In less than three months on the job as the Coordinator of the Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Initiative (LVLRI), Holly Wilde Edinger has revitalized the program by refocusing attention on the potential of brownfield sites across the Valley.
From the Riverfront project along the Lehigh River in Allentown to the Coca-Cola Stadium at the former Agere site to a proposed new recycling and composting facility in East Allen Township, LVLRI and Edinger have been working to bring renewed attention to the potential of former industrial sites throughout the Lehigh Valley.
LVLRI is assisting the DunnTwiggar Company in the redevelopment of the Lehigh Steel Property along the Allentown waterfront. By utilizing EPA Grant dollars for assessment work LVLRI has funded over $25,000 for environmental investigation on the 26-acre site. LVLRI recently secured from the EPA through the Targeted Brownfield Assessment Program. This additional work with provide the necessary site characterization data to pursue site closure under Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling Program (Act 2).
“Helping a developer identify environmental impacts before the purchase the property gives a project clarity that moves it forward,” Edinger said. “Developers can be put off by the history of a property. Our initiative uses the EPA Assessment Grant to perform Phase I and II investigations on a site. This gives a developer a clear idea of what they are getting into. It can also provide the peace of mind to a lending institution involved in the project.”
LVLRI is also working with East Allen Township. Partnering with East Allen and The First Regional Compost Authority the group has identified an old dairy farm, owned by the township, to be redeveloped into a multi-municipality compost and possible recycling center. LVLRI will be providing Phase I and II assessment of this property and will assist the township and the First Regional Compost Authority in identifying resources to clean up the site and get it ready for the recycling center.
“This is a terrific project because it taking a brownfield and using it for something green, like recycling,” said Edinger.
LVLRI also worked with the City of Allentown and Lehigh County to secure insurance for the new Iron Pigs baseball stadium that will open in April 2008.
An Allentown resident with a Bachelor of Science degree from Philadelphia University, Edinger was hired in August to work with LVEDC and Lehigh and Northampton County economic development leaders to encourage the redevelopment of industrial and commercial buildings and sites – commonly known as brownfields -- that are underutilized, abandoned or in need of rehabilitation. The position is funded through grants from Lehigh and Northampton counties and the LVLRI program is managed by LVEDC.
LVLRI is financially supported by Lehigh and Northampton Counties.
Edinger said the potential to redevelop unused or underutilized commercial and industrial sites presents a variety of opportunities for the Lehigh Valley.
“We can protect taxpayers by putting these properties back into productive use and back on the tax rolls, we can preserve open space by redirecting appropriate development to our urban cores, and we can save money for the developers by giving them access to sites that in most cases already have the infrastructure to support their plans,” Edinger said.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Jeff Warrn wins Easton City Council seat
Warren, 30, is chief legislative assistant to state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton. Warren will step down from the city's Zoning Hearing Board, which he served on since May 2006.
This year's election focused on three main issues: the Police Department, finances and economic development.
The three winning candidates all said they support Police Chief Larry Palmer and will find ways to hire more officers to the full complement of 64.
The winners also agree a full-time finance director would help collect more than $1 million in unpaid debts.
This year's election focused on three main issues: the Police Department, finances and economic development.
The three winning candidates all said they support Police Chief Larry Palmer and will find ways to hire more officers to the full complement of 64.
The winners also agree a full-time finance director would help collect more than $1 million in unpaid debts.
YP Peter Schweyer wins in Allentown
Peter Schweyer, 29, chief of staff for state Rep. Jennifer Mann has been elected to Allentown City Council.
Schweyer, who grew up in center city Allentown, said he was moved as he visited the polls and saw people he's known his entire life voting for him.
''I'm very humbled by the whole experience,'' he said. ''Allentown's my hometown. I'll do anything I can to protect its integrity and move it forward.''
Schweyer, who grew up in center city Allentown, said he was moved as he visited the polls and saw people he's known his entire life voting for him.
''I'm very humbled by the whole experience,'' he said. ''Allentown's my hometown. I'll do anything I can to protect its integrity and move it forward.''
Aide set to be youngest on Bethlehem City Council
Political newcomer J. William Reynolds on Tuesday captured a seat on Bethlehem City Council, making him the youngest council member ever and continuing the Democratic Party's monopoly of the board.
'I didn't run for council to set any record -- this is the town I grew up in, the town I love, and I ran to make it better,'' Reynolds said while watching the election returns with friends at the Bethlehem Brew Works. ''No one's life is going to get better by one election. It's what happens over the next four years that matters.''
Reynolds ran an aggressive campaign in the more competitive and crowded primary field and kept up the pressure during the fall as he, two incumbent Democrats and Republican Lee vied for three council seats.
At candidates' forums this year, Reynolds drove home the message that he had more at stake than any other candidate running. As a young professional, he said, he knows the challenges Bethlehem faces to get young people to stay and raise families in the city.
Before Reynolds, now-Mayor John Callahan held the distinction as being the youngest city councilman when he was elected in 1997 at the age of 28.
Reynolds was a star athlete at Moravian College and Liberty High School and now works as a legislative aide for state Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Northampton and Lehigh.
'I didn't run for council to set any record -- this is the town I grew up in, the town I love, and I ran to make it better,'' Reynolds said while watching the election returns with friends at the Bethlehem Brew Works. ''No one's life is going to get better by one election. It's what happens over the next four years that matters.''
Reynolds ran an aggressive campaign in the more competitive and crowded primary field and kept up the pressure during the fall as he, two incumbent Democrats and Republican Lee vied for three council seats.
At candidates' forums this year, Reynolds drove home the message that he had more at stake than any other candidate running. As a young professional, he said, he knows the challenges Bethlehem faces to get young people to stay and raise families in the city.
Before Reynolds, now-Mayor John Callahan held the distinction as being the youngest city councilman when he was elected in 1997 at the age of 28.
Reynolds was a star athlete at Moravian College and Liberty High School and now works as a legislative aide for state Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Northampton and Lehigh.
Bucks County approves open space spending
Bucks County voters appeared to speak resoundingly in favor of saving their scenic landscapes Tuesday, telling county officials to move forward with plans to borrow $87 million for a second round of open space preservation.
The open space question was at the top of many voters' lists of reasons for coming out to vote in a the low-profile, off-year election.
Most appeared to share the opinion of Dublin's Jennifer Berg, who voted yes on the ballot question.
''Bucks County has had astronomical population growth,'' said Berg, 31, outside her polling place Tuesday afternoon. ''Farmland and natural areas are getting eaten up.''
Some other voters, apparently in the minority, said they didn't think the open space money was being used wisely.
Wayne Wexler, 41, of Hilltown Township said he thinks there is little public benefit to open space expenditures, especially when land is preserved without public access.
''I'm not a believer in what they are doing with the money,'' Wexler said. ''I don't see the benefit.''
Bucks County officials plan to borrow the money in installments, reaching the full $87 million around 2014.
A decade ago, voters approved the county's first $59 million open space program by a margin of more than 2-1, resulting in the preservation of roughly 15,000 acres over the program's first 10 years.
The newly approved spending will allow Bucks County to continue preserving farmland, natural areas and park land throughout the next decade.
It is expected to cost the average taxpayer roughly $10 in 2008, rising to $30 a year in 2014.
Leading up to the vote, a nonpartisan group led by former U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, former county commissioner Andy Warren and Judge William Hart Rufe, formed to promote the initiative.
''The alternate is to permit the county to become overdeveloped, congested, paved over, all of which will require additional government investment in schools and emergency services, trash collection and schools,'' Fitzpatrick said.
The group lined up a long list of municipal officials, business organizations and environmental advocates as supporters of the ballot initiative under the banner: Save Bucks County.
The money will be split up this way: $26 million for municipal grants, $25 million for farmland preservation, $19 million for parks, $11 million for natural areas and $7 million for Delaware riverfront.
The open space question was at the top of many voters' lists of reasons for coming out to vote in a the low-profile, off-year election.
Most appeared to share the opinion of Dublin's Jennifer Berg, who voted yes on the ballot question.
''Bucks County has had astronomical population growth,'' said Berg, 31, outside her polling place Tuesday afternoon. ''Farmland and natural areas are getting eaten up.''
Some other voters, apparently in the minority, said they didn't think the open space money was being used wisely.
Wayne Wexler, 41, of Hilltown Township said he thinks there is little public benefit to open space expenditures, especially when land is preserved without public access.
''I'm not a believer in what they are doing with the money,'' Wexler said. ''I don't see the benefit.''
Bucks County officials plan to borrow the money in installments, reaching the full $87 million around 2014.
A decade ago, voters approved the county's first $59 million open space program by a margin of more than 2-1, resulting in the preservation of roughly 15,000 acres over the program's first 10 years.
The newly approved spending will allow Bucks County to continue preserving farmland, natural areas and park land throughout the next decade.
It is expected to cost the average taxpayer roughly $10 in 2008, rising to $30 a year in 2014.
Leading up to the vote, a nonpartisan group led by former U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, former county commissioner Andy Warren and Judge William Hart Rufe, formed to promote the initiative.
''The alternate is to permit the county to become overdeveloped, congested, paved over, all of which will require additional government investment in schools and emergency services, trash collection and schools,'' Fitzpatrick said.
The group lined up a long list of municipal officials, business organizations and environmental advocates as supporters of the ballot initiative under the banner: Save Bucks County.
The money will be split up this way: $26 million for municipal grants, $25 million for farmland preservation, $19 million for parks, $11 million for natural areas and $7 million for Delaware riverfront.
House approves federal protection for gay workers
From the New York Times:
"The House on Wednesday approved a bill granting broad protections against discrimination in the workplace for gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, a measure that supporters praised as the most important civil rights legislation since the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 but that opponents said would result in unnecessary lawsuits.
The bill, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, is the latest version of legislation that Democrats have pursued since 1974. Representatives Edward I. Koch and Bella Abzug of New York then sought to protect gay men and lesbians with a measure they introduced on the fifth anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the brawl between gay men and police officers at a bar in Greenwich Village that is widely viewed as the start of the American gay rights movement.
“On this proud day of the 110th Congress, we will chart a new direction for civil rights,” said Representative Kathy Castor, a Florida Democrat and a gay rights advocate, in a speech before the vote. “On this proud day, the Congress will act to ensure that all Americans are granted equal rights in the work place.”
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and a longtime supporter of gay rights legislation, said he would move swiftly to introduce a similar measure in the Senate. Some Senate Republicans said that, if worded carefully, it would have a good chance of passing, perhaps early next year.
Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, has said that she would be the lead co-sponsor of the Senate bill. Ms. Collins, in a statement, said that the House vote “provides important momentum” and that “there is growing support in the Senate for strengthening federal laws to protect American workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation.”
President Bush threatened to veto an earlier version of the bill, but a White House spokesman, Tony Fratto, said the administration would need to review recent changes before making a final decision. Few Democrats expect Mr. Bush to change his mind.
The House bill would make it illegal for an employer “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment of the individual, because of such individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.”
While 19 states and Washington, D.C., have laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation, and many cities offer similar protections, federal law offers no such shield, though it does bar discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, sex, age, disability and pregnancy."
The bill, however, does not outlaw discrimination based on gender identity.
"To ensure passage of the bill, Ms. Pelosi and other Democrats, including Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who is openly gay, removed language granting protections to transsexual and transgender individuals by barring discrimination based on sexual identity, a move that infuriated gay rights groups.
The Democrats also carved out a blanket exemption for religious groups, drawing the ire of civil liberties advocates who argued that church-run hospitals, for instance, should not be permitted to discriminate against gay employees. The civil liberties groups wanted a narrow exemption for religious employers.
On the House floor, Ms. Pelosi acknowledged challenges. “History teaches us that progress on civil rights is never easy,” she said. “It is often marked by small and difficult steps.”
"The House on Wednesday approved a bill granting broad protections against discrimination in the workplace for gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, a measure that supporters praised as the most important civil rights legislation since the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 but that opponents said would result in unnecessary lawsuits.
The bill, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, is the latest version of legislation that Democrats have pursued since 1974. Representatives Edward I. Koch and Bella Abzug of New York then sought to protect gay men and lesbians with a measure they introduced on the fifth anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the brawl between gay men and police officers at a bar in Greenwich Village that is widely viewed as the start of the American gay rights movement.
“On this proud day of the 110th Congress, we will chart a new direction for civil rights,” said Representative Kathy Castor, a Florida Democrat and a gay rights advocate, in a speech before the vote. “On this proud day, the Congress will act to ensure that all Americans are granted equal rights in the work place.”
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and a longtime supporter of gay rights legislation, said he would move swiftly to introduce a similar measure in the Senate. Some Senate Republicans said that, if worded carefully, it would have a good chance of passing, perhaps early next year.
Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, has said that she would be the lead co-sponsor of the Senate bill. Ms. Collins, in a statement, said that the House vote “provides important momentum” and that “there is growing support in the Senate for strengthening federal laws to protect American workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation.”
President Bush threatened to veto an earlier version of the bill, but a White House spokesman, Tony Fratto, said the administration would need to review recent changes before making a final decision. Few Democrats expect Mr. Bush to change his mind.
The House bill would make it illegal for an employer “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment of the individual, because of such individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.”
While 19 states and Washington, D.C., have laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation, and many cities offer similar protections, federal law offers no such shield, though it does bar discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, sex, age, disability and pregnancy."
The bill, however, does not outlaw discrimination based on gender identity.
"To ensure passage of the bill, Ms. Pelosi and other Democrats, including Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who is openly gay, removed language granting protections to transsexual and transgender individuals by barring discrimination based on sexual identity, a move that infuriated gay rights groups.
The Democrats also carved out a blanket exemption for religious groups, drawing the ire of civil liberties advocates who argued that church-run hospitals, for instance, should not be permitted to discriminate against gay employees. The civil liberties groups wanted a narrow exemption for religious employers.
On the House floor, Ms. Pelosi acknowledged challenges. “History teaches us that progress on civil rights is never easy,” she said. “It is often marked by small and difficult steps.”
Bike commuter given lower car insurance rates
A recent bike commuter convert remarks on his journey to a smaller carbon footprint:
Can bicycles really make a difference in fighting global warming?
I had been pondering this question for several months, especially as I watched my colleague Tom bike to work from his home in Menlo Park to our office in San Francisco with an assist from the special bike cars on Caltrain. Tom was riding almost every day, rain or shine. He encouraged me to try it, but I didn’t think it was possible from my home in the Berkeley hills. My regular routine was to drive my 15-year old Honda Accord to North Berkeley and park the car in a lot, ride the train into downtown San Francisco, and walk the rest of the way to the office. The major hurdle to biking the Berkeley section was the 700 foot elevation change in 2.1 miles, which would be fine going down, but would require an arduous climb back up.
I also hadn’t owned a bicycle since I was in graduate school 20 years ago. After a little research, I bought a pretty basic Giant brand bike with hybrid tires, upright handle-bars, a cushy seat and 24 gears. It cost me $469 plus another $90 for a helmet, front and back lights, and a good lock. Nothing fancy, but the bike salesman said it would do the job.
I started riding in June. What a rush to go down the hill! Wind in my face, views of the City by the Bay, and no worries about finding a parking spot. I took the bike on BART and then rode from a San Francisco station to work. On the way home, I did everything in reverse. The hill was a bear, but I found that if took it slow and steady and used my gears I could actually make it all the way up without having to walk the bike. And it was an excellent workout. I arrived home drenched in sweat and pleased with my surprising accomplishment.
Along the way I learned some bike commuting tricks. I kept several sets of clothes at the office, including a suit and tie if important meetings came up unexpectedly. I installed a rack on the bike and used bungee cords to secure my backpack.
After a month, I could feel my legs getting stronger and I wasn’t huffing and puffing up the hill so much. I looked forward to the ride home, both for the exercise and the chance to decompress. I also found that I could use the bike for errands, e.g., grocery shopping, trips to the library, or sporting events at the university. Each time I had to go somewhere, I asked myself: is there any reason I can’t go by bike? Some weeks I realized that I never started up my car.
Now it’s been five months of biking to and from work every day. This weekend I measured my gasoline usage from January to May (115 gallons) and June to October (55 gallons). My auto-related carbon emissions dropped from 2,249 pounds to 1,031 pounds over a comparable five-month period.
I’m not saying everyone can make such changes in personal transportation. But if 20% of urban dwellers in the U.S. would shift from a car to a bike as their primary way to get around town, it would add up to a lot of tons of real carbon reductions.
Can bicycles really make a difference in fighting global warming?
I had been pondering this question for several months, especially as I watched my colleague Tom bike to work from his home in Menlo Park to our office in San Francisco with an assist from the special bike cars on Caltrain. Tom was riding almost every day, rain or shine. He encouraged me to try it, but I didn’t think it was possible from my home in the Berkeley hills. My regular routine was to drive my 15-year old Honda Accord to North Berkeley and park the car in a lot, ride the train into downtown San Francisco, and walk the rest of the way to the office. The major hurdle to biking the Berkeley section was the 700 foot elevation change in 2.1 miles, which would be fine going down, but would require an arduous climb back up.
I also hadn’t owned a bicycle since I was in graduate school 20 years ago. After a little research, I bought a pretty basic Giant brand bike with hybrid tires, upright handle-bars, a cushy seat and 24 gears. It cost me $469 plus another $90 for a helmet, front and back lights, and a good lock. Nothing fancy, but the bike salesman said it would do the job.
I started riding in June. What a rush to go down the hill! Wind in my face, views of the City by the Bay, and no worries about finding a parking spot. I took the bike on BART and then rode from a San Francisco station to work. On the way home, I did everything in reverse. The hill was a bear, but I found that if took it slow and steady and used my gears I could actually make it all the way up without having to walk the bike. And it was an excellent workout. I arrived home drenched in sweat and pleased with my surprising accomplishment.
Along the way I learned some bike commuting tricks. I kept several sets of clothes at the office, including a suit and tie if important meetings came up unexpectedly. I installed a rack on the bike and used bungee cords to secure my backpack.
After a month, I could feel my legs getting stronger and I wasn’t huffing and puffing up the hill so much. I looked forward to the ride home, both for the exercise and the chance to decompress. I also found that I could use the bike for errands, e.g., grocery shopping, trips to the library, or sporting events at the university. Each time I had to go somewhere, I asked myself: is there any reason I can’t go by bike? Some weeks I realized that I never started up my car.
Now it’s been five months of biking to and from work every day. This weekend I measured my gasoline usage from January to May (115 gallons) and June to October (55 gallons). My auto-related carbon emissions dropped from 2,249 pounds to 1,031 pounds over a comparable five-month period.
I’m not saying everyone can make such changes in personal transportation. But if 20% of urban dwellers in the U.S. would shift from a car to a bike as their primary way to get around town, it would add up to a lot of tons of real carbon reductions.
As an added benefit he was able to reduce his car insurance by $186:
This morning I called GEICO to see if my reduced driving habits would lead to a lower insurance rate. I told the agent that by biking to work and for errands I would drive 3,000 miles less for the year. I also reported that I no longer parked my car in the public BART lot each day, thus greatly reducing the risk of a break-in or theft.
Because of these two changes, effective today my annual car insurance rate dropped by $186. I then estimated other savings from becoming a bike commuter.
- Gas savings @ $3.25/gallon: $468/year
- Parking fees (no more $1/day to BART): $250/year
- Oil change (one less needed during year): $30/year
- Total savings: $934/year
In sum, if I can keep up the biking through the Bay Area winter (we do get rain here), my bicycle investment will pay off in eight months, five of which have already passed. So by the end of January, I will reach break-even financially. And that’s in addition to the carbon and health benefits. This is a good deal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)