Author: RiverAdmin
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Midspring Project Update
Published first on the Progress News, April 11, 2022 With daffodils beginning to bloom all around us, it’s official. Spring is really, truly here, regardless of how many snow flurries we might still get! And with spring comes the much-anticipated return of suitable weather conditions for our boots-on-the-ground projects. As always, in the brownfield redevelopment world, especially, physical… Read more
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Waterfront Opportunities
Published first on the Progress News, March 28, 2022 One of the greatest joys of traveling is seeing how other people do things, how challenges are identified and overcome, how resources are shared and utilized, and what sorts of impacts actions have in differing places. I was in Chicago last week, which certainly has its fair… Read more
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The Role of Business
Published first on the Progress News, March 21, 2022 We talk a lot in this column about the role of community organizations like the ORA, and we’ve touched somewhat on the role of individuals and businesses in community redevelopment. Today, though, I’d like to take a deeper dive into the role of businesses in community resilience. It… Read more
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Expanding Our Focus
Published first on the Progress News, March 14, 2022 As we have gotten our regional Redevelopment program off the ground, our first focus areas have been Emlenton and Oil City, where the ORA already had significant on-the-ground presence and property. Now, as our program has matured, our capacity has increased, and the first few priority sites… Read more
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Community Resilience
Published first on the Progress News, March 7, 2022 I frequently talk about the concept and goals of redevelopment, but this week I’d like to step back a little and look at the even bigger picture: Community Resilience. Community resilience refers to the ability of any given community to process, adapt to, and learn from adversity… Read more
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Superfunds: Super Scary, but Super Rewarding!
Published first on the Progress News, February 28, 2022 With spring just around the corner, I’m starting to get excited about the upcoming season of on-the-ground works, with projects kicking off or starting back up in Oil City, Reno, Foxburg, Emlenton, Grove City, and probably more! It will be a busy year for Redevelopment, to… Read more
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An Engineering Perspective
Published first on the Progress News, February 14, 2022 When the ORA acquired the former Fuchs property in Emlenton, we were fortunate to partner with the skilled Environmental Engineering team at Moody & Associates. With their decades of experience in brownfield work, the Meadville-based firm has been helping us document and plan a remediation strategy to… Read more
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Redevelopment Planning
Published first on the Progress News, February 7, 2022 Ever wonder how Redevelopment projects are prioritized and planned? For those not involved in the behind-the-scenes strategy sessions involved in redevelopment work, it can sometimes seem like decisions are made somewhat arbitrarily, or opportunistically. Frankly, sometimes it seems like that to those of us in redevelopment, too! But there… Read more
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A Local Perspective of the Biological Kind
Published first on the Progress News, January 31, 2022 Guest Column by Freshwater Biologist Lisa McKenzie Redevelopment – the action or process of developing something again or differently. When I first ventured into redevelopment work as an environmental biologist nearly a year ago, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It was unlike anything I… Read more
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Entrepreneurs Invited!
Published first on the Progress News, January 24, 2022 After last week’s article on upcoming solar-focused projects, I received some questions about other business opportunities that might arise around our region. If you are an entrepreneur, looking for a new line of work, or just curious about what’s happening in our area, this information might interest… Read more
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More Solar Opportunities
Published first on the Progress News, January 17, 2022 Continuing the conversation from last week, let’s look at a few more redevelopment opportunities in the field of solar energy. From conventional residential solar panels to research on new gizmos and gadgets, there is quite a bit coming up with which homeowners, landowners, business owners, organizations, and… Read more
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Solar Grazing for the Win
Published first on the Progress News, January 10, 2022 While it might be hard to imagine with snow blanketing the ground, my head is currently filled with visions of lush green grass and fragrant native herbs, all dotted with a rainbow of wildflowers. Bees and butterflies flit from flower to flower, and a small herd of… Read more