The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will present the webinar “Community Revitalization through Brownfields Redevelopment” on Thursday, May 13, at 11 a.m. CDT. In this webinar, the NDEE Brownfields Program will team up with the Kansas State University Technical Assistance to Brownfields Program (KSU TAB) to demonstrate how the two programs work in conjunction for the benefit of Nebraska communities. Information shared will include grants, resources, and planning tools available that assist with redeveloping blighted and underutilized properties.
This webinar is intended for any community developer, local government, economic development district, non-profit organization, or other public entity within the State of Nebraska. The webinar is also open to the general public.

WHAT: Community Revitalization through Brownfield Redevelopment
WHEN: 11 a.m. – noon CDT, May 13, 2021
WHO: Taryn Serwatowski, NDEE Brownfield Coordinator and Jennifer Clancey, KSU TAB Services Coordinator

Registration instructions are provided at the bottom of this page.

About the webinar: The Community Revitalization through Brownfield Redevelopment webinar will help communities in Nebraska understand the plethora of resources available that serve as a catalyst to removing blight and bringing vacant properties back to productive reuse. The webinar will be useful to community developers, local governments, economic development districts, and non-profit organizations.

About the presenters: Taryn Serwatowski is a Michigan native who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Geology from Central Michigan University in 2009. She moved to Nebraska in 2010 to attend graduate studies at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln where she received a Teaching Assistant scholarship to study Earth and Atmospheric Science. She is an active member of the Nebraska Geological Society and has served as the Region 7 Brownfields Focus Group representative for the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials. Taryn has been the Brownfields Coordinator for NDEE since November 2015.

Jennifer Clancey is the Kansas State University Technical Assistance to Brownfields Program (KSU TAB) Coordinator for EPA Region 7. Although an Iowa native, Jen grew up in Houston, Texas, but returned to the Midwest to attend University of Iowa, where she completed a double major in Geology and Environmental Science. She has more than 12 years of experience in community revitalization and redevelopment, community engagement, community strategic planning, environmental assessment and cleanup, regulatory compliance, sustainability, and grant writing and management. Formerly the Program Manager for the City of Houston’s Brownfields Redevelopment Program and the Energy Manager for the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she has administered nearly $2 million in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal grant funding. Jennifer takes great pride in working with communities that have been historically underserved by assisting them with realizing their community vision and working to implement this vision in order to bring about meaningful and beneficial change.

The webinar moderator is Belinda Fowler, NDEE Small Business Environmental Assistance Coordinator.

To register for the webinar:

1. Go to Community Revitalization through Brownfields Redevelopment
2. Click "Register."
3. On the registration form, enter your information and then click "Submit."

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event. For assistance, contact: ndee.assistance@nebraska.gov.