“To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice.”
— Confucius
About Us
"Save Our Steel" is a growing grassroots community organization founded by Amey Senape and Michael Kramer to
support the historically sensitive redevelopment of the former Bethlehem Steel site in Bethlehem, PA. Our Mission
Statement follows:
"The mission of Save Our Steel is to encourage the historically sensitive reuse of the former
Bethlehem Steel site by providing a public forum for discussion, disseminating information and promoting cooperation
among interested groups and individuals."
We believe that:
A mixed-use redevelopment including historical interpretation, commercial and residential development, and
institutions of education and the arts housed in the rehabilitated factory buildings will make Bethlehem the
greatest small city in the region and help reinvent Pennsylvania as one of the most progressive, exciting states
in the nation.
The historic Bethlehem Steel site offers an unparalleled opportunity to create a unique "historic industrial
district" where people can live, work and play enveloped by the solidity of America’s industrial age.
The structures on the site should be preserved and rehabilitated not only because of their irreplaceable
historic value but because they are the key to capturing the tourism spending that will pump millions of dollars
of "new" money into our local economy every year. In this way the old factory can provide a solid prosperity
for local families, much as it has done for the last 150 years, while preserving Bethlehem’s unique identity.
Public support for this project is indispensable, and this support must be demonstrated to our elected officials
to convince them to pressure the developers into rehabilitating the site in a manner consistent with Pennsylvania’s
"Smart Growth" initiative.
Our Backgrounds:
Amey Senape has an MA in Public History from Lehigh University, a BA in History from Muhlenberg
College and a Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate for secondary level social studies. She has also
completed several courses for the Historic Preservation Program at Bucks County Community College. Her
father worked at The Steel for 40 years, both before and after WWII. Contact her at
amey.senape@saveoursteel.org
Michael Kramer has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and works in
Bethlehem. He also received an Historic Preservation Certificate from Bucks County Community College in
May 2006. His grandfather operated a bus service to transport Bucks County workers to Bethlehem Steel
during WWII. He can be contacted at
michael.kramer@saveoursteel.org
Specials Thanks to:
Jill Evans of Jingle's Web for web hosting
Matt Dancsecs of Premium Shapes www.premiumshapes.com for
promotional materials and logo design
David Urban of the Bethlehem Comfort Suites Hotel www.comfortsuitesbethlehem.com
for public meeting space
Marc Reed and Garden Bay Films http://www.marcreed.com/ for
donating the proceeds of the initial release of the DVD "Almost Gone: A Pilgrimage to Bethlehem" to SOS. You
can purchase the DVD in the Steel Store.
The Banana Factory http://www.fest.org for providing space for our
table at First Fridays
Stan Frantz of Synergistic Designs www.syndesigns.com for web
design and updating
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