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ArtsQuest seeks EPA brownfields funding to abate asbestos at Turn and Grind shop
Summary
ArtsQuest and environmental consultant AML Environmental told Northampton County commissioners that asbestos and lead paint in the 50‑year‑old Turn and Grind building will require abatement estimated near $600,000 before reuse; the site is subject to prior Bethlehem Steel cleanup restrictions allowing only nonresidential reuse.
Cassie Helgert, CEO and president of ArtsQuest, and Greg Firely of AML Environmental presented an analysis of cleanup alternatives for the ArtsQuest Turn and Grind shop site to the Northampton County committee on Oct. 11, recommending asbestos and lead‑paint abatement as the chosen path forward and identifying the project as eligible for EPA brownfields funding.
Helgert said ArtsQuest has completed a Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessment (Barry Isett & Associates conducted the assessments) and found asbestos and lead paint throughout the 50‑year‑old steel building. She described plans for abatement that would use OSHA‑trained contractors and a three‑stage containment system and said the organization is roughly 50% complete on architectural designs, with construction bids planned once designs are about 90% complete.
Firely described the required federal analysis that compares alternatives. He said the Bethlehem Steel site received an “active closure” in the late 1990s, which allows reuse only for nonresidential purposes; ArtsQuest bought the building with that restriction. Firely said abatement is the viable option (knockdown is not permissible while asbestos is known to be present) and provided a preliminary abatement cost estimate of approximately $600,000.
Firely said the EPA brownfields public‑notice process was followed: an analysis of alternatives was advertised May 14, made available for public review and comment, and the public comment period closed the day before the meeting; no public comments were received. Helgert said Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is the title sponsor for the building and that ArtsQuest has donors and other partners supporting the project. She and Firely provided a tentative timeline: abatement to begin in January 2026 and potential construction completion in mid‑2027 (second/third quarter 2027) if bids and scheduling proceed as planned.
No formal county vote occurred during the committee meeting; committee members asked questions about budget alignment and confirmed the proposed abatement estimate was in line with ArtsQuest’s planning. Committee members asked ArtsQuest and AML Environmental to return with updates as the project progresses.
