LaBella Joining Panel Discussions at BCONE’s Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop
LaBella’s Senior Planner Norabelle Greenberger, AICP, and Environmental Manager—Brownfields Dawn Crowell will be representing the firm at the Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop 2025, hosted by the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) on September 17-18, 2025, in Schenectady, New York.
On Wednesday, September 17th, at 11:00 a.m., Norabelle will participate in a panel titled “Tackling the Unique Challenges of Brownfield Redevelopment in Upstate New York.” The discussion will explore environmental barriers (e.g., soil and groundwater contamination, asbestos) that complicate redevelopment efforts in Upstate New York, where lower property values make it harder to offset cleanup costs. The panel will also highlight the importance of layered funding strategies (“capital stack”) and the role of tools such as land banks and local development corporations (LDCs) in returning neglected brownfield sites back to productive use.
In addition to Norabelle, this session will also include perspectives from Thomas Hulihan, Director of Planning and Development for the City of Rensselaer; Sumeet Gupta, Real Estate Developer at Five Corners Development; and Nicole Justice Green, Executive Director of the North County Rural Development Coalition and Essex County Land Bank.
On Thursday, September 18th, at 11:00 a.m., Dawn will join a PFAS Roundtable panel to discuss critical issues surrounding PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), including contamination management, regulatory complexities, and technical challenges. Attendees will gain practical strategies for managing PFAS contamination and deepen their understanding of this multifaceted topic while connecting with professionals tackling similar hurdles in their communities and projects.
The panel will be moderated by Taryn McKnight, Vice President and PFAS Practice Leader at Eurofins Environment Testing. Joining Dawn as panelists are Linda Cook, Sr. Technical Leader at Weston and Sampson; Nick Nigro, Product Manager at Pace Analytical Labs; D. Michael Stroud, Jr., Esq., Partner at Ice Miller; Michael Nines, Technical Consultant at Manko Gold Katcher Fox LLP; and Nicholas Santella, Principal Geochemist at BSTI.