible position -- she thought of me.”

Michele contacted Melina, and “we had a fantastic initial conversation. She set up an interview with the board. I did some homework of my own and learned about brownfield redevelopment. Some of the names, both individual and company, sounded familiar; in fact, one of the companies was a client of my late husband. (Tragically, Michele lost her husband in March of 2020 “very suddenly and unexpectedly.”)

“BCONE is something he would have supported and maybe even been a part of,” says Michele. “When offered the job as an executive administrative assistant, it was a very easy decision for me. I look forward to learning more about the industry he was passionate about and working with an incredibly talented and diverse team of professionals.”

BCONE is “not only supportive and encouraging but makes me feel like an integral part of the team. I am especially interested in the Education & Scholarship committee and hope to become more involved in that aspect,” she says.

Committees, Events Power Up

BCONE committees and events are poised to become even more comprehensive and formidable each year, and Anne plans to work with Almariet to continue cultivating that effort.

With oversight from the Executive Team, the Marketing Committee, for instance, is crafting BCONE-specific messaging as a recruitment mechanism, honing in on ways to enlist additional members and sponsors across all industries that participate in redevelopment projects. Almariet plans to work with all the committees to ensure they are supported,” Anne says.

Examples would be to recruit municipalities that have properties for redevelopment. In addition, attorneys, architects, developers (without brownfield-specific expertise), property owners, environmental insurance companies and lenders may not be aware that BCONE, and brownfield redevelopment, is a niche opportunity to ply their craft. Many banks, for instance, don’t grasp the mission of brownfield redevelopment and, as such, might take a pass on extending financing. If they become better educated about the industry, some might take a different approach.

One new opportunity for BCONE is partnering with Alvernia University in Reading, PA. Board member Joe Kraycik and the Pennsylvania Expansion Committee have been working on an educational and networking event called the “CBCL Conference.” Planned for April, the conference is sponsored by the College of Business Communication and Leadership (CBCL) and focuses on sustainability and other vital issues. Joe thought it would be a good partnership and brought members of BCONE in as part of the conference agenda, with Rick Shoyer (immediate Past President of BCONE) and Mary Ann Manley (BCONE member and speaker at prior NSCWs) speaking at sessions. BCONE will also sponsor a networking event for faculty and students at the end of the day.

Within the Marketing Committee, Jeff Campbell has launched an initiative to post content to the BCONE site on a more regular basis, and Lazo is eager to coax members to prepare articles for the digital platform to share their industry expertise.

Speaking about BCONE events, Lazo is eager to work with the Executive Team and Expansion Committees to balance live and virtual events, including Regulatory Roundtables and Hot Topic events. The goal of NSCW, the organization’s annual conference, is to establish a diversified geographic balance of cities/states that host the event, such as the 2022 conference in Stamford, Connecticut event, which went off increasingly well. NSCW is booked for Worcester, Massachusetts, in September of 2023, and will build on the success of previous events.

Looking back, Anne pointed out how former BCONE president Rick Shoyer established a blueprint for “getting more people involved in committees. Volunteers are important, and Rick was great at getting volunteers on board.”

Lazo sums up her new executive director post opportunity: “I’m excited for the year ahead and am grateful for the opportunity and the trust people have had in me over the years. I will miss Sue terribly and wish her the best in retirement, but also can’t wait to dig in with the leadership team and get started!”

Posted March 16, 2023

BCONE Members "Bury the Hatchet" at Recent Axe Throwing and Networking Event

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 19:58:01 GMT

On February 3rd, BCONE hosted an evening of axe throwing and networking at a Stumpy’s Hatchet House in Fairfield. This event was sponsored by SESI Consulting Engineers, APL-PACE LABS, ESA Environmental Consultants, GZA, Triumvirate Environmental,

Resource Options, and YORK Analytical Laboratories. This fun and stress-relieving activity was enjoyed by a group of more than 30 environmental consultants, subcontractors, engineers, and attorneys who connected with old friends and met new ones -- all while burying the hatchet.

A quote from attendee Jack Lennox, "The event was great - we shut the place down. We should have T Shirts made that say 'I Survived BCONE Axe Throwing.' It's fun, but definitely dangerous." Don't worry, Stumpy's Hatchet House makes sure that all are safe.

Posted February 14, 2023

BCONE Connecticut Event at Barcelona Wine Bar Never Disappoints

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 16:52:37 GMT

BCONE hosted the Annual Post-Holiday Networking Event at Barcelona Wine Bar in West Hartford on January 31st. Over 50 people came out to enjoy Barcelona’s delicious food and drinks and reconnect after the busy holiday season. It was wonderful to see such a wide range of professionals within the industry come together for this event. We had representatives from DEEP, local municipalities, UCONN Tab, attorneys, engineers, labs, service providers, environmental consultants, and BCONE board members all come together to share ideas and drive business. We also had some individuals travel from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts to join us in Connecticut! Thank you to our Gold Sponsors, VHB and Resource Options as well as our Silver Sponsors, Alpha Analytical, Day Pitney, ERIS, and HRP Associates.

First BCONE Event in New York a Smashing Success

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 14:37:00 GMT

We are so pleased with our first Upstate NY Networking event. We had over 35 people in attendance! We drew a crowd from all over the area with guests from Western MA to Buffalo and Plattsburgh to Long Island.

Thank you to all of our sponsors: Alpha Analytical, Bousquet Holstein, Knauf Shaw, Labella, PWGC, and Weston & Sampson. We would also like to thank the City Line Grill for hosting such a great event.

We are working on some great ideas and are planning some important events in the coming months. We hope you will consider membership with BCONE. Click here to join now.

Posted February 6, 2023

Shoyer Bullish on BCONE’s Continued Growth, Evolution

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 15:49:06 GMT

Outgoing President says Org. taking huge strides in many areas due to work of the entire board

By Steve Dwyer

Becoming president of Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) at the start of 2020, Rick Shoyer III, had both an opportunity and a challenge in front of him when his tenure started as COVID-19 hit the U.S. shores.

Three years later, BCONE navigated through the rigors of the pandemic in precision-like fashion by keeping communication and outreach epoxy-tight via a host of virtual events, as well as virtual member-oriented events that included book club and hiking club introductions.

Starting with the Charlie Bartsch Memorial Scholarship program, BCONE fanned out even more to offer additional scholarships, all geared to acknowledge and award gold-standard students who aspire to be brownfield professionals.

In addition to offering scholarships at the University of Connecticut, City College of New York (CCNY) students were awarded scholarships for outstanding projects in its successful Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments courses, which went fully online for the first semester 2020 due to restrictions. The course was overseen by instructor Angelo Lampousis, Ph.D., lecturer and undergraduate advisor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences with CCNY, and a BCONE board member.

Efforts like the CCNY course along with a continuing education component allowed young professional to become certified quicker and get to work.

Young environmental and engineering professionals -- perhaps armed with a fresh, vibrant brownfield vision for the future -- engaged with BCONE either casually at events and then ultimately became members, board members and even board President. Indeed, young professionals are now woven deeply into the BCONE fabric, and the future appears bright. Shoyer cited the Developing Professionals initiative as an example.

BCONE looked to continue expanding geographically across Pennsylvania, regions of New England, and Upstate New York, all to expand beyond entrenched footprints of New Jersey, New York City metro area, the Greater Philadelphia, PA area, and Connecticut.

Mid-Atlantic states such as Delaware, Maryland and others were more involved with BCONE with their own BCONE workshops and events. BCONE also oversaw more significant outreach to USEPA Region 4 that encompassed engaging with the Carolinas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and others -- with Rick Shoyer establishing a presence as a contractor to provide training and grant application reviews.

Shoyer traveled to an underserved community in Florida to provide consulting on brownfield redevelopment, leveraging his skills as an investigation and remediation expert classified as a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) and N-2 Industrial Operator in the state of New Jersey. This effort and his other efforts in USEPA Region 4 were as a BCONE subcontractor to the ICMA Technical Assistance for Brownfields program for Region 4.

Taking the Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW) event beyond New York/New Jersey and into Connecticut proved to be an excellent strategy—and the event also expanded from one day to 1.5 days. BCONE enjoyed a large number of new NSCW participants thanks to staging it in Connecticut.

These days, BCONE is able to balance virtually-held events with in-person ones, the latter integral because there’s no substitute for “shaking hands and looking someone in the eye,” he says.

The outgoing President, who handed over the reins to newly installed President Melina Ambrosino at the end of 2022, sums up his 3-year stint this way: “I’m proud of our executive board: It’s the strongest one I can think of. We were able to make progress in so many areas due to the work of the entire board.

“It became evident that if you listen and you reach out, you can encourage members to step up and spread their intel both within and outside the BCONE family and share their areas of expertise. We were able to do a lot of really great things, and I appreciated the support of Executive Director Sue Boyle and the entire board, the Committee chairs, for their efforts to keep us moving forward.”

Shoyer, who received his BS in Engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., has spent the past 38-plus years investigating and remediating organic and inorganic substances both in-situ and ex-situ.

He spoke about four key topics recently:

On engaging with state regulators: “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished to strengthen the organization, starting with state regulatory outreach.” One way is having a seat at the table with state regulators about brownfield-related developments occurring in the respective BCONE footprint to determine “what works and what doesn’t,” he says. Years ago, BCONE members might have been the ones proactively reaching out to their state officials; now, that script has been flipped.

“We have asked to participate at various state levels, been invited to join stakeholder meetings due to BCONE’s recognized expertise,” all to provide guidance within regulatory efforts. “BCONE has competencies across multiple professional levels—and our ideas have been asked for upfront.”

On renewable energy initiatives: BCONE everts have focused on sustainable and resilient development and redevelopment, and community solar projects. It has spotlighted the expansion of community solar projects in urban areas and economically distressed areas where businesses and residence can take advantage economically of solar programs.

“We have not met our goals in taking advantage of the resources to do these things with underserved communities to the full extent we can. We could be doing more and are on a path to improvement. Many things go with that, and communities need to get involved.” He says that BCONE is eager to demonstrate that brownfield redevelopments—with solar and beyond—is more than adding money to local tax rolls, but about broadly creating sustainable communities—that’s the endgame.

On affordable housing: “There is a huge need for affordable housing, as we still struggle with fully executing this opportunity. The goal is to maintain and improve the social fabric of neighborhoods, and this is a real challenge. A lot of brownfield tax incentives and grants are there to target these initiatives—we’re on the right track to getting there.”

On the diversification of professionals that engage with BCONE: “We are still very heavy on the environmental, engineering and consulting side of the professional spectrum. We would be better served if we had a more diverse group to bring in other professional disciplines and perspectives. There’s a push to work more on these areas because brownfield redevelopment is a team sport—and lacking a good team negatively impacts projects.”

Posted February 5, 2023

BCONE Happy 2023 Networking Starts In PA

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 18:17:51 GMT

The Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) and Pennsylvania Society of Women Environmental Professionals (PA SWEP), hosted a post-holiday reception in King of Prussia, PA on January 12^th. Approximately (55) Environmental Professionals attended and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Mike Bliss of AWT and Joe Kraycik of Environmental Standards of the BCONE PA Expansion Committee for their efforts. Thanks to all sponsors and attendees who helped raise money for BCONE’s and PA SWEP’s scholarship funds. Please reach out to Mike Bliss or Joe Kraycik for interest in BCONE membership and Ammie Martin for PA SWEP Membership. Stay tuned for more events coming up soon including BCONE’s Happy 2023 event in Albany NY on Feb 2, 2023 and one in CT on Jan 31, 2023, and more joint events with BCONE and SWEP chapters throughout the Northeast. PA Event sponsors: Terraphase; Pennoni; Environmental Standards; Eurofins; Synergy Environmental; GZA; Brightfields; Eldredge; AWT.

Meet the New BCONE Board Leadership Team

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 16:54:39 GMT

Led by Ambrosino, They’re Hitting The Ground Running

Three women are now the highest-level leaders of the BCONE Executive Team ready to tackle 2023 with vision, execution, and results -- all with an emphasis on networking and education.

By Steve Dwyer

To Melina Ambrosino, the newly elected President of BCONE, the collaborative success that she anticipates generating with newly-elected Vice Presidents, Almariet Roberts and Nancy Struzenski, is one marked by the supreme synergy that balances their professional experiences and capacities.

Ambrosino, who serves as another president -- that of president for Cherrytree Group, Newton, Mass. -- has established a significantly successful reputation for strategizing the dispersal of brownfield tax credits. Melina says it’s a huge benefit for a board of directors to have such a balance across this vast and eclectic industry.

That’s the beauty of how BCONE is structured as it consists of professionals from a wide universe of professional capacities -- ones that align to foster opportunity and growth in advancing brownfield industry initiatives.

Almariet Roberts, skilled in lab and field research, is Project Geologist at HRP Associates Inc., Hamden, Connecticut. She has vast experience researching mineral interactions within microbial mats and examining the effects of cyanobacterial metabolisms and increased pH on the dissolution of diatoms. Almariet is an experienced office administrator with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit sector.

Nancy Struzenski Farrell, with more than 30 years of experience in the environmental laboratory business, is Vice President of Technical Sales at Alpha Analytical, and she’s based in Binghamton, New York. Nancy specializes in providing laboratory analytical testing services to a variety of clients, including consultants, environmental firms, government agencies, and developers.

Melina can’t wait to see the three board leaders collaborate in 2023 and become one epoxy-tight team that executes and delivers. Appointed as one of 15 BCONE board members in early 2021, Melina had submitted her application for nomination during the January 2020 meeting. She has been involved in the Massachusetts Expansion Committee and NSCW conference planning.

“I joined BCONE [in 2021] to meet other industry leaders and professionals. I’d not have met Almariet and Nancy if not for BCONE: It’s been one of the best working relationships I’ve ever had, and we’ve become friends as well. I know nothing about lab or testing, and that’s Nancy’s expertise -- I can direct people to Nancy. I know nothing about fieldwork, and now I can direct them to Almariet. What we want in the end is to point more developers and clients to all these experts, and encourage them to attend educational seminars.”

Melina offered a huge tip of the cap to outgoing BCONE President Rick Shoyer, praising what he accomplished over three years. “Rick provided the three of us with an excellent foundation on which to build and grow -- Rick was an amazing hands-on president. We want to follow in that legacy. We see increased education and more robust BCONE networking events as being keys to making that happen.”

Almariet says she’s “incredibly excited and honored to be working with Nancy and Melina. They are exemplary leaders in their industry, and their commitment to BCONE is inspiring. I think we have a dynamic team that brings a variety of skills to the table that will help effectively grow and strengthen the organization.”

Nancy concurs, adding: “I can tell you that the three of us have the same goals and mission for BCONE and have worked very well together in the past. Melina and I were responsible, as co-chairs, for the first Connecticut NSCW in over 10 years, with an attendance of more than 225 people. Almariet and I co-chaired two Barcelone Wine Bar events before and after COVID with record attendance for an evening networking event. I feel this team works so well together and look forward to a very successful 2023.”

As Melina looks ahead, she identifies several areas that sit on the BCONE front burner. “One thing I’m passionate about is the opportunity BCONE provides young professionals, who are emerging leaders. BCONE is very supportive of young professionals, and it’s all part of what and why I’m very passionate about in 2023 and beyond: when you see how excited [college] students get when we are connected to education -- all to help them grow professionally, that’s the best gift.”

She is also eager to leverage BCONE’s vast resources to drive better networking with industry people -- be it within a social setting, formal education (such as colleges and universities) or via BCONE’s many annual events -- think NSCW and more. Regarding virtual meetings, “people are ‘Zoom-fatigued.’ They crave more in-person interaction. While we still must rely on virtual meetings, in-person events and hybrid formats are paramount. At the 2022 NSCW, we had record attendance,” says Melina.

Regarding her own experience at Cherrytree Group, which has pivoted in a big way toward advocating for and financing solar projects, Melina says the firm continues to hone its reputation for closing renewable energy deals that include solar and other renewable vertical applications, such as wind power situated on brownfields.

About solar, she adds: “At BCONE, solar development is huge right now. Landfills that are closed or closing are prime candidates for solar redevelopments.”

On how developers need to get better up to speed on what their financial opportunities consist of in order to fund projects: “We need to educate developers on what they can get in the context of brownfield tax credits. Many of them look at us and say, ‘what’s that?’ It sounds like witchcraft to them. Some very skilled and accomplished BCONE consultants can counsel developers about the dynamics behind applying for and obtaining these credits.”

A Champion for Environmental Justice

Almariet says that, as she peers at some of her front-burner goals in 2023 across several key areas that regularly impact the brownfields redevelopment process, “environmental justice considerations in brownfield redevelopment is an issue I hope we will continue to focus on and build more content around for our members.

“It is imperative that future redevelopment be inclusive and elevate the quality of life for the local community,” she says. “Underserved communities have been disproportionately impacted by brownfield sites and have historically been inequitably alienated from redeveloped sites. I believe that if a community has had to bear the burden of living with a blighted brownfield in their neighborhood, then they should reap the benefit from the redevelopment of that property.”

Almariet adds that “equitable redevelopment coupled with climate-forward initiatives will be the key to sustainable and resilient redevelopment in the future. It is important that stakeholders learn from past mistakes and make a commitment to improving these injustices in the future.”

Identifying challenges she’s most concerned about, Almariet points to post-pandemic where “it was challenging to navigate how to most impactfully engage our members. We adapted quickly to virtual events and were able to come up with creative new ways to connect with one another.”

Moving into 2023, Almariet believes that “one of our main goals is to create an ideal blend of in-person, virtual and hybrid events. Our focus is to create content with both regional and local significance that can facilitate the benefits of face-to-face networking opportunities while also maintaining the ability to communicate regionally relevant information virtually.”

Eager For NY Expansion

Nancy says that “in my time with BCONE, I have grown from a member to the NSCW co-chair and then to one of two vice presidents. With my current territory and growth that I’ve incorporated into expanding Connecticut, I would like to see the Upstate New York presence grow and reach out to the Upstate New York territory to learn more about BCONE and be active in the organization giving NY a full presence.”

Looking at what she’s most excited about in 2023, Nancy says that “the new executive team has a goal to grow in an area of expanded membership and sponsorships -- both of which will put BCONE at another level.”

Posted January 1, 2023

Early December 2022 Finds BCONE Sharing Holiday Cheer and Cheers at a Construction Networking Event

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 16:46:53 GMT

If you are reading about the pre-and post-holiday events in which BCONE has and is participating, you’ll notice that many of them are collaborative events with other like-minded organizations.

BCONE kicked off the season on December 7, 2022, in Carlstadt, NJ. Welcomed by a large, well lit sign reading “Construction Networking Holiday Party,” BCONE joined the Utility and Transportation Contractors Association (UCTA); BCONE sponsor and networking event organizer, Soil Connect; the NJ Concrete & Aggregate Association; and CDE Group, producers of sand washing technology. Many of these groups are new colleagues for BCONE and we enjoyed “breaking bread” with them. It was a delightful evening sharing stories about clean fill, dirty dirt, and amazing technological advances to assist with change orders and soil movement filings with various agencies. BCONE was delighted to see our colleagues from NYC and the NYC Brownfield Partnership as well as the NJ Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association (LSRPA) in attendance.

If you missed this networking event, there are several coming up after the holidays in CT, NJ, NY, and PA. Check the website and register. You’ll meet new colleagues and expand your network.

Posted January 1, 2023

BCONE November Educational Program: Bucks County Brownfield Redevelopment

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 15:54:05 GMT

by Colleen Kokas

Bucks County has long planned for a mix of industrial, residential and preserved open space and agricultural lands. BCONE’s recent educational program on November 16, 2022, discussed the past 30 years of addressing brownfield sites in the county -- as told through the first-hand experiences of Bob White, the former Executive Director of the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority for 24 years.

Woven throughout the many case studies of successfully transforming large and small industrial sites, Bob sent a clear message about how he achieved success. The first was to create a team of the various stakeholders involved, including local and state elected officials, the community and the regulatory agencies. The second was to communicate often to ensure that information is shared fully and timely. The third was to plan, plan, plan. That equates to having many sites in the pipeline, as you never know when the opportunity may arise to advance one of those properties closer to a completed cleanup or to vertical development. Bob shared a quote that reflects this appropriately, in that "if you fail to plan, you will have a plan that fails." Bob’s full story is captured in his book, "Repurposing the Past: How a Farm Boy and Marine Helped Give Bucks County a 21st-Century Facelift."

Bob emphasized the importance of Pennsylvania’s Act 2 Program in contributing to the success of repurposing sites. John Gross, PADEP Act 2 manager, spoke to the “mission creep” that is happening with the use of Act 2 within the agency. There has been a trend in other programs within PADEP using Act 2 as an enforcement mechanic to obtain compliance -- a use never intended by the Act’s passage.

John alerted the group to PADEP’s recent receipt of a USEPA Brownfield Assessment Grant for which they are developing a strategy for deploying those funds. PADEP’s initial thoughts are to provide monies to small towns that do not have the capacity to assess sites and to evaluate retired coal-fired power plants for future green energy-related projects.

The discussions were held at Aldie Mansion, a property owned and occupied by the Heritage Conservancy, a nonprofit agency with a mission that nicely complements the mission of addressing brownfields. The Heritage Conservancy’s President and CEO, Bill Kunze, welcomed BCONE to the mansion, and outlined the agency’s work of preserving and protecting significant open spaces, natural resources, and our historic heritage. In its 60+ years, the Heritage Conservancy has facilitated the protected over 15,000 acres of land to ensure our enjoyment to protect water quality and to ensure our future enjoyment of nature. For more information on the Heritage Conservancy, or if you are interested in becoming a member, go to https://heritageconservancy.org/ or contact BCONE member and moderator of the event, Brian Clark (Brian.Clark@bipc.com), who serves on the Heritage Conservancy’s board.

Posted November 28, 2022

Networking and More at the Seven Tribesmen Brewery

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 13:12:00 GMT

We had a nice turnout for our networking event at the Seven Tribesmen Brewery in Wayne, NJ on October 19th. Plenty of time to meet and speak with all the attendees while trying out some high-quality, hand-crafted beers and snacking on amazing appetizers.

The discussion on ecological site assessments and the importance of improving the biodiversity of habitats by using native plant species was very informative. The wildlife photos shared during the presentation highlighted the beauty of nature and all the flora and fauna around us.

Thank you to our Event Sponsor GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. We couldn’t hold these events without generous volunteers like Kristen English, who organized the event, and our speakers Blaine Rothausen and Nicolette Albanese.

Look for more networking and educational events on BCONE’s website, in eblasts and on social media.

Thank you to our Double Platinum Sponsors for their support throughout the year.

Posted October 27, 2022

Jamie Snook has Article Published in Watershed Ecology and the Environment

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 15:40:47 GMT

Jamie Snook, member of BCONE’s Education & Scholarship Committee as a non-voting Board member, was published in Watershed Ecology and the Environment in mid-October, 2022.. Jamie’s article focuses on an ecological risk assessment of the Otter Creek Basin watershed ecosystem restoration project in central Vermont. The link is below. Congratulations to Jamie!

Published article link:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsee.2022.09.001

and

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589471422000067

Posted October 21, 2022

We Sold Out the Camden Waterfront Tour and Pour Event!

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 20:27:36 GMT

BCONE held a “Tour and Pour” event on October 11, 2022, at the Camden, New Jersey waterfront with a fun group of 30 participants. The tour began at the Hilton Garden Inn Camden Waterfront Philadelphia. It was a former industrial area operated by Campbell Soup Company and the RCA Victor Company from the late 1800s until the late 1980s/early 1990s. The area was redeveloped into a 20-acre mixed-use complex by Liberty Property Trust between 2015 and 2020.

The evening featured three stops to encourage conversations about brownfields remediation. During the tour, Marc Chartier of Pennoni described the industrial history of the project area and historical and current remedial actions associated with the remediation of 12 individual parcels within the development area.

Additionally, the tour highlighted the site’s current structures, which were constructed between 2017 and 2020, and are occupied by American Water, Hilton, NFI, Connor Strong and Buckelew, and the Michael’s Organization.

The event concluded with plenty of time for networking, drinks, and appetizers while overlooking the waterfront area. Keep your eyes open for additional networking and educational programs from BCONE.

Thank You to Our Speakers

Marc Chartier, Due Dilgence and Remediation Group Leader, PG, LSRP at Pennoni
Tim Mangold, Senior Project Manager, LSRP at Pennoni and Chair of BCONE’s Membership Committee

Thank You to Our Event Sponsor

Thank You to Our Silver Sponsor

Annual Double Platinum Sponsors

Posted October 20, 2022

New Non-Voting BCONE Committee Members Ready To Serve

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 15:55:26 GMT

By Steve Dwyer

Hoping to infuse a new level of perspective, ideas and vision into the BCONE organization, four new non-voting members were introduced during a summer board meeting.

Michael Deely, Manager of the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF) program and the Petroleum UST Fund program at New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), was announced as non-voting member within the Regulatory committee. Joining Deely is Karen A. Cahill, Environmental Engineer with NYSDEC’s Division of Environmental Remediation in the Department’s Region 7 office in Syracuse, N.Y.

Meantime, Maria Coler and Dr. Nefeli Bompoti were appointed as non-voting members on the Education and Scholarship Committee, which Coler chairs.

Coler is an LSRP, an alumna of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, and founder of HCI, a 100% women-owned environmental consulting firm specializing in the remediation of brownfield sites in urban centers. Coler founded BCONE’s Brownfields, Books, and Brew club while serving as the chair of the BCONE Scholarship committee, which is now the Education and Scholarship Committee.

Bompoti, Ph.D., is assistant research professor, CT Brownfields Initiative, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering at UCONN, who oversees the program along with fellow professor Marisa Chrysochoou, Ph.D., director, Connecticut Brownfields Initiative, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

It has been under Bompoti’s instruction that has led to the selection of annual recipients at UCONN for the Charlie Bartsch Brownfield Scholarship program.

Regulatory Member Profiles

Deely had previously spent 18 years at NJDEP overseeing the HDSRF program and redevelopment projects in the Office of Brownfield and Community Revitalization.

Cahill has been with the NYSDEC’s Division of Environmental Remediation since 2004, primarily responsible for managing investigation and remediation of contaminated sites under the NYS Brownfield Cleanup and State Superfund Programs. She also has expertise in petroleum spill response, field analytical procedures, and soil vapor intrusion.

Comments Deely: “I have been a BCONE member for years but not a truly active member. I have tried to stay connected on what is going on in BCONE, attend sustainability workshops, and more.”

NJEDA is tasked with growing the state’s economy and increases equitable access to opportunity by supporting high-quality job creation, catalyzing investment, and fostering vibrant, inclusive community development.

NJEDA works in partnership with a diverse range of stakeholders to implement programs and initiatives that improve quality of life, enhance economic vitality and strengthen the state’s long-term economic competitiveness.

It operates within a vision to make New Jersey a national model for sustainable and equitable economic growth by investing in communities, fostering innovation, and supporting industries with high quality-jobs in the state.

Deely, who boasts a technical background and degree from Purdue University, had worked in the private sector for several years, performing brownfield work. In the public sector, he managed the state grant program around assessment, investigation and cleanup efforts.

Deely has worked with many private companies in New Jersey around cultivating the gold standard in brownfield development. One goal of his within the department is right-sizing the allocation of funds so money allocated fits what recipients require to move the needle forward. He also is eager to make sure that funds don’t go unused.

He cited a major success story this year in Camden, N.J. regarding the Cramer Hill Waterfront Park project, which was awarded the 2022 US EPA Region 2 Phoenix Award. The project has transformed the 86-acre Harrison Avenue landfill, one of the most high-profile brownfields sites in Camden, into a waterfront park and community center. One feature: more than 375,000 plants, shrubs and trees were installed throughout the park.

NJEDA, in partnership with the NJDEP, provided more than $26 million HDSRF to the Cramer Hill Waterfront Brownfield Development Area.

As Deely looks ahead to his BCONE service obligation this year and into next, he’s eager to be “in an information-gathering process with a lot of idea exchange.”

Cahill joined BCONE in late August as a regulatory board member. “A colleague emailed me in July asking me if I would be interested in joining the board. Prior to that, I was not familiar with BCONE,” she says.

Taking into account her accomplished career as an environmental engineer with NYS DEC, Cahill spoke about how she envisions using this experience to effect positive impacts for the BCONE Regulatory committee this year and into ’23—all to move the needle on brownfield execution.

“I am hopeful that I can bring a fresh perspective from the technical side of these projects, including emerging contaminant investigation, soil vapor intrusion and PCB investigation/cleanup,” she says. “A wish list to effect change would be more streamlined approach to satisfy TSCA requirements (EPA R2) and investigation/cleanup of PCB impacted sites.”

Looking at her achievements in New York state over the past year in regards to environmental remediation execution—ones that enable her to bring a unique vision to the committee—Cahill says she’s still waiting to determine the specifics around that. “The NYSDEC Division of Environmental Remediation conference is being held in Lake George [Nov. 8-10], so I’ll have more of a specific plan at that time.”

After speaking to Deely, Cahill says that “working specifically with Mike can create a synergy between his current economic redevelopment experience [he is also experienced within the environmental sector] and my environmental experience.” Deely and Cahill join environmental regulators and economic development specialists from CT, DE, MA, MD and PA on the BCONE Regulatory Committee. Other state-specific brownfield associations praise BCONE’s regional dialogue among regulators from multiple states. The exchange of program and policy ideas across state lines has always been one of the hallmarks of BCONE.

“Overcoming stumbling blocks to progress on these sites, including financial assurance, community acceptance, eligibility, remedy implementation concurrent with development and attracting developers to take on investigation/remediation of these sites,” are the end goals that Cahill lists on her front burner.

Editor’s note: Stay tuned for Part II in the series when we speak to both Maria Coler and Nefeli Bompoti.

Posted September 29, 2022

BCONE Holds Successful Brownfield Drinks Event in Wilmington, DE

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:53:25 GMT

BCONE Board members Lori Spagnolo from DNREC and Gregg Crystall from BrightFields, Inc. welcomed BCONE friends and colleagues to Bank’s Seafood Kitchen at the Riverfront Marketplace (a former Brownfield site) in Wilmington, Delaware. We had about 20 people in attendance at our almost 3-hour long event. It was great fun, great getting to meet new people and great connecting with people we haven’t seen for a while. We are already contemplating the next exciting BCONE Brownfields Drinks event in Delaware.

For those of you who are unaware of the BCONE Brownfields Drinks events, they are designed to allow attendees to re-connect with old friends and network with others in brownfield and related industries. We are holding these multiple location, happy hour events across the Northeast!

These events are FREE and open to members, non-members, co-workers, friends, regulators, academia, and other non-profit organizations interested in meeting others involved in brownfields and related industries. Bookmark our event calendar and be on the lookout for a future event in your area. Want to host one in your area? Contact us at brownfieldcoalitionne@gmail.com with your interest.

Posted September 29, 2022

Multi-State Regulatory Insights Are a Hallmark of BCONE

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:42:19 GMT

NSCW Panel, “Brownfields Redevelopment: A State-by-State Journey” Compares and Contrasts 3 States’ Remediation Processes

Attendees at the Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop took a redevelopment journey through the regulatory processes in three different states. “Brownfields Redevelopment: A State-by-State Journey” was moderated by Dr. Colette Santasieri (Executive Director, NJIT TAB Program) and featured speakers John Gross (Environmental Group Manager, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection), Lori Spagnolo (Brownfield Coordinator, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control) and Mark Lewis (Brownfields Coordinator, Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection). While the intent of remediating contamination and returning brownfields to productive reuse is a common goal in every state, the steps, time frames, and benchmarks can vary greatly by state. This session demonstrated those variations by taking a fictional closed gas station and auto repair facility through the state regulatory processes in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut.

Editor’s Note: BCONE’s Regulatory Committee is comprised of members from the environmental departments and economic development agencies of CT, DE, MA, MD, NJ, NY, and PA. They meet monthly to compare and contrast laws, rules, processes, programs, and emerging ideas. BCONE is the only brownfield organization with this regional focus and idea sharing across state lines. BCONE members reap the benefits of this committee through educational panels, white papers, committee reports, etc. Hear from this important committee at BCONE’s Virtual Annual Membership Meeting being held on November 15 at 3:30-5:00 pm. You can register here.

Posted September 26, 2022

New Jersey + Oklahoma = Success - Cramer Hill Waterfront Park project wins Region 2 Phoenix Award at National Brownfields Conference

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 14:11:13 GMT

The Cramer Hill Waterfront Park project in Camden won the 2022 USEPA Region 2 Phoenix Award. The project has transformed the 86-acre Harrison Avenue Landfill, one of the most high-profile Brownfields sites in Camden, into a waterfront park and a community center.

The main components of the project focused on shoreline protection, landfill closure, and natural resource restoration. The landfill operated from 1952 to 1971, but it was never capped or officially closed, prompting illegal dumping over decades. The landfill closure included excavating and redistributing about 375,000 cubic yards of solid waste and soil into the center of the landfill, installing a passive gas venting system, and constructing a two-foot-thick semi-permeable cap of clean fill material. In addition, more than 375,000 plants, shrubs, and trees were installed throughout the park.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority, in partnership with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, is proud to have provided over $26 million in Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Funding (HDSRF)to the Cramer Hill Waterfront Brownfield Development Area. This area includes both The Salvation Army Kroc Center, a community center that opened in 2014, and the Cramer Hill Waterfront Park, which opened last year. The Salvation Army Kroc Center project was awarded the USEPA Region 2 Phoenix Award in 2015.

The transformation from landfill to park not only restored and enhanced the environment, but also restored the communities’ direct access to the waterfront, which has been non-existent for almost seven decades. This project is great example of how of brownfields revitalization, environmental justice, and climate resilience can work together to improve communities. Olivette Simpson, Interim Executive Director, accepted the award on behalf of the Camden Redevelopment Agency.

Posted September 19, 2022

An Update from BCONE Board Member, Linda Shaw of Knauf Shaw

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 13:59:18 GMT

BCONE Board Member, Linda Shaw, Esq. of Knauf Shaw shared this...

I attended the "Revitalizing the Community" mobile workshop in the East Side African American neighborhood of Oklahoma City, and heard the most interesting anti-gentrification business model for a project spearheaded by a development firm called Pivot.

The project rehabilitated several auto repair facilities and a gas station into a grocery store and other small retail units (pizza shop, cannabis store, yoga studio, and some small offices). Instead of using a traditional broker, Pivot offered brokerage fees to members in the community who assisted the developers in finding African American entrepreneur tenants.

Pivot was then able to fill up the entire project with 100% minority-owned entrepreneurs. After a year of successful rental history, Pivot provided the minority business owners 15% ownership in their respective rental unit. The grocery store that was part of this project in the former gas station space was being run by a not-for-profit that partnered with a large grocery store and some local farms to provide fresh food. It was a very interesting successful project and a new urban hotel across the street is their next planned project!

Posted September 19, 2022

News from BCONE President Rick Shoyer

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 13:55:00 GMT

BCONE was well represented at the National Brownfields Conference held in Oklahoma City, OK on August 15-19, 2022. I had the opportunity to speak on State Brownfield Associations & Collaborative Partnerships. My fellow presenters were the Past President of the Alabama Brownfields Association (ABA), Trey Noland, and Jason Lichtstein, Esq., the two-time past president of the Florida Brownfields Association (FBA). We discussed the benefits of having a robust brownfields association, the basic structures of each and the challenges of leading a non-profit, mostly volunteer program. BCONE's multi-state organization explained the added challenges and benefits of our regional approach. BCONE's regulatory committee allows for regulators to openly share the pros and cons of their State programs. BCONE's educational and scholarship committee also reaches across state boundaries where BCONE actively participates at a number of colleges, providing guest speakers for environmental-related courses; assisting with training programs; placing graduates into careers; and providing scholarships for inspiring students.

BCONE was also at the National Brownfields Conference supporting EPA's Region IV TAB (Technical Assistance for Brownfields) provider, ICMA. BCONE provides technical assistance to ICMA under its current USEPA TAB contract. BCONE representatives provided assistance with several of EPA's TAB Region IV open houses and meet the TAB coordinators. We were able to meet with, and listen to, representatives from many rural communities on their challenges with redeveloping and revitalizing their communities. Listening to the needs and then explaining what USEPA programs are available, ways they may be able to take full advantage of the programs, and ways the TAB program can assist their community needs was discussed at these sessions.

You’ll be hearing from me soon with a summary of BCONE’s Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW), held a month after the National Conference. You’ll notice similarities between the hot regional topics (emerging and forever contaminants, environmental justice, for example) covered at NSCW and the national topics that were covered in OK. BCONE continues to strive to be your best source of useful local, state, regional, and national brownfields information to assist your vision and projects.

In addition to being BCONE's President, Rick Shoyer is a Senior Project Consultant in the Soil and Groundwater Remediation Division at Montrose Environmental.

Posted September 19, 2022

Two Aspiring Professionals Reflect on Their First Professional Conference: The National Brownfields Training Conference in Oklahoma City, OK

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 13:10:23 GMT

By Savanna Marino and Julia Farr, GEI Consultants, Inc.

Savanna Marino, GIT at GEI Consultant’s New York City office reports that she had the privilege of attending the 2022 National Brownfields Training Conference, supporting the Region 4 Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) provider. “We kicked off the week with the Environmental Justice (EJ) Caucus, where participants had the opportunity to discuss EJ topics in breakout groups with the goal of sharing ideas with the conference sponsor, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).” To facilitate this process, Savanna’s role was notetaker. “Alongside the group facilitator, I listened, learned, and contributed to the discussion on Equitable Developments, then presented the groups findings to the room of 240+ organizations and administrators. This was such an amazing event, which was then followed by a week of awesome and informative sessions by professionals from a range of factions/parties in and around Brownfields. The topics covered in these sessions were topical and significant, touching on real issues involving not only the Brownfields industry, but the communities affected by these properties. All of the attendees and presenters were so welcoming, and in particular, the Women in Brownfields session was uplifting, raw and inspiring.”

Julia Farr, EIT at GEI’s Woburn MA office calls the National Brownfields Conference in Oklahoma City, OK “an eye-opening experience and a great way to connect various technical and environmental professionals with small and large communities looking to transform their brownfield properties. This was my first time being at a professional conference as well as travelling to Oklahoma. It was inspiring to me how they were able to tie together the unique and various cultures of the Midwest and the state of Oklahoma with the national effort to remediate contaminated sites and repurpose them.”

Julia learned that the reasons for doing so are endless, but “it is important to allow the community to drive the project and be the leading voice, while we, as engineers and government agencies, provide aid as part of their tool kit.” Savanna and Julia were at the conference on behalf of ICMA to help them support communities in EPA Region 4. Julia reports that she attended the daily sessions and learned about hot topics in Brownfields; like it was for Savanna, the Women in Brownfields roundtable was “a very powerful conversation!” for Julia. Perhaps the most rewarding part of the experience was meeting with the community leaders during the meet the TAB session and learning about their needs and “how we can help them achieve their community goals. Their immense appreciation for our support put into perspective the impact we can make by pursuing these projects and providing assistance.” On the last day of the conference, she visited the First American Museum, winner of the 2022 Phoenix Awards. The museum was vibrant and interactive, bringing knowledge and awareness to the community of Native American history. Julia aspires to work on transformative projects such as that one in her career.

Savanna and Julia are looking forward to the 2023 National Brownfields Training Conference in Detroit.

Posted September 19, 2022

BCONE well represented at the 2022 National Brownfields Conference

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 19:22:40 GMT

by Melissa Dulinski, NJEDA

BCONE members: Linda Shaw, Elizabeth Limbrick and Lee Hoffman, led a roundtable discussion at the 2022 National Brownfields Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This truly interactive discussion on "Hot Topics for Remediation and Revitalization" highlighted a broad set of issues that compared and contrasted programs and initiatives across several regions.

The panelists kicked off the discussion and led a diverse group of professionals in a lively exchange of ideas. Discussions focused on brownfield tax credit programs, new brownfield funding opportunities, liability protection enhancements, emerging contaminants and their impacts on current remediations and existing redevelopments, sustainability and climate change resiliency initiatives.

Editor’s Note: BCONE is all about Hot Topics and sharing information among everyone. If you are attending the NSCW in Stamford on Sept. 13 and 14, 2022, there is an exciting Hot Topics panel kicking off the event.

Posted September 8, 2022

Energy and Climate Change Summit: August 11, 2022

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 15:27:16 GMT

“A critical meeting of professionals”

By Jeanette Myers

Commerce and Industry New Jersey’s (CIANJ’S) Energy and Climate Change Summit centered on the current plans, policies, and programs being developed and outlined for New Jersey to address the climate change crisis. Even if the Earth’s countries were all presently 100% emissions-free, the lag time would be approximately 50 years before severe climate change effects would neutralize. Jeannette Myers, a recent environmental science graduate from Stockton University, attended the event for the BCONE.

Governor Murphy’s NJ Energy Master Plan outlines policy for a 100% clean energy future by 2050. NJDEP Commissioner Mr. Shawn LaTourette, stated that New Jersey is and will continue to use scientific thought and understanding, incentives, and updates to outdated regulatory responses to pollution to realize the Master Plan’s goals.

Pollution reduction will result from the use of non-fossil fuels, with increases in solar, wind, biogas, as well as nuclear energy sources. Nuclear energy sources are to be increased to 15% of total energy consumption, with 60% coming from solar. Another major change involves the use of electric-powered vehicles. The Department of Energy will incentivize electric vehicle purchases. Reduction of New Jersey’s ecological footprint will positively impact the economy, which will thrive due to the amount of labor, new infrastructure, and new materials be needed to provide for the carbon-free emission products and services.

Jane Cohen, Executive Director of the NJ Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy, Chair of the Interagency Council, described the plans of instituting wind turbines for energy along the eastern seaboard of the United States, from Maine to New Jersey. Again, the win-win of increasing economic development by providing new jobs, while reducing emissions was emphasized

Ms. Myers asked if the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) if the implementation of anaerobic digestion for animal waste has been considered as a viable zero emission waste management procedure. Methane can be captured through the anaerobic digestion process and then used as an energy source. The remaining biomass produced can be used as crop fertilizer as well as for other uses. There would still be carbon emissions, but Michael Shannon, President, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, discussed with Ms. Myers the newest development in sewage treatment facilities wherein the use of anerobic digestion is becoming a favorable methane emission-reducing solution. Methanol added to the organic waste mixture creates dimethyl ether, a nontoxic gas biofuel. (Anaerobic digestion is not one of the methods BPU is entertaining now.)

The Summit and its excellent mix of speakers is the type of meeting crucial for the cross-communication amongst all areas of commerce, business, and politics.

Editor’s Note: Who is Jeanette Myers? A recent graduate of Stockton University with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. Ms. Myers is impassioned about making a positive difference in the quality of the Earth's environment. She has attended events of this organization and volunteered her time, so you may have met her. In accordance with our mission as an organization, reach out to her (jeanettemyers@comcast.net), if you are looking to hire. We also encourage you to ask other recent graduate to write articles for us.

Posted August 24, 2022

Women in Brownfields at Brownfield 2022 in OK City

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 15:21:09 GMT

The attendance numbers were amazing. Members of the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) and the NYC Brownfield Partnership (NYCBP) were there! Can you pick them out of the photo?

The brainstorming session produced this action plan: many of the topics will sound familiar to attendees of the Women in Environmental Professions sessions held by BCONE, NYCBP, SWEP and LSRPA.

Get to the microphone;
Get on Boards;
Promote each other;
Send up flares and ask for help;
Stay focused;
Delegate;
Be the community voice;
Value women;
Youth to rise up;
Get the most out of formal professional organizations: write articles; post on social media; mentor; join the leadership.

Our next Women in Environmental Professions virtual event is being held on November 1, 2022. Join us.

Posted August 24, 2022

BCONE Executive Sends Two Additional Letters of Support

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 14:20:36 GMT

BCONE's Executive Director wrote letters of support for St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development Center’s proposal for the U.S. EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program. A letter was also written in support of the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporations’ (SoBro’s) application for an EPA Brownfields Job Training grant. The letters can be viewed here:

Posted August 15, 2022

Take Some Time To Connect with Members of BCONE in Oklahoma!

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 18:05:44 GMT

We are excited that the National Brownfields Conference 2022 is almost here! BCONE is proud to announce that many of our Board members, Corporate members, and Public Sector members will be speakers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on August 17th, 18th, and 19th.

Please make sure you reach out and say Hello. Our list of speakers can be accessed by clicking here.

For those not traveling to Oklahoma, don’t forget to join us in Stamford, Connecticut on September 13 and 14, 2022 for BCONE’s Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW)! Don’t miss out on opportunities to attend, sponsor and exhibit at the Northeast’s favorite brownfield and educational event, now in its 13th year. Go to https://nscwonline.com for more information.

Posted August 5, 2022

BCONE Executive Director Writes Letter of Support for City College of NY 2023-2028 Brownfields Job Training Program

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 18:03:22 GMT

Executive Director for the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE), New York City Brownfield Partnership (NYCBP), and the Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association (LSRPA) writes to enthusiastically endorse on their behalf the movement of the CCNY 2023-2028 Brownfields Job Training Program from work in the Bronx to a focused attention on Harlem populations and sites. This letter can be read here.

Posted August 5, 2022

BCONE Participates in MD Brownfields Webinar Series: From Due Diligence to Redevelopment

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 17:50:03 GMT

BCONE’s work with the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Department of Planning continues to expand. BCONE’s Executive Director, Sue Boyle of GEI, moderated the June 16, 2022 webinar sponsored by the Maryland Department of Planning as part of its three-part Brownfields Webinar Series. The focus of the June 16th webinar was The New ASTM Phase I Standard: The Nuts & Bolts and featured Denise Sullivan and Chemmie Sokolic as speakers. If Ms. Sullivan is a familiar name to BCONErs, she is! She spoke at one of the virtual Northeast Sustainable Community Workshops that BCONE held in 2021. BCONE members have heard Mr. Sokolic speak on due diligence for the LSRPA over the years. The June 16 webinar recording and slides are at: https://planning.maryland.gov/Pages/OurWork/envr-planning/brownfields/webinar-series-2022.aspx

Ms. Boyle emphasized recent court cases regarding the fragility of the bona fide prospective purchaser defense if Phase 1 certifications are incomplete or if the document is too old to quality. She and Ms. Sullivan also discussed the importance of hiring practitioners who know the national Phase 1 standards as well as the state-specific requirements where your transaction is taking place.

The other webinars in the MD series were: Environmental Due Diligence: Be Prepared (June 15, 2022) and Revitalization and Redevelopment: Advancing Local Projects Through Tools and Programs (June 22, 2022).

Maryland’s brownfields are assets for revitalization, reinvestment, and redevelopment. The webinar series provides opportunities for hundreds to learn the essential environmental and statutory requirements for brownfield property transactions from regulatory, legal, and consultant experts as well as assistance and know-how for redeveloping brownfields from federal, state, and real estate development specialists

unique opportunity for communities to meet economic development goals, environmental protection and sustainability goals, and help achieve local comprehensive plan visions and objectives.

Posted June 22, 2022

BCONE Holds Successful Tour and Pour Event in Pottstown, PA

Tue, 31 May 2022 17:21:18 GMT

The BCONE Pennsylvania Expansion Committee held a “Tour and Pour” event on May 26, 2022, in downtown Pottstown. The tour began at the Montgomery County Community College Sustainability and Innovation Hub. Set on a three-acre brownfield site, this former PECO generating station has been transformed into a multipurpose and multifaceted resource for the College and community.

Next the tour progressed to the "Hess Lot," a vacant former retail gasoline station parcel, located at the entrance to Pottstown along Hanover Street. This parcel has seen renewed development interest recently, but presents challenges associated with legacy environmental issues.

The tour concluded with a visit to two downtown buildings that both received US EPA Brownfield Grant funding through the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority (MCRDA). The “BB&T Building” located at the corner of High and Hanover Streets received US EPA funding as a low-interest loan to complete asbestos abatement and universal waste removal that allowed renovations to commence. The fifth floor has been completely renovated and now serves as the Pottstown office of Cedarville Engineering Group (CEG). The success of CEG has led to significant job creation in Pottstown. The “Mercury Building” located at 24 N. Hanover Street served as the offices and distribution center for the Pottstown Mercury Newspaper until 2018. This property also utilized US EPA funding through MCRDA for asbestos abatement and universal waste removal. Renovation is now underway and future plans include a boutique hotel and on-site distillery. Tour attendees all agreed that we should re-visit the Mercury Building during a future BCONE tour after the hotel and distillery are operational.

The event concluded with an evening networking session at the Sly Fox Brewery located in the Circle of Progress Industrial Park near the Pottstown municipal airport.

A special thank you to our guest speakers and sponsors who made the event a success:

Guest Speakers

Amy Auwaerter and Mike Billetta – Montgomery County Community College
April Barkasi and Curt Hatfield – Cedarville Engineering Group
Peggy Lee-Clark – Pottstown Area Economic Development
Rebecca Swanson – Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority

Event Sponsors

Synergy Environmental – Gold Sponsor
Tetra Tech – Gold Sponsor
Environmental Standards, Inc. – Silver Sponsor
ETEC – Silver Sponsor
Lewis Environmental – Silver Sponsor

Look for more educational and networking events from the BCONE PA Expansion Committee this summer and fall.

Posted May 31, 2022

NJDEP Focuses on Resiliency for All

Tue, 31 May 2022 17:18:52 GMT

The Theme of all Presentations at the 2022 NJSWEP and BCONE Regulatory Update

By Andrea L. Poinsett, Senior Professional, GEI Consultants

The annual NJDEP Regulatory Update organized by BCONE and NJSWEP with presenters from multiple NJDEP programs was virtual this year. There were two afternoons of presentations on recent NJDEP developments, updates, and activities. The theme that ran through each presentation is resilience. The other important focus from NJDEP is to make sure all communities are resilient, especially already overburdened communities.

Each presentation and discussion included a common thread: how does NJ prepare our state to “weather the storm” that is undoubtedly coming or, in some aspects, is already here? The event kicked off with a presentation on NJ Climate Resilience Planning, showing how New Jersey’s climate patterns have changed and predicting trajectories. That information then focused on the big questions: How can NJ adapt with the current regulations and what new regulations need to be created to make our state as ready as possible? How will our current infrastructure need to be changed? What needs to be modernized? How will our current grid handle the change to more efficient vehicles? NJDEP has created and provided access to resources demonstrating how we can plan for new flood extremes that seem to happen every few years. Answering the questions and solving the problems will require State Agency Action, DEP Policy, and Community Guidance and Assistance.

Anything we can do to be more resilient in the face of the changing climate helps. So, in the spirit of the NJDEP regulatory update, what can you do to make your projects more resilient?

Posted May 31, 2022

Your Coalition at Work for its Members: Regulatory and Mandatory Extension Request Results in NJ

Thu, 26 May 2022 18:28:38 GMT

On May 25, 2022, BCONE Board Member Robert Crespi, Esq. had the pleasure of speaking to the NJ Business and Industry Association’s Energy and Environment Committee. He followed a presentation by NJDEP Assistant Commissioner Mark Pedersen, who shared these data on the recent decision-making process on extension requests:

1742 total extension requests received by NJDEP for May, 2022 deadlines.
867 were approved for regulatory extensions; 175 were denied for regulatory extensions.
616 were approved for mandatory extensions; 84 were denied for mandatory extensions.

Most of the denials were due to a previously missed deadline or because their extension request for 2022 was submitted late.

BCONE worked with other organizations such as LSRPA and the Site Remediation Industry Network to constantly kept the issue of the upcoming deadlines in front of NJDEP. NJDEP to its credit conducted a very timely extension review process.

BCONE is pleased to see the approval rate for the mandatory extensions. Once NJDEP engaged in real dialogue with us about extension documentation suggestions and requirements, we were able to share that with members and their clients in time for them to submit approvable extension requests that reflected all of the remedial work that had been ongoing while also documenting what was left to be completed. As BCONE members know, remediated sites are an economic and community revitalization tool for NJ and all states!

Mr. Crespi also took time in his presentation to point to the ongoing delay times at NJDEP in the review of Remedial Action Permits and accompanying Remedial Action Reports. There is a growing concern among BCONE and other organizations that many of the department reviews seem to be harkening back to the component reviews of the “old” case management program--asking for more sampling, etc.-- despite the professional certification by an LSRP that the remediation is complete and is protective of human health and the environment. The process streamlining advantages provided by the LSRP program are not being met, presenting slowdowns at redevelopment sites so important to New Jersey’s sustainable revitalization.

You can download the NJBIA Presentation here.

Posted May 26, 2022

BCONE AND NJSWEP Event Proudly Introduce NJDEP’s Community Investment and Economic Revitalization Program to the NJ Public!

Thu, 26 May 2022 18:12:28 GMT

BCONE and NJSWEP held their NJDEP Regulatory Update on May 12 and 19, 2022—the first time in years, and it was virtual this year.

On May 19, we were delighted that Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Dragon shared that her presentation at the Update was the first time the new office was discussed publicly! What an honor. Although the office and its programs were announced in a March, 2022 NJDEP listserv, it was wonderful for our audience to see the first PowerPoint presentation on how the Assistant Commissioner and her programs are leveraging resources and stacking tax credits and other incentives to bring about economic revitalization in NJ. Any member of BCONE knows that those activities are vital to successful brownfield redevelopment.

More detailed information on both days of the Update are coming soon. Many thanks to BCONE Treasurer, Sandra Gaurin, for her terrific moderation of the May 19, 2022 session.

Posted May 26, 2022

Coordination of BCONE’s Programs in Vermont and New Hampshire

Wed, 04 May 2022 18:26:08 GMT

BCONE was pleased to see more than 40 people attend the half-day PFAS Workshop on March 31, 2022. Located at the border of Vermont and New Hampshire, the Fireside Inn was a perfect venue to share knowledge on such an important topic. Happy for an in-person event, attendees met for networking for over an hour prior to the educational workshop.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of emerging contaminants that are coming under regulation in many states, including NH and VT. An expert panel of PFAS experts guided the audience through a deep dive into a full range PFAS topics, as they provided their unique perspectives on topics ranging from testing methods, site characterization issues, regulatory concerns, legal issues, and remediation technologies.

The panel of PFAS experts included moderator Stephen Zemba from Sanborn Head & Associates, who hosted the educational workshop, and Jim Occhialini from Alpha Analytical.

Additional panelists included Jennifer Sanborn from Sanborn Head & Associates and a case study from John Schmeltzer from Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

The expert panelists continued with Mindy Bubier from New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services and a legal analysis from Jeffrey Polubinski from Gravel & Shea.

Finally, PFAS treatment was discussed by Patrick McKeown from ETC2. BCONE Board Member, Jamie Snook, attended the workshop and provided this photo gallery summary.

After the workshop, attendees enjoyed drinks and appetizers at the beautiful Garden Court Bar while discussing these PFAS hot topics with the expert panelists.

A special thank you to Steve Zemba, Sanborn Head and Associates, and Nancy Struzenski, Alpha Analytical, for their time and effort in putting together such an informative and fun event.

Thank you to our event sponsors Alpha Analytical, Sanborn Head & Associates, Gravel & Shea, Weston & Sampson, ECT2, Downs Rachlin Martin (DRM) and Absolute Resource Associates. Please continue to check BCONE’s website and follow us on social media for information on upcoming events and opportunities for networking in your area.

Our Event Sponsors:

Our Annual Double Platinum Sponsors

Posted May 4, 2022

The New York State 2022 Budget Process Summarized: Its Impact on Brownfield and Affordable Housing Programs

Wed, 04 May 2022 17:51:32 GMT

By: Sue Boyle, BCONE Executive Director and Senior Consultant, GEI Consultants, Inc.

If these topics interest you, go to the BCONE website soon https://www.brownfieldcoalitionne.org/events and watch your emails because BCONE is hosting a Roundtable on these subjects in mid-June, 2022 featuring speakers from the Environmental and Energy Section of the NYS Bar and NYSDEC.

The Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) joined its colleague NYC Brownfield Partnership in the NYS budget process for the first time in spring 2022. Thanks to a coalition of organizations including the New York League of Conservation Voters, Real Estate Board of New York, New York State Association for Affordable Housing, and Environmental and Energy Section of the NYS Bar and others, BCONE learned some of the nuances of the NYS process and some new phrases, too (“a big ugly,” for one). At the same time the budget discussions were happening, BCONE, the NYC Brownfield Partnership and others in the coalition were working on important comments to NYSDEC proposed Part 375 regulations. The Part 375 effort was led by NYC Brownfield Partnership Board Member, George Duke, Esq. Both efforts are crucial to brownfield efforts in New York City and to NY State in its entirety as they directly impact the viability of brownfield remediation, redevelopment, financing, and the continued implementation of beneficial policies and programs to safely and cost effectively revitalize brownfield properties into much needed safe, affordable housing.

Over fifty people attended the NYC Brownfield Partnership virtual presentation on April 27, 2022 for a briefing on all of these topics, as well as an additional update on the NYSDEC Part 360 regulations. Moderated by Larry Schnapf, Esq. of both BCONE and NYC Brownfield Partnership, speakers included Patrick McClellan of the League of Conservation Voters and Sarah Bangs of Bolton-St. Johns as well as NYCBP Board members George Duke, Esq. on the Part 375 effort and Kevin McCarty with the Part 360 “intel.”

Major takeaways:

A major win for brownfields in NYS: The budget included the 10-year reauthorization of the Brownfield Cleanup Program and strengthened the Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) Program by increasing the funding!
Disappointingly, the budget also included a new $50,000 non-refundable application fee. BCONE and all of the coalition members remain concerned that the steep fee may deter smaller organizations, especially not-for-profit, MWBE, and upstate developers, from participating in the program.
There is language regarding a hardship waiver for the fee.
The budget legislation appears to have undermined the usefulness of BCP for affordable housing projects by excluding benefits from affordable housing project determination and revising the housing definition.
BCONE signed on to the NYC Brownfield Partnership’s “lucky 13” collection of comments on the proposed Part 375 regulations, which cover implementation on the BCP: go here on the website to read the full text. A few major points: comments over BCP eligibility concerns (BCONE and the Partnership want broader eligibility than the regulations propose); concerns about proposal for off-site sampling by volunteers; and concerns about the proposed new definition of cover system requirements or site cover.
Part 360: Keep an eye out for an Environmental Notice Bulletin on May 11, 2022 for revised Part 360 regulations and expect to see new categories for fill.

BCONE, the Partnership and the coalition will continue to work together to improve the BCP and its impacts on affordable housing. All of our efforts to date are documented on the BCONE website here.

Posted May 4, 2022

Fantastic Turnout for BCONE’s April 21, 2022, NJ Regulatory Roundtable on Brownfield Financing and Funding

Wed, 04 May 2022 17:44:08 GMT

Forty professionals were registered for this informative webinar with insight from Rachel Stopper, Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF) Coordinator at NJDEP’s Office of Brownfield and Community Revitalization (OBCR), Elizabeth Limbrick, Director of Brownfields & Sustainable Systems for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJDEA), and Michele Christina, co-owner of Brownfield Redevelopment Solutions, Inc. (BRS).

The following are just a few highlights from our program. Please make sure you join us in the future for both in-person and virtual events to receive all the insights, analyses and suggestions from our panels of experts.

The HDSRF receives more than $10 million dollars every year to reduce the financial burdens on the redevelopment of brownfield sites by municipalities, counties and redevelopment entities. Ms. Stopper described the grant opportunities for public entities to receive funds to cover 100% of the cost of Preliminary Assessments, Site Investigations, and Remedial Investigations. Additional grants are available to cover a portion of the costs for the cleanup of contaminated sites. Both public and private entities that meet HDSRF criteria are also eligible to receive loans for projects.

Ms. Limbrick described various programs available through NJEDA including Tax Incentives, Grants, Loans and free guidance for municipalities, counties, and non-profit organizations through the NJ Brownfield Assistance Center at NJIT. A Brownfield Assessment Grant is also available for underfunded communities in Bayonne, Bridgeton, Paterson and Perth Amboy. Under this program, NJEDA’s contractors complete the environmental investigations for certain projects.

Ms. Christina described how BRS helps municipalities to bundle multiple funding sources using Berry Lane Park in Jersey City, NJ, as a case study. Various Federal, State, County and other funding sources were used to complete the investigation and remediation of 11 properties formerly used as rail yards, auto repair shops, industrial facilities and warehouses. These former contaminated properties are now the largest municipal park in Jersey City with opportunities for active and passive recreation.

Tim Mangold, Pennoni, served as the moderator for the session and facilitated the discussion of additional topics related to Brownfield Redevelopment.

BCONE would like to thank all of our webinar attendees for their participation in our Roundtable discussion. Please remember to check BCONE’s calendar as we continually add more educational and networking opportunities.

A special thank you to our Annual Double Platinum Sponsors!

Posted May 4, 2022

So Much Fun at BCONE’s Live, In-person Networking Event at Barcelona Wine Bar in Connecticut!

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 15:07:53 GMT

BCONE had an amazing turnout at our in-person networking event at the Barcelona Wine Bar in West Hartford, Connecticut on March 1, 2022. It was so nice to catch up with friends and colleagues from BCONE, CTSWEP, EPOC, and many others who were interested in getting more involved with the Brownfields Coalition of the Northeast.

A huge thank you to Nancy Struzenski from Alpha Analytical and Almariet Roberts from HRP Associates for helping organize this event. We’d also like to thank our event sponsors, Alpha Analytical, Resource Options, Day Pitney, and Pullman & Comley.

And a special thank you to our Double Platinum Annual Sponsors who help us to provide quality educational and networking opportunities throughout the year.

Posted March 3, 2022

Thermal Remediation Generates Heated Discussion

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 15:04:01 GMT

Twenty people spent part of their morning on February 24, 2022, learning about Thermal Remediation at brownfield redevelopment sites and earning continuing education credits applicable for LSRP, PE and PG licenses. Presenters John Haas of Terra Therm and Gary Angyal of Ramboll were totally engaging and provided lots of useful information about the application of the technology at two NJ sites. They also mentioned its application at sites elsewhere in the Northeast. A big thank you to Ramboll for also being the event sponsor.

Alan Miller of NJDEP and Bill Silverstein of GEI moderated the Roundtable discussion and raised thoughtful questions. Knowing their audience and hot topics, John and Gary mentioned that thermal remediation is effective on PFAS and 1, 4 dioxane in soil (not groundwater), although the sites described in depth had other contaminants of concern. Other lessons learned that were shared by the speakers: account for subsurface obstructions, know who to talk to at the utilities and at the permitting agency(ies), and give yourself lots of lead time for required interactions with both groups. Plan for site security (high voltage equipment, chemical storage, and high visibility) and plan for community relations, especially if working in populated areas.

One interesting question raised was whether NJDEP considers thermal remediation as an innovative technology for purposes of RFS posting. The moderators and BCONE staff didn’t know the answer but obtained one from NJDEP quickly: it depends on the case specifics!

Posted March 1, 2022

Article re Future of New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:07:19 GMT

Thanks to our colleague from the NYCBP, attorney David Freeman, and BCONE Board Member Emeritus, Larry Schnapf, for sharing their recent article on the future of the NYS Brownfield Cleanup Program:https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/new-yorks-brownfield-cleanup-program-17?context=search&index=2

BCONE President Rick Shoyer and BCONE’s Executive Director, Sue Boyle are working with both gentlemen and a coalition of organizations including the NYS League of Conservation Voters and REBNY on BCP improvements for legislative consideration.

Posted February 17, 2022

ASTM E1527 Revisions: How Will Due Diligence Change Under the Updated ASTM Standard?

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:22:17 GMT

On January 19, 2022, the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE), the NJ Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association (NJ LSRPA), the NJ Chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals (NJ SWEP), and the New York City Brownfield Partnership (NYCBP) collaborated on one of the largest webinars that any of those organizations has hosted in several years. What was the topic that drew the attention of 200+ participants? Changes to the ASTM Due Diligence standard from the experts who participated in the design of the revised standard that resulted from over 75 meetings.

Moderated by Kathi Stetser and Michelle Martin, both LSRPs from GEI Consulting, with content provided and presented by Chemmie Sokolic, Falcon Real Estate Group; Chris Martell, ESA Environmental Consultants, and Larry Schnapf, Esq. of Schnapf LLC, attendees heard about the ASTM standards update process; new and revised definitions; records review and “The Big 4” property records; emerging contaminants and how they are handled under the updated standard; shelf life of thestandards and of the documents prepared; and important new appendices.

If you missed the webinar, here is our gift to you: these are “The Big 4” property records: i) aerial photographs, ii) fire insurance maps, iii) local street directories, and iv) historical topographic maps.

The session was recorded; the Boards of Directors of the four organizations are discussing the release process. If interested, contact sboyle@geiconsultants.com for further information.

Posted January 27, 2022

BCONE Joins the Coalition to Support Reauthorization of the NYS State Brownfield Cleanup Program and Tax Credits

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 19:26:36 GMT

BCONE joined with eleven other environmental, business, and social justice organizations from throughout NYS to inform Gov. Hochul of the importance pf a long-term reauthorization of the Brownfields Cleanup Program. You can find the letter here. BCONE’s frequent organization partner, the New York City Brownfield Partnership, is credited with October 2021 report that quantifies the number of cleanups under the program and the on-site rate of return ratio of $6.63 in private development for every $1 of tax credits. For the entirety of the BCP, $17.61 billion in private investment has resulted from $2.77billion in tax credits.

Posted January 3, 2022

Reading List from BCONE and NYCBP's Joint Event on COVID Impacts

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 20:09:03 GMT

On November 18th, we had a joint event with the New York City Brownfield Partnership on the impacts of COVID. This was Part 4 of an ongoing series we have been holding.

Based on this event, we have some suggested reading material for all those who are interested:

Posted November 22, 2021

BCONE’s First Annual Meeting a Success

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 14:23:40 GMT

Held on Nov 9, 2021, and attended by over 40 enthusiastic members, the BCONE Board of Directors provided a year in review of BCONE activities, the current and proposed budget revenue sources and expenditures and an introduction to the new committee structure. Click here for a complete copy of the meeting’s PowerPoint presentation.

The attendees were extremely helpful in providing answers to 9 poll questions found here, assisting the Board in its decisions on what type of events to hold in 2022, whether they should be virtual or in person and other input.

If you did NOT attend the Annual meeting, but want to make your voice heard, send us an email at brownfieldcoalitionne@gmail.com, and let us know your answer to the poll questions, your recommendations for 2022 events and activities, and let us know which committee you want to join so you can help direct the future of YOUR BCONE.

Here are some suggestions we heard from attendees; let us know what you think and feel free to add to the list:

Top Golf for a networking event.
Put up more Success Stories (and feature them in events/courses). Would love to! Send us the stories.
Food pairings with wine or with beer as a networking event. How about a beer and bacon pairing?
Select a charity to feature for awareness at every event.
Work with existing mentoring groups in our BCONE region and offer Internships.
Create a revenue goal for 2022, and have a giant thermometer on website or at Board Meetings to show how BCONE is doing meeting the goal.
Social media training for BCONE members.

BCONE's PA Expansion Committee Holds a "Tour and Pour" Event in Reading, PA

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 19:41:57 GMT

The BCONE Pennsylvania Expansion Committee held a “Tour and Pour” event on November 10, 2021, in downtown Reading. The walking tour was hosted by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance and Alvernia University. During the tour, several redevelopment sites were visited including the Wells Fargo Building on Penn Street.

Developer Alan Shuman, owner of the Shuman Development Group, led a tour through the building and discussed different aspects of the project including environmental issues that were addressed. The group also visited Alvernia University’s new Reading CollegeTowne facility, a dynamic extension of main campus which showcases Alvernia’s student-centric approach to learning.

The five-story complex brings hundreds of students, faculty and staff to downtown Reading every day, nurturing economic development in the City and bringing a thriving new energy to the Penn Street corridor. Dr. Rodney Ridley discussed the history of CollegeTowne and the O’Pake Institute as well as the challenges currently facing higher education. Alvernia students lead BCONE members on a tour of the facility.

The event concluded with an evening networking session at the Saucony Creek Franklin Station Brew Pub, which is a repurposed railroad station dating to the 1930’s.

Look for more “Tour and Pour” events from the PA Expansion Committee in 2022.

Posted November 15, 2021

BCONE Book Club: Coler Knows That Knowledge Is Power

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 16:45:34 GMT

By Steve Dwyer

How does one put a positive spin on a pandemic? Maria Coler found two bona fide ways to do it: forming a virtual BCONE book club and starting a hiking club. Both are gaining traction and getting high marks from participants at a time when they need it most.

Coler, President of Hydrotechnology Consultants Inc. (HCI), Jersey City, N.J., formed the BCONE Brownfields, Books and Beer Club -- formatting it as a virtual event -- during the early part of 2020, when people were working remotely and stuck at home for long periods of time.

“My aim has been to raise the environmental consciousness of brownfield practitioners.” The iconic stories demonstrate that the average person possesses the ability to effect real and substantial change,” Coler says.

Coler envisions the book club as a potential gateway to attracting new people to BCONE and the brownfield industry. One pre-existing challenge is that many budding environmental professionals opt for careers in more “sexy” fields, such as renewable energy, sustainability and climate change. Many overlook brownfields as a career.

“Anyone living around contaminated sites or those teaching about contaminated sites -- they all have the power to convey information about these sites,” says Coler, who has more than 15 years of experience in the environmental consulting field and is a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) with the state of New Jersey.

There are some compelling historical examples about lessons learned --and they are being showcased in the book club.

Coler cites Love Canal during the late 1970s as something that has impacted peoples’ “heads and, more importantly, their hearts. That environmental saga changed the world and highlighted how human health and safety have been put in peril. The purpose of the book club is to remind people of the arc of environmental consciousness: where we are and how much further we need to go.”

Coler cites scientists and citizen activists who have propelled the environmental movement forward. One is Rachel Carson. The book club participants were exposed to the voice and courage that Carson exuded in her iconic book “Silent Spring,” which challenged the practices of agricultural scientists and the government, calling for change in the way humankind viewed the natural world.

In writing the book, Carson, a writer, scientist and ecologist spoke out to remind that humanity is a vulnerable part of the natural world, and is subject to the same damage as the rest of the ecosystem. Testifying before Congress in 1963, Carson called for new policies to protect human health and the environment. Carson, who died in 1964, grew up in the rural river town of Springdale, PA.

“It was an awakening—it informed the whole environmental movement of the1960s, and it woke up a generation, so we started with that book,” says Coler.

Coler says that without Rachel Carson there would be no Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation -- all at the age of 18.

“It’s a passing of the baton -- and it’s a narrative that says, ‘never underestimate the ability of a small group of people to change the world,' in fact, it’s often the small groups that effect change most dramatically.”

The group has also read “Love Canal: A Toxic History from Colonial Times to the Present” (Richard S. Newman) and Pulitzer Prize winner, “Toms River” (Dan Fagin.)

In the summer of 1978, residents of Love Canal, Niagara Falls, N.Y., protested against the leaking toxic waste dump in their midst, a 16-acre site containing 100,000 barrels of chemical waste that infested their neighborhood. Initially seeking evacuation, area activists soon found they were engaged in a far larger battle over the meaning of America’s industrial past and its environmental future.

“While Silent Spring produced a narrative centered around the dangers of pesticides, Love Canal and Toms River opened the nation’s eyes to hazardous waste. in their midst.”

“We are exploring the commonalities of these stories -- you have these archetypes who are integral to each story: the attorney who won’t give up, the citizen scientist who won’t take no for an answer, the civil servant who acts out of a sense of duty, and the scientist who vows to take a closer look, despite conventional wisdom.”

In the case of Love Canal, the activist citizens exerted enough pressure that it forced former President Jimmy Carter to sign sweeping legislation now known as Superfund. “The aim of the book club is to attract people to the mission of remediating brownfield sites. To build a sustainable 21st century, we must address the vestiges of the 19th and 20th centuries.”

“These stories teach us that these are hard-earned rights—that we have to keep earning them every day,” says Coler, who holds a B.S. in Environmental Science, B.A. in Physics and minor in English Literature from Rutgers University and who is often retained as an expert witness. “These stories have the seeds of knowledge to help us build a sustainable world. They are not radical stories. They are the stories of regular citizens fighting for their basic rights to live in safe neighborhoods with clean water, soil, and air.”

The book club has evolved from a few core members to nearly 20 registered participants. Coler is a guest lecturer on topics covered in the book club for the Phase I/Phase II course taught by Angelo Lampousis, a BCONE board member and City College of New York (CCNY) professor. Students from the CCNY class and the Stevens Institute of Technology program led by Professor Dibyendu “Dibs” Sarkar are invited to join the book club and gain extra credits, as well as a unique understanding of the brownfield industry and the history of the environmental movement in the United States. Inquisitive students often remain on the Zoom call to ask questions long after the book club session is over. “My goal is to increase the participation of graduate and undergraduate students, to plant the seeds of environmental awareness and to give them a reason to join the effort to remediate contaminated sites across the country and the world.”

Regarding the hiking club, Coler had to “re-think activities that were possible and safe when Covid hit. The hikes create a sense of community and environmental awareness. A geology field guide explains the ancient origins of the land features, while an ecology field guide describes the flora and fauna indigenous to the area and how the ecosystem may have changed over time with human intervention and environmental degradation.

Photos from some of the hiking trips and the tea ceremony.

Coler and Anne Lazo, BCONE webmaster, avid hiker and runner, and owner of Eagle Soars, a marketing firm, are taking the hiking club to “the next level” in the spring of 2022, when an overnight excursion is planned on the Appalachian Trail. In addition to ecology and geology field guides, and with a nod to recent severe weather events, Coler and Lazo plan to enlist the involvement of a survivalist, who will teach the participants survival skills such as foraging and fire building. Look for registration information in 2022.

Lazo backpacking on the AT in North Carolina with her nephew.

BCONE Meets A New Category of Professional Allies: Librarians

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 18:23:32 GMT

Binghamton University Libraries Grant: A Springboard to Accelerative Sustainability Education & Practice

By Steve Dwyer

Editor’s Note: BCONE’s Executive Director was part of an invigorating discussion this summer with Jen Embree, Neyda Gilman, and Carrie Blabac-Myers, Development Officer for the Binghamton University Libraries. Librarians were not a group that BCONE had ever considered as brownfield remediation and redevelopment allies, but this summer’s discussion generated ideas for possible future projects including additional learning and teaching opportunities for students seeking environmental careers.

Learn more about Embree and Gilman in the article, below, as well as in this this piece from Binghamton University:

https://libnews.binghamton.edu/connections/2021/08/24/alumni-connections/

At Binghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y., two subject librarians are quickly becoming sustainability evangelists in their daily involvement with faculty, staff and students—all via new tools and measures that came about after the university libraries received a primary grant from the American Library Association. The grant, which was announced last fall, provides additional resources and motivation for the libraries to expand sustainability-related work that had already started to some degree.

Neyda Gilman and Jen Embree, both subject librarians at Binghamton, are setting a course to carry out sustainability best practices at the university, and are eager to see how the grant from last fall will make inroads into that effort.

Efforts along the sustainability spectrum are curbing carbon emissions, water efficiency, waste reduction, biodiversity, sustainable building design, wind and solar energy, crop rotation, geothermal practices and fostering an assurance of more green spaces in the urban infill.

From a brownfield environmental remediation perspective, professionals are always seeking ways to implement better and more efficient green and sustainable cleanup strategies.

Both Gilman and Embree do not have “official” sustainability education or training; but, both have long been strong proponents for sustainable practices. With this grant, the university libraries program can set out to accelerate broad practices and in turn receive university-level buy-in.

Multi-faceted components

The primary goal of the ALA grant is to “help libraries engage their communities in programs and conversations that address the climate crisis.”

At Binghamton, the distinction of the ALA grant—something that adds clarity and relevance—is the fact that the university serves as only one of five academic libraries in the U.S. to receive it, as all 20 other recipients are U.S.-based local public libraries. (Binghamton U. is the lone academic library in New York State to receive the full grant.)

Among the resources that Binghamton University can now implement on the road to preaching sustainable living is an expanding DVD library offering access to several climate related films. Most of these will be used for streaming events.

Some themes include, “How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change,” “Decoding the Weather Machine” and “Chasing Ice.” Some sustainability-related events and activities will be available throughout campus, and the grant will see an advancement of the Binghamton University Seed Library, says Gilman.

The Seed Library, located in the Science Library on main campus, allows individuals to “borrow” seeds to grow with the intention of harvesting and returning seeds at the end of the season. Seed libraries have multiple benefits, including:

Promoting biodiversity, preserving genetic diversity;
Providing community members with seeds to grow healthy food to supplement their diet;
Supporting local seed-savers and gardeners; and
Encouraging increased engagement between the library and the community.

Anyone can come into the Binghamton University Science Library to access the Seed Library. Individuals can take seeds of each type of plant to grow, with seeds pre-divided into envelopes for ease. The university is providing tutorials on how to harvest seeds as well as have various events surrounding the topic.

The Mission Expands

The actual grant sum for Binghamton Libraries is modest—$1,000—but it’s about more than the funds: One key intangible outgrowth of the grant is that the university will receive ongoing support from the ALA in its efforts, says Gilman. “The financial aspect helps us get started, but the grant equates to program prestige [via the ALA sanctioning it as such] and helps us market this program better,” says Gilman, who is assistant head of sustainability and STEM engagement, and has been at Binghamton University for five years.

Gilman says that while she doesn’t possess “formal” training in sustainability practices, she says practicing it has been “a personal calling for decades. I am very confident in the knowledge I have accumulated around sustainability practices.”

Prior to receiving the grant, Gilman says “sustainability was never part of our job description, so the grant came at a good time as we can now make it part of our job description,” says Gilman, who is the subject librarian supporting nursing and pharmaceutical schools at the university: It is in this role that the staff and faculty of these areas of learning can tap Gilman as the go-to resources as they further their research and study.

Embree serves as the sustainability hub coordinator, and has been with the university for three years. She is the subject librarian for biology, psychology and comparative literature, just to name three areas of education. A UCONN graduate, Embree has taken multiple classes in the sustainability field, and is now poised to use the grant to power up her knowledge through practice.

“The grant also serves as a way for Neyda and me to move forward in more of a team approach. You can do more—and it made us focus our energy better. We now also have an official Sustainability Hub,” she says.

What lies ahead in 2021 and into 2022 for the libraries program is to disseminate the many tenets grounded in sustainable lifestyles, “sharing what is happening on campus, spreading it and getting people involved to learn. There are many people with an interest in sustainability that lack an easy way to obtain the knowledge and the tools. We have several platforms for them to obtain this knowledge now,” says Gilman.

“What we want to accomplish is to maintain a sustainability culture among students and faculty—not just in the study curriculum but it’s a lifestyle thing. That is what we are trying to accomplish,” says Embree.

Question for our Readers: There must be additional professions which BCONE should add to its lists of allies. Who and what are we missing? Let us know of other amazing people you have encountered so BCONE can get to know them better.

Youth Is Being Served

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 17:57:12 GMT

By Steve Dwyer

Three BCONE members are making their mark -- and in a hurry. They’ve progressed from membership to committee chairs and/or board members in short order, and are now tasked with recruiting, and appealing to, younger industry professionals within a fledgling BCONE mentorship committee.

The threesome include: Alexa Fiumarelli, environmental scientist, Boswell Engineering, South Hackensack, N.J.; Almariet Palm-Roberts, project geologist, HRP, Farmington, Conn.; and Melina Ambrosino, executive vice president, Newton, Mass.-based Cherrytree Group LLC.

During the summer, the three women were busy establishing a working blueprint for this new BCONE committee that is founded on the premise of advocating for and mentoring young professionals—ones who might already be BCONE members and ones who might be interested in joining the organization.

The beauty of this newly formed committee is that all three members have diversified industry experience across three Northeast states—Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

As part of the mentoring committee vision, the trio is branching out engage with students at colleges and universities—mentoring would-be brownfield professionals. The committee, which might ultimately be billed as the “Developing Emerging Leaders,” is designed to “find and network with young, emerging leaders and determine ways for them to flourish,” says Fiumarelli, who has accumulated experience as an industrial hygienist responsible for performing air monitoring of formaldehyde gas, carbon dioxide, and oxygen on various construction sites.

Alexa has accumulated project management/supervision experience where she provides solutions around air management, while working independently, traveling to different locations throughout New Jersey to provide health and safety surveillance. Focusing on earning a Master’s degree from Rutgers in public health, she says one mentoring advantage that she and her colleagues are able to offer as young professionals is the ability to relate to young professional and students well.

“We’re more in touch with younger people—we’ve recently walked in their shoes. I recently wrote a short definition of what a mentor is and the word that first came to mind is ‘trust.’ I told one of my ‘mentees’ at William Paterson University [Wayne, N.J., where she volunteers as a mentor] that I am your connection for life. I can help lift you up and you can also help lift me up as well—it works both ways.”

When she joined BCONE, Fiumarelli was eager to dive right into committee involvement, and was a member of the Scholarship committee. She ultimately thought there was a more optimal committee assignment that would align best with her skill sets. The soon-to-be created mentoring committee was ideal.

Diverse Backgrounds

All three mentoring committee co-chairs have eclectic backgrounds, which adds a broad perspective to the effort. Ambrosino is a tax credit manager overseeing the brownfield redevelopment side of business, while Roberts is a project geologist for HRP Associates, where she works to minimize environmental risks associated with client projects, all to help them reach intended business goals.

Fiumarelli, who had formerly been with Whitman Co., an engineering firm in Cranberry, N.J., recently joined Boswell as an industrial hygiene/environmental scientist. “My experience with brownfields historically has been processing OSHA complaints, solar jobs, LSRP due diligence, Phase I and Phase II site investigation, and more,” she explains.

Palm-Roberts, who has been a BCONE member for two years and is in her second year on the board, has been working with the Connecticut expansion committee, and is now eager to branch out with a second committee assignment, mentoring.

Speaking about the theme of emerging leaders, Palm-Roberts, who is a UCONN grad, says that college graduates entering the work force “need guidance to make them aware of their options, and it’s a tricky thing where you have to try and match your specific skill set with various positions,” she says. “Seeing their future in this industry can be unclear to newly minted professionals, who can become discouraged. It’s for this reason they need a support system to facilitate for them. It can be intimidating talking to people in their field: I know I was intimidated at one time, So, the three of us think that we can work to be that ‘bridge.’ ”

Palm-Roberts states that the term, “it’s who you know,” is often the way young people climb the ladder quickly. But the Catch-22 is getting the foot through the door initially. “How do you get to know the important people in your field? Cold calling is difficult, so as this committee is formed, we can serve as that conduit, to allow young professionals to formulate these bonds organically. Plus, having a forum such as social events that we’ll sponsor will be really useful.”

In fact, Palm-Roberts likes the idea of scheduling dinners, community service and happy hour events, including virtual events if the impacts of the pandemic continue to keep people away from attending live events. “The more regularly we can host events, the more your base grows. I think we’ll start out deciding if events should be monthly or quarterly. The key is to get people involved and committed—and it’s tricky getting people committed to something.”

Alexa Fiumarelli, meantime, says one objective of the team will be its close collaboration with the BCONE Scholarship committee, where perhaps the college students who are being mentored might be identified as eligible candidates for the BCONE annual Charlie Bartsch Memorial Scholarship.

“Going forward, the three of us will be in communication regularly,” she says. “We want to get social media going too, with an emphasis on Facebook and LinkedIn to scout for and communicate with young professionals. There’s a lot to look forward to!”

Play Ball: Fun Times at the First In-Person Event of 2021

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 17:52:58 GMT

Long-time collaborators -- AEG-NYP, AHMP-NJ, BCONE, LSRPA and NJSWEP -- were back together at the summer networking event, watching the Trenton Thunder vs. Syracuse Mets game of July 22, 2021, and catching up after 16 months of all virtual meetings and networking events. Seventy-five people from the NJ-NY-PA region, and from all sectors of the remediation and redevelopment worlds were there, spending a perfect summer night enjoying baseball, beverages, fireworks and festivity. Thanks to the event sponsors: AWT, Mount Group, and SGS. Thanks also to the raffle sponsor, Hill Environmental/SET. The winner of the random drawing, John Iannotti, with the full agreement of sponsor Greg Hill, donated the cash prize to fund scholarships for the next generation of remediation professionals.

Check the summer and fall schedules of all of the participating organizations for future in-person events. There are a few on the books already.

Lafayette College Students Find Security in Armory Project

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 17:14:49 GMT

And by virtue, secure 2021 Charlie Bartsch scholarship

By Steve Dwyer

Once again, BCONE is recognizing budding excellence within the brownfield remediation and environmental space. In short, youth is being served…and in a few years, youth will return the favor and serve right back. Many new industry recruits will assume the torch in order to keep brownfield practice alive and well.

The vehicle for this talent recognition is the Charlie Bartsch Memorial Scholarship that’s handed out annually to students who exhibit excellence in engineering and environmental course work at various colleges and universities in the BCONE geographic footprint.

This year, the spotlight shines on Lafayette College, Easton, PA, where BCONE named Hannah Cook and Leigh Jacobsen as scholarship recipients. They had participated in course work overseen by Arthur D. Kney, Ph.D., professor of environmental engineering at Lafayette College.

Image: From left to right - Hannah Cook, Leigh Jacobsen, Dr. Arthur Kney, Leslie Tintle and Maria Coler

Maria Coler, BCONE’s Scholarship Chair, reviewed student projects along with Leslie Tintle, a Project Geologist at Sanborn Head & Associates, Inc. and a graduate of Lafayette College as they determined the winning Cook-Jacobsen team.

According to Coler, LSRP, CEO and founder of Hydrotechnology Consultants Inc., Jersey City, NJ., she and Tintle reviewed three Phase I Environmental Site Assessments before the BCONE Scholarship Committee made its final decision to award Cook and Jacobsen, which she called “excellent work.”

“Phase I ESAs, when performed correctly, require a detailed analysis of several data streams. Mastering the analysis of each data stream is not an easy task. Learning how to cross-reference data streams and critically analyze the information takes years. It appears that [Professor Kney’s] students are off to an excellent start. While all of the Phase I ESAs were excellent, the Phase I’s for the Armory and Gas Station [of which the Cook-Jacobsen team worked on] stood out.”

The teams were required to evaluate complex histories and off-site impacts, with each team excelling in different aspects of analysis. Like anyone would expect from students still building an affinity for mastering Phase I ESA’s, Coler says: “there were lessons to learn. The Armory team attempted to use analogous sites to overcome their data gap regarding potential sources of hazardous waste. I think it would have been informative if they more thoroughly researched armories in general and then cited the specific sites to back up their general research.”

Cook says she is eager to continue to learn and master brownfields in a holistic manner. She has accepted a full-time offer as an engineer in Washington, D.C. with Clark Construction, a company with which she has interned the past two summers. “My plan is to pursue either the Site Superintendent or Project Manager career path to help facilitate the delivery of renovation and new construction projects.”

Asked what her career aspirations are in the brownfield industry, Hannah says that “knowing some of the potential contaminants that cause a site to be classified as a brownfield, I believe that I’ll be better prepared to protect the crews on site, mitigate future issues, and also point out signs of previous contamination.”

In speaking about their motivation to pursue brownfields, students that BCONE has engaged with in the past have indicated an interest triggered by what they experienced in their local communities along the way of blight, abandoned properties and dilapidation—all projecting a community in a negative fashion.

Along those lines, Hannah enrolled in Professor Kney’s “Introduction to Environmental Engineering'” class as a sophomore. Throughout the course, Dr. Kney proved to be “passionate about the material and mitigating threats to society and the environment that I could not help but begin to develop my own passion for these issues. In my senior year, I elected to take “Environmental Site Assessment,” which truly opened my eyes to the environmental injustice many disadvantaged communities face.”

“To be able to take this knowledge forward and attempt to put it to use benefitting any community in which I may work is rewarding in itself,” she adds.

Jacobsen, of Stamford, Conn., says that while taking Lafayette’s Environmental Site Assessment Capstone, she learned much about preliminary site investigations for potential environmental conditions. “I learned how to identify recognized environmental conditions and write a professional Phase I Environmental Site Assessment in accordance with ASTM E1527 standards.”

Selecting the Old Easton Armory to perform a Phase I, Leigh and Hannah “were intrigued” by its rich history. While the site is currently listed as an office building, it operated as an Armory for the Pennsylvania National Guard from the early 1900s until the mid-1980s. “The previous operations of the site made the site investigation interesting because we were tasked with examining the threat of a release of military storage contaminants,” says Leigh.

“My first exposure to environmental engineering and site development was through an interest in an abandoned site in my hometown of Stamford. The site was situated on a 15-acre plot of commercial and industrial land that was home to gas stations, automobile shops and dry cleaners,” she explains.

Mill River, which ran through the site, was walled with concrete for years, blocking off the area from the rest of the city. The presence of a river “amplified the concerns related to exposure pathways and contamination,” says Leigh. “When I was younger, I would walk past the site and wonder if it could be rehabilitated and developed into something greater. Eventually, there were plans to turn this old industrial site into a thriving urban park, named Mill River Park. I eagerly applied to work as an intern at Mill River prior to my junior year of high school when the park was at its ending stages of development.”

It was in this duty that Leigh was able to see the transformation of an abandoned site into an urban greenspace, witnessing firsthand the impact the site cleanup had on the neighborhood. She says that people now take walks on the trails, sit by the river and enjoy outdoor concerts at a park that previously was not safe for residential development.

“Living in Stamford and working on this park made me aware of all the environmental problems that are right in my hometown, but also gave me hope as to what contaminated sites could become,” she says.

Reflecting on her experience at Mill River Park, Leigh believes that this was what really motivated her to work in the civil and environmental engineering industry, showing her the importance of developing healthy and safe communities and encouraged her to enter into the field at Lafayette.

Additionally, while at Lafayette, she took a “great liking” to the Environmental Engineering class and was able to secure an internship with Langan in their environmental department. “At Langan, I helped write Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, participated in site walks, and assisted with groundwater and soil sampling activities for Phase II Site Investigations,” says Leigh. “I enjoyed the work I did with Langan, and wanted to gain more knowledge of the environmental engineering field. This motivated me to request to enroll in Professor Kney’s capstone class as a junior.”

Professor Kney states: “It certainly has been a challenging semester. Having support from organizations like BCONE and ASTM certainly added value to the course by helping students connect their education to the jobs/academic future they’re preparing for. I believe working together with industry partners provides students the opportunity to see their future as well as jumpstart their career,” he says.

Coler provided the team with some constructive criticism to their work by stating: “More evaluation of the dry cleaner as a potential offsite source of contamination and the mention of the site as a potential manufacturing facility was warranted. Also, the odd odor on the stained wood floor was a hint to evaluate the wood itself as a potential source as a result of it likely being treated with a hazardous chemical.”

These are indeed points that future pros like Cook and Jacobsen will take to heart and roll with. “I am ultimately unsure of exactly what I would like to pursue as a career. I have found that I have many different interests in addition to civil engineering and I am working to find a field that helps combine these interests. I do know, however, that I would like to pursue a field related to sustainable site development, whether that be on the remediation or design side. My ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on whatever community I end up working in and I am encouraged to see where my career path with lead me.”

Patience, Resilience Pays Dividends For BCONE Board Member Lampousis

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:21:17 GMT

Three time's a charm, CCNY Earth and Atmospheric Sciences professor secures coveted job training grant

By Steve Dwyer

Dogged determination paid off handsomely this spring for Angelo Lampousis and his team at The City College of New York (CCNY) in Manhattan.

The BCONE board member and Ph.D., Earth and Atmospheric Sciences lecturer at CCNY, was thrilled to learn that his department had been one of three New York City entities (among 18 applying organizations) to receive a coveted grant for environmental job training—handed out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Job training and workforce development are an important part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance economic opportunities and address environmental justice issues in underserved communities.

In addition to grants awarded to CCNY, grants were allotted to St. Nick’s Alliance of Brooklyn and The HOPE Program Inc. of Brooklyn and the Bronx. All three awardees received an Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant (EWDJT) of or close to $200,000 for programs to create a skilled workforce in communities where brownfields assessment and cleanup activities are taking place.

“We applied for this grant three times, and the fourth time we secured the funding,” says Lampousis, before departing for Athens, Greece in mid-June for a working vacation. “This [being denied grant] is typical as far as I know—you might fail but it provides time to improve your narrative and state your case. Mainly, you have to have resilience to keep trying. And we did improve our grant writing skills, honed them to make it more compelling—and we took advantage of review programs with folks in New York and other states who assist those who are seeking grants after failing.”

The grant money has a two-prong purpose: It assists non-CCNY-students who need to complete continuing education (CE) in order to find work within the engineering and environmental fields—and have chosen CCNY to complete the CE course work that might consist of a couple days of either training or re-training. Grant money benefits CCNY engineering and environmental students who are dedicated to establishing a career in brownfield remediation.

BCONE can have a role in the job training grant, because after the first two years of student class work, students must then progress to real-world job placement. That’s where BCONE and its public- and private-sector members enter the picture, says Lampousis. “BCONE will try to facilitate student job placement through member companies. I see BCONE’s contribution and role as significant during this third-year cycle,” says Lampousis.

If At First You Don’t Succeed….

EPA’s brownfields job training grant program enables organizations to transform the lives of New Yorkers by providing individuals the opportunity “to gain meaningful long-term employment and a livable wage in an environmental field,” said Walter Mugdan, acting EPA Regional Administrator. “These three grantees do critical work to bring good paying jobs to communities across New York City that also help make them safer and healthier places to live and work.”

Rather than filling local jobs with contractors from distant cities, the organizations offer residents of communities historically affected by pollution, economic disinvestment and contaminated brownfields properties an opportunity to gain the skills and certifications needed to secure local environmental work in their communities.

Lampousis and CCNY is intent on following this model. But, securing the grant has not been easy. Speaking about the grant scoring process, Lampousis says a criteria is established by EPA based on a 100-point scale, with several officials grading grant essays. “We once registered an 84 of 100, but was not enough [to be awarded the job training grant],” he says, adding the grant narratives must be compelling about the way the money will be directed to enhance the growth of local communities served.

Over time, several of the organization that have secured an EWDJT grant have stepped up to guide organization that fell short—providing input on how they can improve their process and garner the grant the next time, says Lampousis.

He referred to a “leverage process” that can help secure grants. In this context, resources can come from external partners. In the case of CCNY, Lampousis says one organization affiliated with the college issues commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). So, individuals taking a CE course can use it to secure a CDL—and in turn land jobs in the transportation area of brownfield remediation.

Indeed, Lampousis says that there are a lot of people who rely on CE training without going for a college degree, and the CCNY job training grant allows local, non-student residents to approach CCNY to complete CE courses quickly.

“South Bronx residents will be able to get the CE credits now and then start working. The local income will go up. Plus, people don’t have to pay for the CE courses, which is typically not free [elsewhere]. It can cost $800 if they do it on their own. We can offer far more CE courses—and do it for those who only need perhaps one or two days of training to move forward with their environmental or engineering job pursuit,” he says.

The EPA job training grant will also help Lampousis in his effort to deliver and enhance his geosciences and engineering course, which consists of 14-week semesters—all done to prepare students to enter the workforce in these two fields, preferably as brownfield practitioners.

After having to offer the courses, “Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments,” in a remote environment due to COVID-19, Lampousis is eager to return to a live classroom setting at CCNY this fall.

Debuting in 2011, the courses were provided a bump in 2020 with a host of professional guest lecturers—many of them Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast members. The BCONE members were eager to volunteer their time and provide students with a snapshot and real-world advice about what it takes to be a brownfield professional. The course is typically held on Saturdays (10 am to 12 30 pm).

“With BCONE’s participation, we can then integrate many brownfield professionals into the mix, which I find is vital because our course is squarely focused on professional growth,” says Lampousis.

The course encompasses the entire process of environmental due diligence related to commercial real estate transactions and site characterization that ultimately leads to remedial evaluation and mitigation required for redevelopment of former industrial properties impacted with typical brownfield contaminants.

“I am confident that this 2021-2024 EWDJT grant, the first of its kind for CCNY, will critically strengthen the continuing education component on campus and leave a lasting legacy on professional training for years to come. Overall, for CCNY with its record of being an upward mobility machine, the EWDJT grant will help propel ever more low-income residents of the South Bronx and beyond into the middle class, while at the same time addressing ongoing environmental justice concerns.”

EPA Job Training Grant Program Mark 23 Years

Since 1998, EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) grant program has awarded more than 335 grants. With these grants, 18,541 individuals have been trained and 13,751 have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety, with an average hourly wage of over $14.

CCNY’s three-year $200,000 grant is designed to create a skilled workforce in communities where brownfields assessment and cleanup activities are taking place.

Working in conjunction with the Office of Continuing and Professional Studies on campus, CCNY’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences will run the EWDJT program for up to 60 participants from the South Bronx starting this fall.

Training will cover the first two years, with job placement the primary focus of the third year—and BCONE’s will have a role in furthering that cause. Graduates will earn certification in various environmental fields, including:

• Hazardous waste operations and emergency response;

• Environmental sampling and analysis; and

• Other environmental health and safety training.

Although it targets South Bronx residents, interested individuals from the five boroughs are welcome to apply for the program. Participants should be able to commit to attend the entire training. There is no age limit.

Heard It Through the Grapevine: Trends in Brownfields

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 16:46:58 GMT

Brownfields, wine, good discussion-a webinar trifecta. Hopefully you didn’t miss it. On the off chance you did, here’s the recap.

Participants and speakers from PA, CT, NY, NJ, DE, MO, and Washington DC, shared views and asked questions on the changes they have observed in the current world of brownfield remediation, investment and redevelopment. Liz Gabor, formerly of Goldenberg Development (now with Link Logistics), Mary Ann Grena Manley of 15E Communications and Randall Jostes of Environmental Liability Transfer shared their insights in what they are observing and experiencing first-hand. Some of those observations are outlined below. If you were unable to attend this event and would like access to the recording for a fee, contact sboyle@geiconsultants.com and BCONE will make the arrangements with you.

Remediation

For those of you who work in PA, you know how impactful Act 2 has been on getting brownfields put back into reuse. A second-round of Act 2 sites are being re-opened as areas that were initially capped, and are now undergoing development transformation with the ever-growing demand for land for e-commerce. Keith D’Ambrosio, VP of Whitestone Associates commented, “A good portion of our brownfield work is directly connected to sites that are being redeveloped for multifamily residential, self-storage and industrial end uses. The multifamily development is not what I would have expected.”

Investment

What if you are a corporation with legacy brownfields – are you proactively developing a strategy to address them? After all, asset managers are looking for responsible corporate citizens in the areas of Environment, Social and Government (ESG) to place their investment funds. An in-depth presentation on ESG ensued, as many participants were not familiar with this initiative. The Environment and Social pieces of ESG probably have the most obvious connection to brownfields. The manner in which corporations deal with their environmental impacts is a topic of discussion today in most board rooms. Additionally, stronger actions taken in the area of Environmental Justice and conversion/closure of polluting industries suggest that organizations are using a social lens in their decision-making. The stronger focus on environmental and social action is demonstrated by government entities as well. “The State of Delaware has invested significant public dollars into remediating brownfields for both economic and environmental benefit,” stated Marian Young, President of BrightFields. “We have conducted much more ecological restoration lately, to the benefit of many.”

Redevelopment

We know anecdotally that brownfields are a win all around, but do you know how much of a win? A current transformation of a former steel mill in Claymont, DE, has already dedicated $70M in investments in a new transit center that will be the catalyst for an overall estimated $450M transit-oriented reuse of the site, resulting in over 2000 new jobs and an annual output of $110M from economic activity. Managing the risk in a real estate transaction of a contaminated site (to ensure success) is an important piece of brownfield redevelopment. “We are seeing a trend toward sellers making environmental insurance mandatory, rather than discretionary as we’ve experienced in the past,” noted Paul Scian, Risk Analyst at Great American Insurance Group.

Liability

The foundations of successful brownfield projects are a predictable remediation process, a reliable funding source for orphan sites and liability protections for purchasers. When these are jeopardized, there can be heightened reluctance for brownfield redevelopers to invest in brownfield sites. A recent case in point, as described by Neil Yoskin, partner, Cullen & Dykman LLP, involved a circumstance in which a developer was sued by NJDEP for response costs incurred by the agency to address groundwater contamination even though DEP had issued an NFA to the developer and the original responsible party more than 20 years ago with knowledge of the groundwater condition. Something like that can be a real deterrent to attracting a vertical developer after a responsible party has remediated a site and an RAO has been issued.

This deep discussion of brownfield trends concluded with a wine tasting, hosted by John Cifelli, General Manager of Unionville Vineyard, an awarding winning winery in Ringoes, NJ. Attendees sipped Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, an atypical Riesling, Revolutionary Red (blend) and Cabernet Sauvignon and learned about New Jersey’s robust wine industry.

One speaker’s observation sums up the event in grabbing the audiences’ attention. “There were the same number of participants at the end of the program as there were from the initial program kickoff.” One can only describe that as successful in meeting its goal to inform, educate and connect the various sectors of brownfield professionals.

BCONE Teams with ICMA to Provide Technical Assistance for Brownfield Communities

Wed, 19 May 2021 15:55:27 GMT

BCONE is excited to team with ICMA (visit their website at https://icma.org) as the newly-selected Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities (TAB) provider for USEPA Region 4. Together, we will be assisting communities in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi to overcome obstacles to improving community livability, economic opportunity, and environmental quality posed by brownfields. Our multidisciplinary team of seasoned professionals brings decades of experience working to turn these liabilities in to assets, and they are eager to get to it in Region 4.

The ICMA and BCONE TAB team will be providing direct technical assistance, creating peer to peer networking opportunities, and helping local communities expand their capacity and prepare for opportunities. These are BCONE’s core skills and it is an honor to provide these services to EPA Region 4 communities. BCONE and ICMA are pleased to join the ranks of the other TAB (click here for more) providers around the country. We look forward to continuing our long and collaborative relationships with NJIT, UCONN, and CCLR and strengthening our relationships with West Virginia University and Kansas State University.

Here is the list of the U.S. EPA selected organizations and the regions they will serve with the $11 million in funding to provide training and technical assistance to communities across the country under the Assistance to TAB Program. The grant recipients are:

The University of Connecticut will provide assistance in EPA’s Region 1.
The New Jersey Institute of Technology will provide assistance in EPA’s Region 2.
The West Virginia University Research Corporation will provide assistance in EPA’s Region 3.
The International City/County Management Association will provide assistance in EPA’s Region 4.
The Kansas State University will provide assistance in EPA’s Regions 5-8. The university will also coordinate with the other selected recipients on nationally led efforts and tools.
The Center for Creative Land Recycling will provide assistance in EPA’s Regions 9 and 10.

Ambrosino’s A Quick Study

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 15:39:13 GMT

BCONE board member takes ownership of brownfield tax credit closures for clients; firm ascends to become nationally recognized, go-to shop for brownfield tax credit consulting

By Steve Dwyer

How does a young brownfield industry practitioner climb so far up to the mountaintop -- and do it so quickly?

At 33 years old, Melina Ambrosino, Executive Vice President of Newton, Mass.-based Cherrytree Group LLC, will let you in on a little secret: be a sponge and become an expert. And, that dynamic process starts by surrounding yourself with great people.

The ritual started with the influence from her parents. “I come from a family that owns a small successful business. My parents started their own HVAC [heating ventilation and air conditioning] company out of our basement,” she says. In time, a strong work ethic enveloped her as well, inspired by the family work ethos. It extended into college and post-grad law school, and continues to this day in both her duties at Cherrytree and as a recent member of the BCONE board of directors, a post she secured in January 2020.

Wise beyond her years, Ambrosino says: “My strongest qualities are connecting with people.”

After Ambrosino graduated from college, she dove head-long into pursuing a law degree with a specialty in real estate transaction law.

When it came time to think about starting a career in the family business or choosing her own path, she selected the latter. “I answered a Craigslist ad for an administrative assistant position for Warren [Cherrytree president Warren Kirshenbaum]. It was a quick interview -- maybe 30 minutes. Afterwards, I wasn’t sure how it went.”

But the session lasted so quickly because Kirshenbaum already saw enough, and in 2011 Ambrosino secured the job as the President’s executive assistant, while also chasing a law degree by attending law school at night.

Back in 2011, Ambrosino assisted Kirshenbaum on various tax credit work. “He once asked me to help him on a brownfield deal, and it [the tax credit process for brownfields] started to click for me. I became a sponge. Sitting right outside Warren’s office allowed me to be within earshot of his business calls. I was nosy and I really like [the brownfield industry and the financial part of it.]

In 2013, Ambrosino realized she had arrived at a crossroads: continue with law school or stay at Cherrytree with an expanded role. “(Warren) told me that ‘there’s something about you that can’t be taught.’ So I opted not to become a lawyer but used my post-graduate college experience to study tax law.”

Things started to take off for Ambrosino incrementally. For several years, she attended an array of workshops and seminars dealing with tax credit strategies applied to brownfield sites. “It was at this time that we were expanding the organization toward tax credits other than the brownfields tax credit, such as the historic tax credit and the renewable energy tax credit,” she said. “I was confident I could bring in new [brownfield developer] business within our core areas of expertise being renewable energy, historic preservation and low-income and affordable housing. I had been learning that this industry had been dominated not only by long-timers but there were not a lot of women representing it.”

By 2016, Cherrytree hired Jacob Vezga as its Tax Credit Manager, and Kirshenbaum handed Ambrosino oversight of the brownfield redevelopment side of business. “Warren would get new business inquiries for brownfield tax credits and pass them directly to me and Jake.”

Wait, there’s more: a financial services consulting firm that once provided guidance for brownfield redevelopment financing deals measured in the “hundred-thousands” was on an upward trajectory for far more: Cherrytree, in 2018, closed $25 million in client financing via tax incentives/credits. And, the small financial services consultant soon became recognized as the top firm to partner with when it involves the tricky strategies of brownfield tax credit allocations and smaller historic rehabilitation and renewable energy projects.

“I became an expert -- we worked so hard and did numerous deals. I think the thing about what we do here, our mission, is to advocate for the small, populist developer first and foremost -- the art facility or the non-profit group. We [at Cherrytree] will never lose our souls, will always be transparent and clients will always know the trust factor is there.”

Industry of Change

U.S. EPA encourages brownfields developers to learn about and take advantage of the variety of financial and technical assistance resources available to support a brownfield project—to enhance their ability to craft a financing package that leverages numerous sources of funding available from a variety of sources.

Taking advantage of federal, state and local tax incentives and credits allows a brownfield developer to use resources normally spent to pay taxes for other purposes. This can help site redevelopers save the cash needed to address contamination issues. The extra cash flow resulting from a tax break also can improve a project’s appeal to lenders.

What Ambrosino keeps top of mind is the fact that in the brownfield industry there’s a lot of fluidity and constant change with tax credit regs and policies. “When state tax credit provisions change, I change with them -- I adapt. One of the secrets I learned is to surround yourself with great people. So here I am [at 33 years old] very confident [in operating in this business environment].”

To foster success within a complex piece of the puzzle, “my strongest qualities in the context of business development is connecting with people. Covid meant that I couldn’t attend live events. In August 2020, Warren and I needed to figure out what would be the best way for us to overcome the hurdles that the pandemic had thrown our way and keep business running strong.”

So Cherrytree pivoted toward solar. In 2020, the firm closed $8 million in renewable energy deals that were actually processed during the last couple months of 2020, a prolific performance. In one decade’s time, Cherrytree has secured and placed state and federal tax credit for developer clients totaling $100 million—all done with a four-person shop. And, this client base has been spread across the U.S.

“I think that were able to do it—expand our portfolio—by stepping out of our comfort zone to make it happen. We call it Cherrytree 2.0, and the evolution was led by a new unique platform that Warren created to establish a niche [in federal tax credits across the three specialized areas of end use]. We became successful because nobody else was touching [smaller federal tax credit deals].”

She also became fluent in areas where she had no past experience, such as an affinity for environmental consulting and engineering—just so she could learn and expedite the process for clients. “I had to learn engineering language,” Ambrosino says.

One blind spot of many developers in this space is the unawareness of their eligibility for state and federal tax credits, which just heaps extra financial stress on their project budgets—perhaps even killing their chances for success.

Prior to the pandemic, Cherrytree, under Ambrosino’s watch, hosted a series of workshops on the way tax credits can defray costs. “We provided great tools for them to be successful—educating people in this industry about the fact that there are incentives out there: some are unaware of the way it works.”

The work that Ambrosino does isn’t grounded in reacting to developers and their project fortunes, but the firm is proactive about becoming very fluent in the tax credit marketplace, both in Massachusetts and nationally where they literally scout for a particular developer who might be ideal to pursue a particular project—matchmaking, if you will.

Ambrosino sums it up this way: “Tax credits to some developers is almost like witchcraft: they do not realize what they have in front of them to assist in capitalizing their projects. Our job is educating them about what is available.”

On the historic preservation project front, Cherrytree practices what it preaches: At its own headquarter location in Newton, they applied and did the ground work to secure the available tax credits for what is an older legacy building. “My dad owns Total Temperature Control in Wakefield, Mass., and he actually helped to work on the renovation that was required.”

These days, Ambrosino is settling into her role as one of 15 BCONE board members. About how it came to pass, she says” I called Sue [Boyle], and she sold me on it—to be a part of the organization. I submitted an application to be nominated for the board and was voted in during the January 2020 meeting: I have been involved in the Mass. Expansion Committee, and the NSCW conference in June.”

To advance the fortunes of BCONE as well as those at Cherrytree, Ambrosino says that getting involved with developers who advocate for projects in urban opportunity zones (OZ) is a very compelling way to turn around blighted, abandoned and dilapidated parcels of property and, in turn, be eligible for double benefits. “In our industry, there are always problems where it’s mandatory to find creative solutions to bring areas back to life—ones that have become eyesores. You can make a space great, and spark job growth across many areas—hospitality, residential such as luxury condos, schoolhouse renovations for affordable apartments.”

She is also very attuned to the community support that is so “vital to make projects go forward—we can’t do it without them.” On the effort to find cohesion with local public-private partnerships, she calls it “similar to putting together a puzzle.”

Yes, this young professional who fancies herself a “sponge” is sure to find new and creative ways to champion the brownfield redevelopment cause throughout the Northeast and beyond. She has time on her side.

About Cherrytree Group

The Cherrytree Group is a Massachusetts based consultant, tax credit broker, and syndicator that specializes in Brownfields Tax Credits, Renewable Energy Tax Credits, Solar Energy Credits, and Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Cherrytree offers its clients a full service “turn-key” real estate solution by delivering consulting, syndicator or brokerage, arbitrage services and back-end support services utilizing in-house experts. Ambrosino focuses on operational oversight, including employee management, marketing, business development and client relations, while dedicating herself to understanding fundamentals of these tax credit incentive programs so that she can expand the Cherrytree Group's clientele base and help the business expand organically.

She serves as the first point of contact for LSPs, developers, and real estate professionals, assisting them in determining their tax credit eligibility and helping to structure their projects accordingly. Melina has a BA from Suffolk University and is a resident of Wakefield, Mass.

Greater Philadelphia Chapter of SWEP Honors the past 10 Touchstone Award Recipients

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 18:11:46 GMT

For the 2020 Touchstone Award, the Society of Women Environmental Professionals of Greater Philadelphia took a virtual walk down memory lane. The past 10 Touchstone Award recipients were contacted to see what they’ve been busy with since they were honored. BCONE's Executive Director, Sue Boyle (2010 Touchstone Award Winner) is at 0:50 into the video, and BCONE Member Marion Young (2012 Touchstone Award Winner) can be viewed at 3:10 in the video. Please click here to watch the video now:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CcJIS7aKX6oEH1RR4CctONGQVr2TxEKm/view

Nuts and Bolts of New Jersey’s New Brownfield Tax Incentives and Loan Program

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 18:39:41 GMT

BCONE’s March 4, 2021 Virtual Webinar

By Beverly Entin, BCONE

Do you have a redevelopment project and need assistance to help fill the financial funding gap? If so, New Jersey’s new Brownfield Loan Program might be able to help, but you’ll need to hurry since applications to the New Jersey Economic Development Agency (NJEDA) must be filed by April 13, 2021.

We hope you didn’t miss our informative program on the Brownfield Loan Program and Brownfields Redevelopment Incentive Program Act on March 4th. We were honored to have Elizabeth Limbrick and Paul Ceppi as speakers from the NJEDA, the agency responsible for implementing these programs.

Attendees learned about the availability of loans amounting from $100,000 to $5 million dollars for certain projects. This is a competitive application process based on various scoring criteria. You can find guidance on what you need to develop a successful application directly at www.NJEDA.com/BFLoans.

We also learned about fifteen (15) new programs that are being developed under the Economic Recovery Act. Programs focus on tax incentives, financing and grant programs with the goal of building a stronger economy in New Jersey. Public comments are currently being accepted on the draft regulations which provides you with an opportunity to provide your input on the proposed process.

BCONE would like to thank our speakers Elizabeth Limbrick and Paul Ceppi for sharing their insight and knowledge with our attendees. We’d also like to thank our moderators Alan Miller from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) as well as Dennis Toft and Rob Crespi who are both from Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi (CSG). A special thank you to our event sponsors, Peak Environmental and CSG.

We welcome you to share your comments, thoughts and views at BCONE’s events throughout the year. Please remember to check our website for updated announcements, webinars, conferences, opportunities to network (e.g., hikes, tours, wine tastings), and to support the Charlie Bartsch Scholarship Fund.

BCONE’s Continuing Virtual Series on Key Topics – March 9, 2021 Aligning Regulatory Climate Change Risk with Development Decision Making

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 18:35:20 GMT

By Beverly Entin

Life in New Jersey has been impacted by extreme weather over the course of the past few years. We’ve dealt with record high and low temperatures, major blizzards, hurricanes, tornados and more. How do you deal with impacts on communities, ecosystems, governance, public understanding, economics and other factors?

The Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) brought together a panel of experts to help us delve into the issues that affect us all. All of the panelists agreed that things are ‘heating up in New Jersey’. However, we also heard about disagreements on the best science for developing policies, the need to provide towns with the necessary tools and resources for success, discussions on how to address vulnerable, high risk communities, and the need for definitive guidance so the State of New Jersey and local communities can make long-term decisions which will result in economically stable communities.

Dave Rosenblatt, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP’s) State Chief Resilience Officer, presented highlights from NJDEP’s Climate Change Resilience Strategy. This strategy is based on Rutgers University’s June 30, 202 NJ Scientific Report on Climate Change which predicts sea level rising by 5.1 feet by 2100. The Rutgers’ report lead to interesting discussions on the validity of developing long-term plans based on a single study which will have a significant economic impact on businesses and communities.

Mike Cerra, Executive Director, League of Municipalities, reminded us that local municipalities have the difficult challenge of balancing residential and commercial issues along with property rights. At the same time these municipalities are dealing with limited budgets and struggling to keep property taxes low.

Ray Cantor, Vice President Government Affairs, New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), discussed the NJBIA’s concerns with the guidance provided by the NJDEP. NJBIA has had their own Climate Change study performed which they have recently shared with NJDEP & Rutgers. NJBIA believes the Rutgers report is not using the best science and overstating the future climate change effects, though they recognize climate change is occurring. To ensure a thriving economy, decisions on planning and how best to use limited economic resources need to be made based on accurate scientific data.

Peter Kasabach, Executive Director, New Jersey Futures, highlighted the fact that all of our panelists agree that the climate is changing and will have an impact on our communities. Our panelists also agree on the goal to reduce harm to our communities with policies that are as cost effective as possible. The big questions is “How?"

Under new Municipal Land Use Laws, municipalities will need to perform a Vulnerability Assessment and develop a Resiliency Plan that will be incorporated in the community’s Master Plan. Municipalities will need definitive guidance and assistance to develop these plans.

Rick Shoyer, President, BCONE, discussed Brownfield Redevelopment objectives and benefits. We need to shift our focus to resilient building designs that are sustainable, economical and can withstand natural and manmade disasters. We also need to consider how global manufacturing and industry practices impact our environment in New Jersey.

Moderator Joanne Vos, Maraziti Falcon, LLP, kept the discussion going by challenging the panelists with difficult questions and issues. We were reminded of the stark reality that it may not be economically feasible to fix all of the destruction from climate change with engineering.

Our seashores, boardwalks, and communities may look different in the years to come. Joanne Vos asked the panelist, “will my daughter be able to pull the handle on a slot machine in Atlantic City?" We don’t really know the answer to that question.

Though no final decisions were made, open dialogue sharing different perspectives and viewpoints is the key to making progress. BCONE thanks our panelists and attendees, and we look for many more conversations in the future as we all agree Climate Change is occurring and we have the same goal.

As Dave Rosenblatt reminded us at the start of today’s presentation with a quote from Ernest Hemingway “The Earth is a fine place worth fighting for.”

We welcome you to share your comments, thoughts and views at BCONE’s events throughout the year. Please remember to check our website for updated announcements webinars, conferences, opportunities to network (eg. hikes, tours, wine tastings), and to support the Charlie Bartsch Scholarship Fund.

Guest lecture by BCONE President on soil investigation

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:58:56 GMT

Mr. Rick Shoyer guest gave a lecture on February 27, on the topic of soil investigations, specifically the NJ guidance for site investigation, remedial investigation, and remedial action verification sampling for soil. Mr. Shoyer is a Senior Project Consultant for Advanced GeoServices, a Montrose Environmental Group company based in Robbinsville, NJ. He is a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) and an N-2 licensed operator in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Shoyer’s experience includes working on brownfields, PFAS projects and PFAS research. He currently serves as President of Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE.) BCONE’s mission is to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and best practices on the benefits of brownfield remediation, resilience, and sustainable redevelopment; and to work with public, private, and regulatory stakeholders in our region to facilitate economic activity and growth. Mr. Shoyer was appointed as the BCONE representative on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protections’ (NJDEP) Site Remediation.

BCONE members guest lecture at CCNY

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:55:44 GMT

Dr. Robert Blauvelt (top, right) guest lectured on the topic of Phase II sampling methodologies on February 20. Dr. Blauvelt is a geologist with more than 30 years of experience in the investigation, remediation and redevelopment of industrial and commercial properties. Over the course of his career, he has assisted clients in complex, multi-site due diligence assessments, regulatory compliance audits and litigation/expert witness services. This remedial and redevelopment (brownfield) work has been done within the context of a variety of regulatory programs including CERCLA (RI/FS), RCRA (RFI/CMS), NJDEP (SRP), NYSDEC DERR, MA MCP and OEPA VAP. Dr. Blauvelt also has led cleanup projects involving in situ and ex situ management of soil impacted with petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents. His remediation experience runs the gamut from the development of enhanced bioremediation/natural attenuation to providing technical support in the design and installation of multi-level air sparge, soil vapor extraction and treatment systems. Dr. Blauvelt has a M.S. and B.S. in Geology from Rutgers University, as well as a Ph.D. from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Ms. Sandra Gaurin (right, bottom) guest lectured on the topic of Phase II data evaluation on March 6. She is Director of Client Services, Risk Management and has more than 20 years of experience simultaneously managing multiple projects with a focus on loss control services and environmental claims support. Her responsibilities with Gallagher Bassett Technical Services Division include the coordination of teams of experts to provide technical support for complex environmental issues and claims. Ms. Gaurin has been involved in expert witness report preparation in support of litigation for nationwide insurance carriers, and also coordinates and performs risk management and due diligence support to nationwide real estate investors, including local office staff coordination, budget and deadline management as well as interface with clients. Ms. Gaurin has also managed projects for commercial/industrial as well as municipal/state clients involving site investigation and remediation activities such as underground storage tank removal, impacted soil excavation and disposal, groundwater and soil vapor investigation and remediation, and in-situ bioremediation treatment.

She also maintains reporting compliance for industrial/warehousing facilities, including Tier II reporting, hazardous waste reporting, homeland security assessments, SPCC, and SWPP. Ms. Gaurin earned a Master of Science from the Industrial Biology School, France and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University Paris 6. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and holds many certification and licenses, including Environmental Risk Management (ERM) License, 40-hour OSHA HAZWOPER, 30-hour OSHA Construction Safety Training, and EPA Hazardous Waste Management Training.

CCNY-BCONE panel on EPA’s EWDJT program

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:53:17 GMT

By Angelo Lampousis, in The Assessor (Twitter: @lampousis)

EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) has its own unique history in New York State. On March 20th, 2021, we expect to welcome representatives of successful EWDJT grantees, including Ms Raphaella Savaides, training coordinator at The Fortune Society, Mr. Paul McFadden, manager of workforce development for the City of Rochester, and Ms Angela M. Iocolano, Sr. Director, Quality & Evaluation, PathStone Corporation, Rochester, NY. Michael Senew will represent the Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (HMTRI).

The panel will be moderated by Ms Schenine Mitchell, Brownfields Program Coordinator, Land Chemicals and Redevelopment Division, Land and Redevelopment Programs Branch, Brownfields Section, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2. The context for the EWDJT panel at CCNY is the course Phase II environmental site assessments (EAS 33400) offered this year in conjunction with the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE). The “assessors” of the future, our own CCNY students enrolled in this course, will get the opportunity to interface again with BCONE members as well as the general public, since this is an open event. For information on how to access the event please contact Maria Cogliando at mcoglia000@citymail.cuny.edu.

Top Students from the University of Connecticut and the City College of New York Headline BCONE’s 2020 Charlie Bartsch Scholarship Event

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 19:40:22 GMT

UCONN judge harbors ‘a lot of hope for the next generation of brownfield professionals’

By Steve Dwyer, Maria Coler, and Beverly Entin

The future of brownfield reclamation and development appears to be in good shape. Each year, the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast’s (BCONE) Charlie Bartsch Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to the best and brightest students working toward obtaining degrees in brownfield related disciplines.

In December 2020, two of the six teams from the University of Connecticut (UCONN) presented extraordinary presentations and won scholarships totaling $4,000 (8 recipients at $500/scholarship). The first team, which developed an United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Community Wide Brownfields Assessment Grant, included Logan Williams, Chadwick Schroeder and Calvin Palmer. The second winning team prepared an USEPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant and included Kamila Zygadlo, Ciarra Mckenzie, Ava Michelangelo, Mary Pizzuto and Max Starke.

Fatima Nagui of Brooklyn, NY attends the City College of New York (CCNY) and was the recipient of the Bartsch award. The Bartsch award was established in recognition of Charlie Bartsch, the dynamic, talented and well-loved brownfields industry practitioner—and advocate—who left us all too soon in 2017.

Scholarship Projects

During the 2020 fall semester, UCONN students were assigned to several Connecticut towns to prepare grant applications and assist the local private-public partnership in establishing a vision for brownfield urban redevelopment. The USEPA brownfield grant application is an arduous process. It consists of a 50-page document that must be actionable and practical to implement, says scholarship judge Mark Lewis of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP) and a member of BCONE’s Board of Directors, adding that USEPA wants grant applications to be so compelling that they could make anyone judging them “cry” due to their power and influence.

The students at UCONN who participated in the program were part of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering’s Connecticut Brownfield Initiative program. The program was overseen by Dr. Nefeli Bompoti and Dr. Marisa Chrysochoou.

Team Williams-Schroeder-Palmer worked with the town of Stratford to develop a proposal for an USEPA Community Wide Brownfield Assessment Grant. The team of students “identified several brownfield sites in the town in need of environmental site investigation,” says Dr. Bompoti. “The students conducted analysis of the community’s needs based on demographic indicators and financial data. They also developed a proposed plan and budget to conduct the environmental assessment activities.”

Team Zygadlo-Mckenzie-Michelangelo-Pizzuto-Starke worked with St. Luke’s Development Corp., a non-profit located in New Haven, to develop an USEPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant. The team reviewed technical documents, including previous site investigations and remedial plans to develop the proposal narrative.

The Winning Scholarship Teams

All six teams from UCONN worked hard over the course of the Fall semester and made solid presentations. According to Mark Lewis, “All six presentations were uniformly excellent.” When not volunteering as a judge, Mark Lewis works as the Brownfield Coordinator for the CTDEEP and is a longtime member of BCONE’s Board. Lewis, along with fellow judges Don Friday and Sarah Trombetta were impressed by the presentations, which were conducted via Zoom conferencing. Each presentation took about 20 minutes.

“They all did a great job putting together grant applications [that were tied to the Connecticut towns in which student teams were assigned to work]. These were undergraduate students who had the poise to give excellent presentations,” says Lewis.

Having to present their projects remotely due to COVID-19 made the presentations even more impressive, says Lewis. “The winning teams were able to deal with [any technical issues] without missing a beat. In any field, to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, is hard. But the winning teams demonstrated to me their ability to convey what they know in an understandable way.”

Lewis says he, Friday and Trombetta “went away with a lot of hope for the next generation of brownfield professionals who are coming up to take our place.”

CCNY Bartsch Awardee

Bartsch Award Winner Fatima Nagui participated in the Phase I course at CCNY. She enjoyed the technical reporting methods that provide great insight into the contamination that exists within various properties. Angelo Lampousis, Ph.D. is a lecturer and undergraduate advisor for Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at CCNY as well as a BCONE Board member. Lampousis lauded Nagui’s work and professionalism. “It was the commute between home and elementary school that Fatima would ask her Dad about the brackish-looking Gowanus Canal that they passed by daily. Her Dad was surprised that she was aware of the history of the Gowanus Canal and the city’s lack of action that had allowed for such a toxic body of water to exist,” says Lampousis.

Professor Lampousis believes that it was that commute to and from school that “served as an inspiration for Fatima’s interest in environmental conservation, and later, environmental engineering. Environmental conservation does its part in educating people about the impacts of society on the environment; however, she likes to take a more practical approach.”

“Fatima plans to work hard by studying the problems that exist today and learning how to create solutions,” Professor Lampousis says. “She is committing herself towards a career in environmental engineering where she believes she will be able to engineer new and innovative techniques and solutions to resolve the harmful impact that humanity has had on the planet."

Scholarship Funding Mechanism

Maria Coler, chair of the BCONE Scholarship Committee believes that brownfields are “the building blocks of green cities.” Coler, a Licensed Site Remediation Professional and CEO and founder of Hydrotechnology Consultants Inc., located in Jersey City, N.J., joined the scholarship committee in 2020.

Similar to professionals like Mark Lewis, Coler feels the urgency to “seed the next generation of brownfield practitioners across various disciplines, from ecology to geology. We need to acquaint students with the industry and why it’s an important part of building a sustainable world,” she says.

Coler did not personally know Charlie Bartsch, but has learned from his colleagues the extent to which he spearheaded the brownfield industry and promoted brownfields as a mechanism to achieve urban renewal and environmental justice. Coler is motivated by the degree to which Charlie was loved and admired and strives to organize fundraising events that would be near and dear to his heart.

To that end and in his honor, she formed BCONE’s hiking and book clubs and organizes tastings and cultural outings.

Coler says that as an entrepreneur she must keep in focus the “why” of what she does—and she strives to “ground new practitioners with the same foundational purpose.” Reminding those of their purpose is the aim of the book club--to raise the consciousness of a generation of practitioners by learning about iconic environmentalists and activists. The book club has tackled Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” (documenting the adverse environmental effects of indiscriminate pesticide use) and Richard S. Newman’s “Love Canal-A Toxic History From Colonial Times to the Present (a story about heroic citizen activists in Niagara Falls, NY). Next on the list is Dan Fagin’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, “Tom’s River.”

Coler says that that these iconic books reveal the “arc of history and how scientists and citizen activists were able to move the needle forward [on progress]. I don’t want to just give money to students, I also want to get them really excited about why becoming a practitioner is a rewarding—and important—career.”

Students Had Vision

Mark Lewis says that he was amazed that “all the students [involved in the scholarship program] seemed to understand what the towns they were assigned to needed. The students had empathy with residents of their assigned town and really began to care for the towns. They shared the town’s vision for success and economic redevelopment.”

During the Spring of 2021, it will be revealed if the grant applications prepared by BCONE’s scholarship winners are selected by USEPA for grant funding.

Students spent significant time with local mayors and First Selectmen, and many didn’t know a lot about the local communities they were assigned to at the start of their project. “The students learn over the course of the semester what these towns face, and this allows them to distill it all down into a compelling grant application. The students also face the additional challenge of presenting their grant application to the scholarship committee” says Lewis.

The BCONE Charlie Bartsch Memorial Scholarship Program has, in the past, served as a bellwether for USEPA’s grant selection—ultimately seeing the agency selecting the same communities to secure grant funding as the teams that were awarded BCONE scholarships.

In essence, this validates the power of the BCONE scholarship program and our impressive Scholarship and Bartsch award winners.

Colleen Kokas delivers lecture on history of Brownfields at CCNY

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 16:18:53 GMT

By Maria Cogliando, The Assessor

Colleen Kokas, Executive Vice President at Commercial Development Company, delivered the first guest lecture on the history of brownfields on February 6, 2021, to 25 graduate and undergraduate CUNY students who are enrolled in EAS 33400 (a course on Phase II environmental site assessments).

Colleen has over 30 years of experience in the remediation of contaminated sites, including project management, cleanup negotiations, funding, liability protection, cost recovery, brownfield redevelopment and sustainability. Before joining Environmental Liability Transfer, the largest purchaser of brownfield sites in North America, Colleen worked at NJ Department of Environmental Protection, where she managed a variety of programs.

Most notably, Colleen managed the Site Remediation’s financial incentive programs and its brownfield redevelopment program. She was subsequently selected to help establish NJDEP’s Sustainability and Green Energy Office advancing policies that would allow for the installation of solar energy on brownfields and other contaminated sites.

Colleen also served as NJDEP’s representative on the board of the NJ Economic Development Authority, and as Director of Water Resources Coordination overseeing the critical path necessary for the issuance of water-related permits.

Currently, Colleen serves as Executive Vice President at ELT, where she works closely with government agencies, property owners, and environmental attorneys to create new business opportunities in contaminated property acquisition. Colleen is a co-founder of the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast, and was the first person chosen for its prestigious Brownfield Person of the Year award.

She has recently authored several articles on the redevelopment of contaminated sites; these writings focus on the acquisition and redevelopment of Superfund sites, interagency cooperation, and the transformation of power plants into hubs to support offshore wind. Colleen received a B.S. in Geology and master’s degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University. Colleen is a co-founder and board member of the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast, a national non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of brownfields, and to connecting and educating professionals in the brownfield community. She also serves on the NJ Business and Industry Association Energy and Environmental Policy Committee.

In 2020, Colleen was appointed by the USEPA Administrator to serve on its Environmental Finance Advisory Board. Colleen also served as USEPA Region 2 representative to the Brownfield Task Force under the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Organization (ASTSWMO), a national advisory committee to USEPA focused on improving waste programs. Additionally, Colleen served on the National Brownfield Association Advisory Board, where she provided a state government perspective on legislative, regulatory, and technical advancements for brownfields on the national level.

BCONE Supports University Teaching Efforts

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 16:16:47 GMT

By Maria Cogliando, The Assessor

The first joint event between the City College of New York (CCNY) and the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) was a ”Hot Topics” session held on April 23, 2019. It was moderated by Sue Boyle of GEI Consultants, who serves as the executive director of BCONE, the New York City Brownfield Partnership (NYCBP), and the Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association (LSRPA). Topics covered included perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the use of fill at redevelopment sites and its movement within the region, opportunity zones, and updates on other brownfield incentives offered in the northeastern U.S.

Since that first interaction, BCONE continued the collaboration by offering guest lectures for the Phase I (fall 2020) and Phase II (spring 2021) Environmental Site Assessment courses. The first two speakers presented virtually on February 6, 2021, on the history of brownfields to a class of 25 CCNY students. Students will also be automatically enrolled at no additional cost in the 40-hour OSHA HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard) certification program, which applies to employees who are engaged in clean-up operations that are conducted at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.

CT Virtual Post-Holiday Networking Party a Success for the Charlie Bartsch Scholarship Fund

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 18:51:00 GMT

CT BCONE hosted the Annual Post-Holiday Networking event on January 28,2021. It was a virtual event sponsored by Alpha Analytical to celebrate the New Year and raise money for the Charlie Bartsch Brownfield Scholarship Fund.

Prior to the event, cocktail kits from the Hartford Flavor Company were sent out to registrants containing all the ingredients to make two different cocktails. During the presentation, Lelaneia Dubay, creator of the unique liquors used in the cocktails, showed everyone how to craft the drinks to enjoy in the comforts of our own home. The group enjoyed making the signature “Miss Cranberry” Prosecco drink as well as the unique Tikki Tikki Chai drink, perfect for the wintery months. The kit provided enough ingredients for two drinks, so it was encouraged to invite another person.

Not only were the drinks delicious, but the well-attended event eliminated geographical distance and made for a wonderful opportunity to see some familiar faces, and chat about news in the industry. In past years, this fundraising event provided members the opportunity to enjoy beverages and good company, while contributing to the Scholarship Fund. Although it looked a little different this year, the virtual alternative held true to tradition and was a fun, lighthearted event that raised $600 for the scholarship fund.

Thanks so much to all who attended our Virtual Cocktail Experience as well as the Hartford Flavor Company and Alpha Analytical for their support!

Lelaneia Dubay showing us how to mix our drinks.

Doing Good/Tasting Good

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 20:44:32 GMT

BCONE raises scholarship funds pre-Thanksgiving with a tutored hard cider tasting

Fifteen folks from CT, NC, NJ, NY, PA, TN and WV joined the pre-Thanksgiving virtual cider tasting Zoom organized by BCONE’s Maria Coler and led by Adam Goddu of Eden Specialty Ciders of VT. We toasted (with Eden Dry Heritage Cider Brut Nature) the power of regionalism—BCONE’s strength—and the power of the internet to create exciting virtual experiences. Maria started the event with the wonderful video that she and her team assembled on Charlie Bartsch, the namesake of BCONE’s scholarship fund. Those assembled had a very generous tasting kit to sample while listening to Adam tell us about the over 50 varieties of apples that fall into 4 broad categories: sharps, sweets, bittersharps and bittersweets. We also learned about the making of ice cider while sampling it.

All BCONE members and friends can enjoy the beverages and assist the scholarship fund by going to www.edenciders.com: they will donate 10% of every order and take $5 off shipping if you order between now and December 31, 2020, using BCONE10 as the special code. BCONE will also offer a special prize to supplement the order of the first member who correctly identifies the nation-of-origin of the original apple. Send your answer to sboyle@geiconsultants.com and tell us what you ordered!

Many thanks to Maria Coler, the chair of BCONE’s scholarship committee. She keeps creating innovative and fun ways to fund scholarships for students in CT, NJ, NY, and PA. Watch for the book club notice, notices of upcoming hikes, and future food and beverage tastings to broaden your horizons, meet new people from the northeastern US, all while you assist with an excellent cause.

Did you miss the November 18, 2020 Webinar provided by NJSWEP, LSRPA, and BCONE: Women in Environmental Justice?

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 20:43:51 GMT

James D. Snook, BCONE Board Member, summarizes it for you.

Speakers:

Olivia Glenn: NJDEP Deputy Commissioner, Environmental Justice and Equity
Kim Gaddy: Environmental Justice Organizer, Clean Water Action
Catherine M. Ward: Co-Chair, Environmental, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

NJSWEP, LSRPA, and BCONE presented a webinar and virtual panel discussion attended by over 60 people. It included expert insights from three noteworthy women in environmental justice. NJDEP’s Olivia Glenn began the webinar with insights into the department’s regulatory changes that will impact different aspects of environmental justice. The S232 Environmental Justice Law (EJ Law) adopted by New Jersey in June 2020 requires NJDEP to evaluate environmental and public health stressors of certain facilities on overburdened communities when reviewing certain permit applications. The EJ Law is the nation’s strongest measure to protect overburdened communities from pollutants; it may become a template for environmental justice laws throughout the USA.

Olivia Glenn explained that New Jersey’s 2020 Global Warming Response Act was written to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from their 2006 levels by 2050. A triple bottom line is the goal, where protection of vulnerable communities against the effects of climate change will reach toward one aspect of environmental justice.

Kim Gaddy of Clean Water Action explained how she created an organization in Newark’s South Ward to establish an approach against environmental degradation. She provided insights into how to engage and support the residents as active participants. She explained how the EJ Law should help to provide more equal protection for vulnerable residents from hazards through greater transparency by providing an opportunity to deny permit that do not consider environmental justice.

Catherine Ward provided an in-depth evaluation of the EJ Law in regards to its potential affect on the regulated community. She explained the impact of zoning in a strong home rule state, which NJ is. Industry location in compliance with local zoning and many communities’ discouragement of affordable housing through their zoning ordinances created many of the problems that the EJ law has to tackle. How does the state-wide EJ law work with the framework of each municipality’s current zoning regulations? There will some initial unpredictability of applying the minimum standards of the law to different situations. The regulated community and some other stakeholders prefer as much predictability as possible. Catherine explained that sustainability is a guiding principle, in efforts to provide a clear goal for application of the EJ Law. Sustainability can be applied by progressive companies that can apply economic vitality with healthy communities and a resilient environment.

BCONE's President, Rick Shoyer, Featured in Special Environmental Report in Commerce Magazine

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 19:31:07 GMT

The latest edition of Commerce Magazine includes a special environmental report that features BCONE's President, Rick Shoyer. The topic of the report identified how COVID-19 has changed protocols, but the work and projects continue across the Garden State.

You can read the article at the following link: https://view.joomag.com/commerce-2020-11-dig/0739552001603999694?short&

Back to the Burbs? Back to the Office? The Reading List

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 14:25:49 GMT

If you missed the first Coronavirus Experiences webinar, held jointly by BCONE and the NYCBP in September and entitled Back to the Burbs? Back to the Office?, please sign up for the 2nd part of the series being held on October 23, 2020 from 10am to 12:00 p, entitled Is Your Building Safe? This webinar series will continue into 2021 to cover the growing number of topics of interest to our professions.

The speakers at the September and October webinars have created a list of recent articles on the topics. The Reading List is below. Feel free to contribute to the list. If you’ve written a recent article on the topic or if you’ve read something of interest, send the link to sboyle@geiconsultants.com and we’ll keep growing the Reading List.

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/residential-real-estate/looking-big-return-your-home-try-east-new-york-study-says?utm_source=real-estate-friday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20201002&utm_content=article2-headline

A CrowdRx expert in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems did not find a single arraignment court in the city that was safe to be in, the report states: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/ny-nyc-courthouses-crowdrx-report-unsafe-conditions-coronavirus-20201001-avpvzs435jd6xkxiuvq4z5cii4-story.html Never heard of CrowdRx. They might become one of our potential speakers?

And check out this piece on what some landlords are doing to make their buildings safe: https://www.nreionline.com/office/three-office-landlords-discuss-technologies-they-ve-implemented-protect-tenants-covid-19

Excerpt: “Silverstein Properties has also upgraded its ventilation systems in offices to MER-15 or 16, which is similar to what hospitals use to prevent the spread of infection and refers to the number of times recirculating air is filtered. The system also adds in fresh air from outdoors. Kerret says that an even higher ventilation standard, MER-16 or 18, has been adapted for elevators, making them safe for more than a few people at a time, as long as everyone is wearing a mask. According to the CDC, to become infected with the coronavirus, it takes time for exposure to 1,000 airborn particles. Elevators at Silverstein’s WTC properties travel at 1,600 feet per minute, so with MER-16 to 18 ventilation—similar to ventilation in operating rooms—mask-wearing passengers are unlikely to become infected as they will reach their floors within about a minute.”

KBS has “deployed technology to help tenants make a seamless, safe transition back to the office as government mandates are lifted. This includes UV light, which kills viruses and bacteria, in HVAC systems and on surfaces in common areas, as well as touchless amenities and devices in shared spaces and high-traffic areas.”

https://www.us.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights/workplace/landlords-race-to-improve-air-quality-in-buildings

https://www.propmodo.com/what-building-operators-need-to-know-about-covid-19-and-air-filtration/

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/four-considerations-architects-will-need-to-make-when-designing-post-covid-homes

https://nyrej.com/architects-and-engineers-help-schools-envision-safe-designs-for-covid-era

https://www.thecity.nyc/2020/9/28/21492252/cross-bronx-expressway-covid-19-environmental-justice-nyc

Home Sales Surge In Brooklyn:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/realestate/brooklyn-real-estate-sales.html

Vermont COVID Transplants:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/26/us/coronavirus-vermont-transplants.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-16/the-truth-about-american-migration-during-covid

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/26/escape-country-covid-exodus-britain-cities-pandemic-urban-green-space

Finance and Investment

Converting Malls Into Distribution Centers

Addressing the challenges of commercial property conversions.

Sep 21, 2020

The Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast and the New York City Brownfield Partnership’s Latest Successful Joint Event

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 15:53:14 GMT

Back to the Burbs? Back to the Office? Geographic and Other Shifts from Our Coronavirus Experiences

On September 23, 2020 the NYCBP and BCONE jointly offered a timely and exciting panel discussion on geographic and other shifts related to COVID’s impact on brownfield redevelopment. Panelists included Charles Howland, Esq. of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Larry Schnapf, Esq. of Schnapf LLC. Peter Coy, the Economics Editor for Bloomberg Businessweek, and Peter B. Meyer, Professor Emeritus of Urban Policy and Economics, U. of Louisville. The event was moderated by Ezgi Karayel of vEKtor Consultaints; Ms. Karayel is the Vice President of the NYCBP Board and her firm was an event sponsor for the panel along with Alpha Analytical.

The panelists provided the audience of over 40 people from the Bos-Wash corridor with their insights on the changing allure of urban vs. suburban vs. rural areas for workers, investment, redevelopment, and residential preferences. Attendees included all the sectors that make for successful brownfield projects: environmental consultants, technology providers, attorneys, state and local government officials, academics, developers, economists, lenders, and environmental organizations. Topics included the potential to convert underutilized malls (sometimes called greyfields) into various uses, including distribution centers; the impact on the ever-present need for affordable housing; office building obsolescence; conversion of a closed refinery into a distribution center and the reaction of the environmental justice organizations in the surrounding neighborhood; what type of neighborhoods people want; impacts on worker productivity as they continue to work from home; and whether offices are mechanically ready to sufficiently ventilate the spaces to prevent or minimize COVID. The panelists traded links to the growing body of articles and surveys exploring all of these topics; the Partnership and BCONE staff are attempting to compile a reading list based on those links.

The event concluded with agreement that the conversations will continue for BCONE and the NYC Brownfield Partnership because no one can predict at this point in time how the mix of brownfield project end-uses will change, what uses will win or lose, whether tax credits will be needed to finance the improved HVAC needs of office space as workers return, and other important topics. All who attended agreed that the perspectives from a broader group of speakers, such as laborers, the environmental justice community, and mechanical engineers, are needed for upcoming discussions. NYCBP and BCONE are excited to start planning an event series for 2021.

The September23rd event and the sessions being planned for 2021 exemplify BCONE’s and the NYC Brownfield Partnership’s synergy: because these changes are impacting the entirety of metropolitan areas across the country, the exchange of information from multiple states and from New York City and its suburbs allows us to recognize the importance of real estate markets that cross state and municipal borders and practitioners who work in many different types of locations.

Go to the Upcoming Events page for the latest events and other information.

BCONE Members Guest Lecture at City College of New York

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 17:47:11 GMT

Saturday, August 29, 2020, was the first day of class for CCNY graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in “Phase I Environmental Site Assessments.” The course, created by BCONE Board Member Angelo Lampousis, Ph.D. of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, is being taught by Maria Cogliando In conjunction with BCONE. Robert Blauvelt, LSRP of GEI Consultants was the first guest lecturer to introduce the course and the Phase 1 process from a practitioner’s perspective. Students will be preparing Phase 1s as part of the course assignments and BCONE is awarding a scholarship at the end of the semester for the student who prepared the highest ranked document. Our members will be lecturing throughout the semester in accordance with BCONE’s mission to provide diversified educational resources to the public, universities and colleges, communities, and the private sector.

MA Expansion Committee of BCONE Hosts an Incentives Seminar

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 17:43:55 GMT

On August 27, 2020, from 3:30-5:00pm, BCONE Board Member Melina Ambrosino organized and spoke at our session entitled “Developing Planning: Utilizing Incentives.”

Melina , Executive Vice President of Cherrytree Group, LLC was joined by Warren Kirshenbaum, President of Cherrytree Group and Alan Knauf, Esq., Partner of Knauf Shaw, LLP. The panel provided the audience of over 40 people from across the northeastern section of the USA with information on the advantage of various brownfield incentives in Massachusetts and New York State. Featured were the New York Brownfields Tax Credit program, an update on the newly release working draft regulations of the Massachusetts Brownfields Tax Credit program and insight on the industry hot topic, Opportunity Zones.

The August 27 panel exemplified BCONE’s our educational mission: due to its regional composition, the exchange of information from multiple states allows us to recognize the importance of real estate markets that cross state borders and practitioners who work in many states (such as New York State and Massachusetts). Questions focused on whether PFAS and other emerging contaminants may result in reopeners in NYS (probably), whether brownfield projects are being developed on current or former landfills, and whether the costs of settling claims from downgradient parties can be applied to brownfield accounting for tax credits.

In addition to our speakers, BCONE thanks our Annual Sponsor, SESI Consulting Engineers, who introduced participants to their environmental, geotechnical and site civil work in the tri-state area. Special kudos to Ms. Ambrosino for jumping on this event so quickly and preparing a really terrific MA/NYS event, which is such a great accomplishment for a new BCONE committee.

Go to the BCONE website at Events for the list of upcoming September events.

2020 BCONE President Shoyer Talks: Emerging Contaminants and Renewable Energy Are Part of the BCONE Mission

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 13:59:23 GMT

Part 2 - By Steve Dwyer

An active participant on Montrose Environmental’s Emerging Contaminants Team (MECT), 2020 BCONE President Rich Shoyer’s experiences focus on a variety of treatment technologies, including advanced oxidation, for the remediation of emerging contaminants. The current focus has been with per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), 1,4-Dioxane, and 1,23-Trichlorpropane.

Shoyer, long time BCONE member and champion of BCONE’s biggest event, the annual NSCW, joined the BCONE Board in 2020 after serving on the Advisory Council for over seven years. Shoyer provides environmental technical assistance to a city in New York State whose drinking water supply has been impacted by PFAS. Specific experience has included characterization of surface water supplies; GAC, anion exchange resins and advanced oxidation PFAS removal performance effectiveness; and fate and transport assessments of source releases.

He has also performed extensive research on the various aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs), one major contributor of PFAS being released into the environment, and alternative fluorine free foams (FFFs). Shoyer has presented at various forums on PFAS and other emerging contaminants.

Q: Can you discuss the per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) conversation and how it impacts/will impact BCONE?

A: Public opinion is driving PFAS regulation: the opinion is that PFAS at any level is harmful to humans and the environment. The federal government is not moving fast enough to establish MCLs, and so the states are individually making their own standards. The emphasis was on two specific PFAS compounds—PFOA and PFOS for drinking water. States are expanding limits for more PFAS substances and to additional media soils, sediment, groundwater and surface water. It seems like each state that proposes new standards tries to outdo the state before them with more compounds and lower standards. There over 3,000 PFAS compounds, and though they all have in common this extremely strong chemical bond between carbon and fluorine, they are, in fact, very complex and different substances within the PFAS group. The complexity of these compounds, the uniqueness, the ever-changing standards and addition of new PFAS substances being regulated has affected brownfield redevelopment of suspected sites.

Insurance coverage that once may have provided coverage for PFAS as unknowns is often excluded. However, some positives with PFAS is that they are not volatile, so vapor mitigation is not an issue and they, for the most part, do not adhere to soils and sediment. The focus is generally on water bodies, groundwater and drinking water sources.

We had a great panel discussion at BCONE’s NSCW virtual conference, held July 21 and 22, 20220. The panel was Legal and Technical Impacts of New PFAS Sampling Methodologies on Older Data and Site Remediation, and it specifically targeted brownfields and PFAS. We’ll be releasing information from that panel and all other NSCW 2020 panels to our membership in the upcoming weeks.

Q: Can you discuss the BCONE “report card” around the ongoing investment in renewable energy projects, starting with the emerging community solar project opportunity and others?

A: BCONE supports sustainable and resilient development (and redevelopment). Community solar projects can fall into this category. We encourage community solar projects to expand into the urban areas, economically distressed areas, and low-income housing, etc., where these businesses and residence can take advantage economically of the solar programs.

Q: Can you talk about the balance needed between renewables and fossil fuels?

A: Technology advancements and economic affordability are key ingredients for renewable energy investments to be truly resilient and sustainable. A true realistic balance is needed, but that may not be completely in-line with more vociferous public opinions. We are blessed with many abundant energy sources (solar, wind, natural gas, petroleum and nuclear, hydroelectric, and more) and we should use them wisely.

The infrastructure to generate, store and transport the energy power to the consumer is a major engineering challenge and cost consideration. The infrastructure required to store and transmit power generated from wind and solar needs to be routed through many ecologically sensitive areas (shore lines, marshes, wetlands, pinelands)—the same areas that many environmental activists are arguing other utility corridors should not disturb. The energy system needs to accommodate peak demands. Reliable alternative backup systems need to be in place for when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining. Solar panels have a life expectancy of less than 25 to 30 years, and many of the solar panels installed today will need to be replaced by 2050. You now may be surprised that I have a large solar system on my home.

Q: What is the overall state of the renewable investment process and how it’s been championed over past 5 years?

A: I have heard opinions from both sides applauding and criticizing the long and short terms pros and cons of the programs. At times government needs to steer and incentivize the public, private industries and technology to make improvements that will be a long-term benefit for all. These are dialogues we are having with BCONE Board and Advisory Council members and plan to have with our membership down the road.

New BCONE President Shoyer Talks COVID-19 Era Member Strategies—And Much More

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 17:06:10 GMT

Part 1 - By Steve Dwyer

At the start of 2020, Rick Shoyer III assumed the role as president of the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE). He has been a BCONE member for over seven years. No sooner did he take the reins that the association -- along with the entire world -- was hurled into an unprecedented crisis with the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Months later, Shoyer -- along with the BCONE board and the membership -- is assessing the impacts of the COVID-19 era and trying to determine how it will continue to affect BCONE going forward. This would include the way workshops and live networking might have to yield to a greater reliance on remote conferencing, and how it would be embraced by members.

The investigation and remediation expert who’s classified as a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) and N-2 Industrial Operator in the State of New Jersey, received his BS in Engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., in 1982, and has spent the past 35-plus years investigating and remediating organic and inorganic substances both in-situ and ex-situ.

Following is a question and answer session with the 2020 BCONE President, who says he’s eager to build on the organization’s long and sustained accomplishment record in several ways, including potentially expanding the BCONE footprint geographically to engage with more practitioners.

Within the aegis of LSRP in NJ, Shoyer hopes to continue on a mission to make the New Jersey permitting process even more streamlined than it has become—one solution being to more acutely streamline the self-reporting and self-approval process. CT and MA, two other states in the BCONE footprint, have similar but more mature licensed professional programs.

Q: As president of BCONE, what is the three- to five-year vision you have outlined pertaining to the organization as a whole, as well as some necessary steps to push the needle forward on efficient operations—and championing brownfield redevelopment across the BCONE footprint?

A: The organization has been established over a long period of time with a great history that covers a broad spectrum geographically. We are looking to build on these accomplishments, perhaps expanding geographically, to engage more holistically with activities, say, across western Pennsylvania and regions of New England. The nucleus of BCONE has been New Jersey, New York City, the Philadelphia, PA greater metro area, southern New York state and Connecticut. One mission is to see several BCONE member states—take Delaware for example—independently sponsor more programs, workshops and other events in the future. We strive to be a resource on policies, procedures and programs that affect sustainable and resilient redevelopment of blighted areas at the individual state level and share the success across our regional area.

Q: How has the LSRP program evolved over the past eight to 10 years, in your estimation? And, what can be done to streamline the process across timeframes, cost containment, capital generation assurance, compliance and more?

A: We still have bottlenecks with, let’s say, permitting issues. BCONE and other organizations are providing input to the Department, which is looking into revamping the permitting process to better emphasize self-reporting and self-approvals—to separate the less complicated permits (sites) from the more complicated ones—all in all to better streamline this process. Some of the issues are regional in scope and scale across the state.

Q: Were there any so-called “unlikely” outcomes that manifested from the LSRP program’s implementation over the years.

A: One of the biggest positives that came of out of the program was it put my competitors on a different platform, it provided a different reason to work together for the common good. I am able to share ideas with many talented competitors on a professional level, and that’s been refreshing. So the entire environmental professional community improves through shared knowledge, professionally we all become better and more consistent.

There’s also been more quality dialogue with state regulatory and legislative officials, more of a mission to find common ground. We still have issues to move along within the concept of timing for the Department to request additional investigations (samples). Is the additional sample necessary to demonstrate the remedy is actually protective of human health and the environment? Thankfully, in the majority of cases taking an additional soil or groundwater sample has not changed a remedy outcome. It has only led to adding costs or delaying closures. But as the program has matured, and LSRP’s and regulators share expectation and concerns, it has helped lessen the ‘micro-management’ of environmental work.

Because BCONE is a regional organization, the NJ LSRP program has been able to learn from the MA and CT programs. We are in regular communication with the professional organizations in those states and regularly exchange information.

Q: In the months following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, how has the BCONE operating vision been re-focused, re-calibrated during a “new normal” phase where priorities will be inevitably shifting?

A: Developers build in the urban infill for a number of reasons, with one being leveraging the walkability of cities through project visions. How will this change now and in the future? The close quarters of cities has become a potential health concern. One attraction for many was the small shops and restaurants with housing above. Did/will these small boutiques and restaurants survive? If not, the desire to live in a neighborhood with empty shops and store fronts decreases dramatically. The question is, what percentage of millennials and Gen X,Y and Z will still opt to live in the city [perhaps leaving due to higher rents and more open space of suburb/exurbs]? It is shifts like these that are certain to be disruptors. If you look at a TOD-oriented project, it’s very much tied to the concept of promoting ‘walkable cities.’ But the other essential component is the public transportation piece, which is a backbone of these projects. Will once ‘power-users’ of public transportation establish a level of confidence and trust in rising trains and busses again, from a health and safety standpoint?

Q: Following up on repercussions of the COVID-19, can you talk about how things might change in the context of BCONE-sponsored events and workshops?

A: The main draw was live conferences, the personal interactions that are important in business and all relationships. The drawback on these are travel time and expenses, so they generally are well attended locally, and difficult to reach across a larger regional coverage that BCONE has. Now due to travel restrictions, conferences will have to be remote—and for how long? But as an unexpected positive development, I think [the pandemic] we might see more robust attendances in the virtual world and across more BCONE member states, who might not have been inclined to travel to, say, New Jersey or New York for an event. But they can now participate in a virtual workshop, saving time and travel expenses. This allows BCONE to truly reach across a larger geographic territory.

Q: How do you see conducting business in a virtual world being accepted holistically?

A: Polling our vendors and exhibitors they are 180-degrees apart. You have ones who depend on live events, like to interact with business associates face to face—this new virtual world might be harder for them to adapt to. On the other hand, we have member companies who thrive in a virtual conference or workshop setting. The advances in technology has evolved over the last few years, making this virtual platform much easier to pull off. If the pandemic had occurred 10 years ago, this would have been a huge challenge to pull off.

Q: We can’t seem to shed questions about the pandemic and the different ways it impacts BCONE members. How about the way business is progressing in their engagement with state, county and local governments?

A: Looking at permitting and municipal approvals, I think that for a number of our members permit reviews and approvals have actually gone smoother, with faster turnaround times because municipal staffs have had fewer meetings. As a result, they have been able to push through permitting approvals. I’ve been very pleased with the responses from members on that subject. I’m sure there are others that have the opposite experience.

Q: How about the impact on project financing, securing capital?

A: On the capital financing front, there’s a notion that a percentage of projects might have been halted due to loans being put on hold. I see it more as projects possibly being delayed—or modified—for other extenuating reasons. A developer might now be weighing whether the ambitious mixed use residential/commercial project is now economically feasible. The small business got hit hard with the pandemic and store closings. No one wants to live above empty store fronts. There’s a synergy between the commercial footprint and the residential component of a development. That co-relationship will now be put more to the test.

COVID-19 Impact: Will Urban Garden Projects Become Urban Legends?

Tue, 05 May 2020 17:48:36 GMT

By Steve Dwyer

In the brownfield redevelopment industry, everything is filled with uncertainty, as a new normal produces a sweeping impact on industries, bar none.

How much more, or less, is the brownfield industry impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? What are the challenges and even opportunities? Remediation teams and developers might have begun donating personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, to their local health professionals.

Broadly, what the brownfield landscape resembles in a year or two from now, the toll it takes, is a question not easily quantifiable or readily answered.

Many disparate components of this industry are fair game. One that comes to mind is community/urban garden projects—ones either in the works or up and running. Urban garden projects are a brownfield redevelopment strategy that’s an attractive pursuit for the bandwidth it carries to stimulate economic, environmental and social change.

It’s a model that can become a permanent fixture in a metro area or viewed as an interim brownfield, where it serves as a placeholder for a yet-to-be-determined end uses.

Urban gardens bring communities together, as volunteers and even paid workers tend to gardens seasonally. Urban gardens are a great vehicle for triggering youth work programs. The endgame is compelling: Jobs are created but more so it’s about establishing a viable food source for urban “food deserts.”

The environmental aspects of urban gardens help reduce the carbon footprint, while the economics payoffs see food grown, harvested and sold or donated. On the social plane, these projects bring people together and foster community pride.

That last point is a sticky one, particularly under what’s certain to be new and far more stringent guideline governing these efforts. Urban gardens on brownfield are often bustling with volunteers throughout the day.

It will be interesting to see if urban garden projects continue moving forward—within new ground rules that place a limit on the number of people that can be onsite at any given time.

Along the lines of urban garden initiatives, New York City had been in the process of orchestrating two urban redevelopment concepts that fold in community gardens as a component of the blueprint.

A Lot At Stake

In an announcement made in 2019 by Gov. Cuomo, the state awarded development rights and construction funding for four housing projects that will collectively create more than 2,700 affordable-supportive residential units. Herkimer Gardens in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, is one of the projects that has been ticketed to receive funding and approvals from the Governor’s $1.4 billion “Vital Brooklyn” housing initiative.

Designed by Urban Architectural Initiative, the building was to be constructed to Passive House Standards, incorporating solar-voltaic shades and a green roof. Interior components were to include 118 affordable homes, on-site urgent care facilities, a wellness center with physical therapy equipment, a food access assistance center, community and recreation space and computer lounge. Outdoor amenities include a terrace on the second floor and another on the seventh floor with an urban farm. According to information from the developer of the property, Federation of Organizations, the total project was estimated to cost $55 million with an anticipated completion date in spring 2022.

It’s been estimated that the Big Apple boasts more than 450 community gardens, most all a fixture of city living. There was a time they bordered on extinction. In the late 1990s, city officials, seeking revenue, planned to auction off vacant lots—including more than a hundred community gardens—to the highest bidder.

That was before a local gardeners coalition mobilized to protect the land. There were rallies, lawsuits, and at one point, a restraining order to block a scheduled auction. Speaking to the New York Times from a bench in one Harlem garden in 1997, a gardener named Mary Emma Harris was resolute: “I'm not going to dig up those plants. It’s not over until the fat lady sings.”

These days, every borough hosts at least one urban farm; ones of renown include GrowNYC (21,000-square-foot urban garden that’s filled with vegetable beds made from recycled materials), the Battery Urban Farm (one acre in the 25-acre Battery Park dedicated to growing more than 100 types of vegetables, with all food harvested by NYC students and donated to school cafeterias and food pantries), and Riverpark (located in the Alexandria Center, it uses 7,000 milk crates as grow beds and grows more than 100 types of vegetables).

In New Jersey, many are also championing the concept, including Rutgers University's School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. The New Jersey urban garden movement has come a long way.

Speaking recently to NJ.com, one urban grower who first started farming in Newark in 2012 recalled land as a “drug den, overgrown with weeds. Over time, the effort saw the transformation of a 6,000 square-foot plot into what’s known as the “People’s Garden,” growing squash, eggplant, Swiss chard, zucchini and a variety of herbs.

The transformation wasn’t easy. The principals installed a cistern to capture rainwater off the property next door. They also learned the hard way that they couldn’t create a compost bin without attracting wild animals from Branch Brook Park.

“We had to start adapting to the environment that we’re in,” according to the Newark Community Food System. “You work with what you have and you create creative ways to produce food.”

Newark Community Food Systems Urban Farms has evolved, and so too has Newark’s Beth Israel Medical Center, which opened its hydroponic Beth Greenhouse in 2016, and continues to sell produce at affordable rates at an indoor farmer’s market.

AeroFarms also opened a 69,000 square foot vertical farm, the largest in the world, inside a converted steel factory in Newark. The Greater Newark Conservancy runs a massive farm on Hawthorne Avenue, renting planter beds to interested residents, according to NJ.com.

Let’s hope urban and community gardens on former brownfields can weather the COVID-19 storm and remain vibrant. Each month, expect to see similar coverage from the BCONE digital platform that takes closer examinations of what the “new normal” might resemble, based on interaction with various public and private brownfield stakeholders across industry disciplines—from developer to remediation experts.

Because there will be vulnerabilities lurking, and those prepared with a new vision have a better shot at weathering this storm.

BCONE Welcomes Attendees to the PA Brownfield Conference

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 18:37:18 GMT

One of the first things the 400+ attendees of the 2020 PA Brownfield Conference saw was the welcome banner sponsored by BCONE.

The event held at State College, PA was well attended, had great information and energy, and was one of the last large gatherings before we all started hunkering down to slow this virus. Kudos to the Conference organizers and staff on a great conference, especially PADEP and the Engineer’s Society of Western Pennsylvania.

BCONE’s leaders were moderators, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and conference track chairs. Here is a quick look at the breadth and depth of topics covered by BCONE Board Members, Emeritus Members of the Board, BCONE Committee Chairs, and your staff:

BCONE Board President, Rick Shoyer of Advanced GeoServices Corporation moderated and spoke on the panel entitled PFAS and Brownfield Redevelopment: Risk Management. It was standing room only.
Board members John Gross of PADEP chaired the sessions on Rebuilding Rural Coal Region through Environmental Justice and The Knitting Mill Redevelopment: How Teamwork Led to Project Success (Yes, that project sounds familiar to BCONE members; BCONE’s PA Expansion Committee held a site visit there in 2019).
BCONE Board member Brian Clark of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC spoke on the panels Regional Hot Topics in Brownfields: Resiliency, Fill Policy, and Sustainability and The Next Generation of Brownfield Properties from a Buyer’s Perspective. He was joined on the Hot Topics panel by BCONE Executive Director, Sue Boyle of GEI Consultants, Inc. Board member Emeritus Colleen Kokas of Environmental Liability Transfer, Inc. chaired the Next Generation panel as well as the session Playbook for Pennsylvania’s Retired Coal-Fired Power Plants.
Emeritus Board Members Troy Conrad of PADEP was everywhere: He spoke on these panel: Brownfields 101, Federal and States Update, and the Technical Challenges and Solutions for PFAS at Brownfield Sites. If that isn’t enough, he chaired the Keynote Speaker session, The Arc of the Covenant session, and the Plenary Session.
Advisory Council Committee Chair, Katrina Van Deusen of Whitman joined BCONE’s partners from NJIT on the panel entitled Green Remediation for the 21st Century; Gary White of the NJIT TAB chaired that session and spoke at the EPA Region 3 All Grantees meeting.

A new trend at Brownfield conferences, which we believe started with our colleagues from the Central Appalachian Brownfields Innovation Network (CABIN) in WV, is the inclusion of the Women’s Network session.

Long-time friends of BCONE, Jill Gaito of Gaito & Associate and Kim Hoover of PADEP led the informal women’s gathering, which included Ms. Gaito’s reflections on her brownfield career path (an amazing story of risk taking, smarts, and strength) followed by terrific interactive discussion moderated masterfully by Ms. Hoover. We wholeheartedly endorse this new trend and will include it at BCONE’s NSCW. It supports our observation that there were lots of new faces at the 2020 PA Brownfield Conference and the vast majority were smart, energetic women.

February 25th Regulatory Roundtable - What You Missed

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 16:20:17 GMT

By Colleen Kokas, Environmental Liability Transfer

BCONE hosted its quarterly Environmental Regulatory Roundtable at the Skylark in Edison over coffee and a hearty breakfast. Here is an overview of the topics discussed on that early Tuesday morning.

EDA Brownfield Initiatives

Brownfield Center. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Board of Directors today approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) to establish the NJ Brownfields Center at NJIT (Brownfields Center). The Brownfields Center will provide a variety of technical assistance and resources to assist New Jersey communities with the process of transforming their brownfield sites into community assets.

The Brownfields Center at NJIT will expand upon these efforts to offer similar assistance to communities beyond the twelve CCI municipalities, as well as providing additional tools to all brownfield communities in New Jersey. The Center will provide guidance and resources to county and local government entities to help them overcome challenges and navigate the brownfield redevelopment process, as well as educate and engage communities around brownfield issues. Under the terms of the agreement approved today, the NJEDA will provide $200,000 to launch the Brownfields Center and NJIT will provide quarterly updates on the use of funds and progress in communities receiving assistance.

Brownfield Loans. NJEDA is creating a Brownfields Loan Program to provide financing to potential brownfield site purchasers and current brownfield site owners (including local government redevelopers) that intend to develop commercial, retail, mixed-use developments, expansions or reuses. The foundation for creating this loan program is that financial resources are hard to obtain for certain activities, such as demolition. This fund is anticipated to fill that void.

Parties responsible for contamination of brownfield site, related to party responsible for contamination of brownfield site, or parties that have indemnified a responsible party or a party related to a responsible party are not eligible for the Brownfields Loan Program.

NJBIA Environment & Energy Committee Meeting

Some BCONE members attended a recent meeting of the NJ Business and Industry Association’s Environment and Energy Policy Committee. An overview was provided of the many activities that are underway as a result of the issuance of the Energy Master Plan.

Energy Master Plan. The Energy Master Plan was released on January 27, 2020, and outlines key strategies to reach the Administration’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050. The details of how to reach that goal will be further defined by subsequent executive and administrative order, regulations and guidance.

Executive Order 100. Governor Murphy signed EO 100 to direct the advancement of the initiatives in the Energy Master Plan. NJDEP is required to institute regulatory reforms, branded as Protecting Against Climate Threats (PACT), to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. With this executive action, New Jersey is the first state in the nation to pursue such a comprehensive and aggressive suite of climate change regulation.

PACT. There are a number of specific tasks for NJDEP to complete within specified timeframes, including:

A greenhouse gas monitoring and reporting program to identify all significant sources of GHG emissions;
Establish criteria to reduce certain short-lived carbon dioxide emissions, such as hydroflorocarbons, black carbon and methane;
Integrate climate change considerations, such as sea level rise into its regulatory and permitting programs;
Identification (through Administrative Order) of regulations that require updates;

Administrative Order 2020-01. In January 2020, NJDEP Commissioner McCabe signed an administrative order that provides an overview of the tasks the Department will be taking in its efforts to meet the clean energy goals of the EMP. AO 2020-01 primarily identified timeframes within which the activities outlined in above would be completed. Of note in AO 2020-01 is the completion to incorporate climate change considerations into all relevant grant, loan and contracting programs implemented by the Department by January 27, 2021.

To keep abreast of all the work underway to achieve the goals established by PACT, including numerous stakeholder meetings, NJDEP has established a website at https://www.nj.gov/dep/njpact.

Amendments to A-901 Program

A recent bill (S-1683) was passed in January 2020, that requires licensure of those that engage in, or that otherwise provide recycled soil and fill recycling services. On the surface, it may appear that this may not impact you. But the legislation is far reaching. “Soil and fill recycling services” is defined as “the collection, transportation, processing, brokering, storage, purchase, sale or disposition of soil and fill recyclable material.” “Soil and fill recycling services materials” is defined as “non-putrescible aggregate substitutes,” such as “broken or crushed brick, block, concrete, or other similar manufactured materials; soil or soil that may contain aggregate substitute or other debris or material, generated from land clearing, excavation, demolition, or redevelopment activities that would otherwise be managed as solid waste, and that may be returned to the economic mainstream in the form of raw materials for further processing or for use as fill material.”

“Soil and fill recyclable materials” does not include: (1) Class A recyclable material; (2) Class B recyclable material, that is shipped to a Class B recycling center approved by the DEP for receipt, storage, processing, or transfer; (3) beneficial use material for which the generator has obtained prior approval from the DEP to transport to an approved and designated destination, and (4) virgin quarry products including, but not limited to, rock, stone, gravel, sand, clay and other mined products.

Now it’s up to you to determine whether this applies to the work you conduct. If you think you may be effected, you must register your business with NJDEP by April 20, 2020. The registration will be followed by a lengthy licensing process that could begin as early as October 2020. To register, go to https://www.nj.gov/dep/dshw/a901/a901frms.htm

For the full language of the bill, go to https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/AL19/397_.PDF

BCONE 2019 In Review Before We Get Too Far Into 2020!

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 18:37:36 GMT

Food and brownfields were a popular duo on 2019:

There was a splendid cake to celebrate the 10th Annual Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW) in 2019.

Breakfast seminars were held in three states: CA, CT and NJ. The advertising for the seminars included a lovely photo of pancakes. At the NJ seminar series, breakfast came with a side of continuing education credits.

BCONE’s fall event in PA included a great time in a brewery. Yes, beer is food.

The fall Aspiring Professionals event with BCONE, SWEP, AHMP, AEG and LSRPA included Chimney Rock’s famous pizza.

Seminars covered many topics in 2019, from Opportunity Zones to emerging contaminants. From community collaboratives to due diligence. We addressed amendments to the Site Remediation Reform Act and expansions to CT’s Licensed Environmental Professionals’ authority, changes to remediation standards, other proposals for privatized environmental programs, and the intersection of brownfield remediation, redevelopment, resiliency, and land conservation.

BCONE representatives spoke at the National Brownfield Conference. We met with environmental and economic development commissioners and wrote to support or oppose legislation and budget proposals. The Coalition’s by-laws have been amended and a new Board is about to meet for the first time in 2020. BCONE solidified its relationships with other like-minded non-profits and strengthened our relationship with Brownfield Listings, the NYS Council of Professional Geologists and CT’s Environmental Business Council.

BCONE’s membership and sponsorships grew in 2019, as did our number of events and number of eblasts to let our members know about upcoming events and news. Steve Dwyer continues as our blogger and we are improving BCONE’s social media presence thanks to Tiesha Green. Our committees’ activity is growing and they are always looking for new members.

BCONE is so proud to continue to offer scholarships to grow the next generation of brownfield professionals. We honor Charlie Bartsch thanks to your generous tax-deductible donations and the fundraisers that we hold twice a year with our colleagues at the NYC Brownfield Partnership and SWEP. Scholarships in 2019 were awarded for exciting student projects. We need your excellent ideas on how we create a sustainable, dedicated funding stream to increase the scholarships to all states within the BCONE geography.

Please let us know what you enjoyed most about BCONE in 2019; let us know your recommendations for improvement in 2020. Join a committee, write an article, attend the first-ever Annual Membership Meeting in 2020 (more details to follow). Tell us if we are sending you too many eblasts. Suggest how to increase our social media effectiveness. Bring an aspiring professional to the next event you attend. Spend some of 2020 with us. And have a terrific new year.

Call for NSCW 2020 Sessions Ideas is Now Open

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 15:31:54 GMT

You Are Invited to Be Part of the Northeast’s Premier Brownfields Conference

Are you a brownfield professional? Are you part of an organization that works in brownfields redevelopment or community sustainability? Do you design, develop, or implement brownfields solutions? Then you should be presenting at the Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW) 2020!

NSCW is the premier metropolitan workshop on identifying sustainable goals and strategies for revitalizing communities and brownfields. It is being held this year on May 5th at a very exciting location; the War Memorial in Trenton, NJ. NSCW is like no other conference you've been a part of: PowerPoint presentations are sparse and image-only; speakers are concise, yet informative; and, there is plenty of time in each session for dialogue between attendees, speakers, and moderators.

BCONE is currently accepting proposals for presentations at our 11th annual conference. NSCW organizers are looking for proposals related to sustainability. Submissions may address either broad or niche areas; research projects or case studies; management and policy challenges; and local, regional, or national issues. Back by popular demand is our poster competition allowing presenters to showcase their research; and new this year, we are offering an amazing opportunity with the Municipal Opportunity Showcase that gives cities, towns, departments and committees the opportunity to promote current sites available for redevelopment in their local communities.

How Do I Submit a Session Idea?

There are Panel Options for the Plenary sessions, 60- and 30-Minute sessions, 5-Minute Lighting Talks; and Poster submissions, as well as submissions for the Municipal Opportunity Showcase!

To submit, click on this link for instructions and this link to complete the application form for the 60-, 50-, 30-minute Workshops and 5-minute Lightning Talks. For Poster submissions, click here. For Municipal Opportunity Showcase submissions, click here.

The Call for Session Topics is open until December 20, 2019.

Connecting The Dots: BCONE Bartsch Scholarship Program and Stafford, Conn. Notching $300K Assessment Grant

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 18:20:34 GMT

By Steve Dwyer

The impartial judges who selected a University of Connecticut brownfield project worthy of scholarship money back in the winter are seeing their selection become double-reinforced.

A group of four UCONN students conducted field work in the town of Stafford, Conn.—carrying out primarily phase investigations 1,2 and 3, and for their efforts secured $2,000 from BCONE as part of the Charlie Bartsch Brownfield Scholarship.

In September, the focus was back on the community of Stafford when U.S. EPA selected the community for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. The target area for the grant is downtown and northeast areas of Stafford—amounting to $221,000 for hazardous substances and $79,000 for petroleum.

Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds are expected to be used to conduct three Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments and prepare one cleanup plan. Community-wide petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct one Phase I and one Phase II environmental site assessment and to prepare one cleanup plan. Grant funds also will be used to prepare a reuse plan or market analysis for two sites and conduct community outreach activities.

BCONE Board member Mark Lewis, Brownfields Coordinator, Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection, Office of Constituent Affairs and Land Management, was one of three judges that picked the UCONN team that worked in Stafford.

“The students presented the results of their research very convincingly, and also delivered a great verbal presentation. The combination made it clear to the three judges that Stafford’s project was the winner among several very deserving candidates,” says Lewis. “And it turned out that the EPA agreed with us, in the context of awarding the town the grant money.”

Lewis knows the narrative of Stafford. He says that the town that has been known for several mill properties fell on difficult times when mills closed. But a rebirth ensued in 2014 and now a grant from EPA has been bestowed to allow it to continue its ambitious road to prosperity.

“Years ago, the town entered into our (state of Conn.) abandoned brownfield program, but in 2014 an angel investor acquired one of the textile mills that had been shuttered and put it back online—in turn putting a lot of people back to work and helping infuse the town several ways, including economically,” says Lewis, about a mill that sees its production used by U.S. military operations.

Starting with the UCONN students performing the upfront work, the work now set to commence thanks to the EPA grant will help identify the best, most cost-effective way to clean up other abandoned former brownfields. “This lays the groundwork on creating a roadmap on what steps need to be taken for the cleanup and what steps are needed to put sites back into productive use,” says Lewis. “This grant also could lay the groundwork for further state, local and federal financing to the town. The grant Stafford received essentially take towns that are ‘stuck’ and makes them ‘unstuck.’”

Lewis adds that Stafford is “a fairly typical mill town in north central Connecticut. I would say what we’re really trying to do is use the same Yankee ingenuity that helped Connecticut become a leader in the industrial revolution to being a leader in cleaning up abandoned sites.”

Students Paved The Way

You could say that the four UCONN students—Connor Oakes, Chris Falk, Matthew McKenna and Caressa Wakeman—laid the groundwork for the EPA grant being provided to Stafford. No doubt that the scholarship shone a light on the community—and those at EPA and beyond took notice.

The UCONN foursome, who were each awarded $500 to go towards their educations, visited Stafford five times during the fall 2018 semester, conducted phone work and captured many details about the community and the current state of brownfields by getting documents from town hall. After conducting Phase investigations 1,2 and 3, they prepared the assessment grant and gave a 15-minutes presentation in class about their efforts.

The team identified five brownfield sites in Stafford, a town of about 12,000 residents. One was an old school with incidence of asbestos and lead paint, while two were textile mills. They were also in close proximity to waterways.

The students were studying in UCONN’s CT Brownfields Initiative, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, under the direction of Dr. Nefeli Bompoti, Ph.D., assistant research professor, and Marisa Chrysochoou, Ph.D., director, Connecticut Brownfields Initiative, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

In addition to Lewis, the other two judges were Don Friday, project manager at the CT Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), and Sarah Trombetta, senior project manager at TRC Companies.

All total, 151 grant were awards amounting to $64.6 million in EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant Programs. These funds will aid under-served and economically disadvantaged communities in Opportunity Zones and other parts of the country in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Forty-percent of the communities selected for funding will receive assistance for the first time.

Lewis says that preparing grants to have a chance for the capital is a challenge. “In many small towns—in Connecticut and elsewhere—municipal staffs are stretched very thin, and lack the proper resources to prepare grants to the letter of completion,” he says. “These EPA grants for brownfields are also extremely competitive. Basically, there are a lot of dedicated people but only so many hours in the day (to attend to grant writing preparation).”

You could say that the UCONN students helped the town out on the front-end work for the grant with the submission of their report, which no doubt was rich with content ultimately used in the grant proposal.

Lewis says that the UCONN students not only were pleased about receiving scholarship money and receiving real-world experience, but “they were able to see that their efforts actually made a difference for a local community, as witnessed by the EPA grant in September.”

NJ’s Community Collaborative Initiative (CCI) As Presented at BCONE’s August 21, 2019 Hot Topics Breakfast Meeting

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 17:43:02 GMT

Many thanks to BCONE Board Member Alan Miller of NJDEP for presenting on the CCI and thanks also to Advisory Council Member Neil Yoskin, Esq. of Cullen and Dykman LLP for his wonderful writeup. If you missed the breakfast and the recent newspaper coverage about the CCI, here is what you need to know about the program.

The Community Collaborative Initiative (CCI) originated organically in the late 2000s from NJDEP’s Brownfield Development Area (BDA) in Camden, NJ. BDA manager Frank McLaughlin of DEP began to integrate brownfields redevelopment with other environmental challenges like combined sewage overflow (CSO) flooding and lack of community access to the waterfront. It was expanded to other cities as a pilot program: DEP looked for locations where BDAs and CSOs overlapped, and identified eleven candidate cities, notably Perth Amboy and Trenton. CCI is undergoing a major expansion into several cities in Southern New Jersey this month (September, 2019).

The CCI Program helps make good projects great and addresses environmental challenges, economic development, and quality of life issues. The CCI approach involves DEP as a partner, not a regulator. One of the significant differences between CCI and other programs is that a DEP representative is embedded as part of the team. Alan Miller, for example, is embedded in Bayonne. Also, the municipality sets the CCI priorities, not DEP.

CCI is a collaborative process: across local and state government and across agencies. It is housed in DEP’s Site Remediation Program for administrative purposes and reports to Director Ken Kloo. Another state organization, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) has funded a program expansion. Current CEO of EDA, Tim Sullivan, has a strong background in brownfields from his experience in NY and CT and BCONE has had the pleasure of working with Mr. Sullivan over the years in his many roles. EDA and DEP are partners on many programs, including brownfield loans and grants. The Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Division of Local Government Services can play a role in the process, as can qualified Opportunity Zones.

10th Anniversary of the Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop - By and For Brownfielders

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 17:44:41 GMT

By: Sue Boyle, GEI Consultants and Executive Director, BCONE and Barry Hersh, NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate

The genesis of the NSCW was the realization that brownfield redevelopment was a regional market; metro New York including NYC and suburbs and parts of CT, NJ and PA. NSCW founders also saw early, before Superstorm Sandy, the connections between sustainable and resilient communities and brownfield redevelopment. A predecessor was called Tri-State Brownfield Conference, but NSCW founders wanted real, free-flowing participation; with many panels, time for discussions, and minimal use of PowerPoints. NSCW is self-sustaining, by and for Brownfielders; affordable- especially for community organizations and government officials, led by significant volunteer effort, with limited contracted staff assistance.

NSCW's goal has always been to break new ground, offer new ideas and new concepts on the topics of sustainability, collaboration and leverage, contamination, resiliency, redevelopment challenges, remediation technology, and their impact on community revitalization. Attendees include a vibrant mix of representatives from communities, government, higher education, professional organizations, and laboratories, as well as attorneys, developers, contractors, and consultants.

NSCW was never about "stars," but over the years we’ve heard from some notable leaders; the inimitable Charlie Bartsch, Mathy Stanislaus then new Assistant Administrator at USEPA’s OSWER, Ed Chu then of White House Council on Environmental Quality, David Lloyd and others from USEPA. Also numerous NJ, NY and CT State commissioners, New York City’s first OER Director Dan Walsh several times, plus other officials and private brownfield redevelopers such as Joe Cotter, George Vallone and Alexander Durst. For our 10th anniversary we are, as we did the first NSCW, having a representative from the Federal Reserve Bank.

Who were the pioneers who created NSCW? Let’s start with Lee Ilan of NY and Sue Boyle NJ, who have volunteered to plan and implement all ten NSCWs and the three Tri-States that preceded. Other original team members over the decade plus include Michael Taylor CT, Colleen Kokas NJ, Gary Rozmus NY, Larry Schnapf NY, Barry Hersh CT, Beth Barton CT, Lee Hoffman CT, Brian Clark PA, and Jill Gaito PA. NJ Society of Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP) was the “official” organizational backstop for contracts in the early years and the long-time sponsor of the networking receptions each year thanks to Jeanne Mroczk

Thank you to all of the current, multi-year volunteers, especially Elizabeth Limbrick and Rick Shoyer. Joining them: Jeff Entin, Wanda Monahan, Geoff Forrest, Alan Miller, Sharon McSwieney, Jen Carling, Rob Crespi, Ben Alter, and Trevan Houser. Others who were multi-year, active volunteers in the past include Shira Gidding Shaul and Sarit Platkin of NY, Cristin Mustillo NJ, Hannah Moore NY, Tim Kinsella NJ, Rick Gimello NJ, Jim Mack NJ, Chelsea Albucher NJ, Lya Thoedoratos of USEPA Region 2, Steve Danyew, and Skelly Holmbeck.

NSCW always sought locations with good mass transit: 2009 and 2010 were held at NJIT, Newark NJ; we experimented with a half-day session in 2011 at Housatonic Community College, Bridgeport, CT; and 2012 returned to the Big Apple at John Jay College as NSCW, not Tri-State. The goal was to move around geographically in the region, but it also became clear that the location needed to be close to the core group of volunteers, which is why NJ is the most frequent location. BCONE as an incorporated non-profit organization took NSCW under its wing 2014 for contractual, financial and other infrastructure necessities and added limited but important contracted professional staff resources to supplement our tireless volunteers. NSCW returned to NJ in 2014 at the Liberty Science Center, Jersey City; we crossed the Hudson River again in 2015 to hold NSCW downtown at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York City (both were spectacular venues); and we found our home at NJIT for 2016 - 2019. NJIT has been a supportive partner for NSCW and BCONE, thanks to Colette Santasieri, Sean Vroom and Elizabeth Limbrick. Our volunteers and contracted staff are primarily based in NJ so the location works well for their busy schedules. BCONE welcomes events in CT, NY and/or PA if there is volunteer infrastructure to support the event location.

NSCW began its annual awards in 2017, only a couple of years ago. We also began providing Continuing Education Credits in multiple states thanks to the Rutgers Continuing Education program’s Pamela Springard-Mayer.

So this 10th Anniversary is worth a walk down the NSCW memory lane and a slice of cake!

Thank you to Lee Ilan, Colleen Kokas, and Elizabeth Limbrick for providing their memories and electronic files!