BETHLEHEM, Pa. – From being the home of one of America’s largest steelmakers, to being transformed to an entertainment campus. Bethlehem Steel is in the statewide spotlight.
“Generally speaking, the area has been a brownfields kind of gem,” said John Gross, Brownfields Development Group Manager with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
It is all part of the Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference. Environmental professionals from across the state are getting to see how once contaminated and abandoned properties can be converted into modern day use.
“Bringing everybody together to get the ideas flowing, the juices flowing is how things can get redeveloped,” said Gross.
People at the conference are also touring buildings where work has yet to be done, like former Bethlehem Steel Offices.
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Meanwhile, they are getting a glimpse at turn and grind. The 150-year-old build helped make parts for Navy ships and is now being transformed into a new ArtsQuest venue.
“We think bringing together all of the stakeholders of a variety of standpoints coming together is magic. That’s where a lot of these discussions take place, how to get those sites back, other creative ways to use it,” said David Teorsky, general manager of the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Former Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, who is now with Peron Development said he thinks only a few other places around the country have developed brownfields better than Bethlehem.
“We still have some more work to do, but I think it’s great to bring people here who have similar projects or situations in their community and they can learn from that, as we did before us,” said Callahan.
People are also touring sites in Easton and Allentown. The Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference runs through Wednesday.