Redevelopment Works

You’ve probably heard at least one of these phrases before, and they’re true. This week I want to talk about something that has the potential…

Community resilience has been defined as the ability of communities to prepare for, withstand, adapt to, and quickly recover from disaster or hardship. Hardships hit…

Winter might seem like it would be a pretty slow time for projects like River Roots Community Farm, but behind the scenes, the Community Farm…

Since 2014, the Blueprint Initiative has been the catalyst for projects throughout the Allegheny-Clarion River Valley Region (ACRVR). The Blueprint Core Team and subcommittees focused…

My name is Rachel Brosnahan. (No, not that one!) I graduated from Pittsburgh Technical College with a degree in graphic design. I am currently a…

Here we are, a month into 2023 already, and time shows no signs of slowing down! You may have noticed that our column has taken…

So, what does it take to ensure a school garden or farm project is successful? Based on the USDA and the Department of Health and…

As we get started on the work made possible by the USDA’s Farm to School grant, I’ve received a few questions from folks curious about…

When it comes to partnerships between public-benefit, non-profit organizations and private, for-profit companies, there is no shortage of confusion and misunderstanding. For quite some time,…

We’ve talked in the past about partnerships in a general sense – folks working together for the common good. Municipalities working with community groups working…

Events in different areas, even opposite sides of the planet, can sometimes collide in the most unexpected of ways. When we heard back in May…

If someone could please let me know where the year has gone, I’d much appreciate it. But, here we are in the middle of June…

We are absolutely delighted to announce that the ORA’s Redevelopment program has been selected to receive another EPA Community-Wide Assessment (CWA) grant! We were one…

To wrap up our discussion around agroforestry this month I wanted to share a successful tree-based bioremediation project out of Texas. Since much of the…

Last week’s Redevelopment Column introduced the concept of agroforestry and how it is often defined by specific practices. In the mid-Atlantic and Northwest regions of…

Given the importance of agriculture to our state’s economy, it’s no surprise that a fair bit of agricultural activity is included in redevelopment planning, especially…

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!…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

When the ORA acquired the former Fuchs property in Emlenton, we were fortunate to partner with the skilled Environmental Engineering team at Moody & Associates….

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…

Redevelopment – the action or process of developing something again or differently. When I first ventured into redevelopment work as an environmental biologist nearly a…

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…

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…

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…

What is your passion? What is that thing that excites you more than anything else, that can make you forget everything and lose yourself in…

It’s nice sometimes – especially when things feel overwhelming and hectic or when the pace of progress feels too slow, or both at the same…

Since we’ve been talking a fair bit recently about “what will be” and “what can be,” I figured it’s about time for a “what is”…

Last week we talked about differing realities, and how they can complicate the important work of relationship-building between redevelopment partners. This week we’re going to…

Over the last few weeks we’ve been talking a lot about big, regional-scale redevelopment partnerships and programs. Such partnerships come with their own set of…

I often get asked what exactly redevelopment is, or what kind of projects we are involved in, and it can be challenging to succinctly describe…

In the last column, I mentioned the creation of a regional coalition of redevelopment partners. I threw out some soundbites like “innovation ecosystem” and “regional…

Fall is firmly here, and with the change of seasons comes a flurry of updates in local redevelopment! You may have noticed that I’ve been…

On Thursday, Sept. 23, the Oil Region Alliance held its 16th Annual Meeting at Cross Creek Resort in Titusville. Having missed last year’s meeting due…

When you think of collaboration, what do you imagine? Do you think of folks pitching in, lending a hand, and getting a job done? Or…

Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at the impact of partnerships and cooperation – or the lack thereof – on community redevelopment efforts. When…

Last week I shared the inspirational tale of a little town in Kentucky that has done well for itself through persistence, partnerships, and positive thinking….

“Don’t tell me why we can’t do it. Just tell me how.” Those were the words of Eddie DeArmond, the mayor of a small town…

The summer has certainly been abuzz with happenings celebrating our local connections, and on Wednesday, July 28, Emlenton’s own local art cooperative joined in with…

As we settle into the long, sultry days of late summer, many of us are enjoying a bumper crop of delicious fruits and veggies from…

Happy August!  If you’re like me, you’re wondering where the year has gone, as 2021 certainly has been a busy, event-filled year for many of…

On Monday, July 19, residents of Foxburg and the surrounding area sat down with an enthusiastic Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps crew to share some delicious food…

By guest columnist – ORA President John Phillips Summerfest 2021 is over, and memories were made as families, friends, and foreigners gathered and mixed as…

Local redevelopment was a bit more exciting than usual recently with a visit from US Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson! Congressman Thompson, who is a top…

Redevelopment, at its core, is all about change – finding new ways of doing things or utilizing spaces to better serve local needs. Sometimes this…

This week I’d like to take a moment to show some appreciation for the folks in our area who are working toward a more robust…

If you don’t already have July 9–11 on your calendar, mark it now! Go ahead, I’ll wait… Okay, now that you’ve got it penciled in,…