Humboldt Park Association officials provided members with updates on plans to establish the Humboldt Park Emergency Preparedness Plan at its recent meeting.

Humboldt Park Association President Brian Poveromo gave a presentation about the benefits of purchasing Send Word Now, an emergency notification system that would send text messages, email alerts and phone calls to as many as 500 contacts that are registered in the system. Each company in the park can designate multiple people to be registered contacts, who will then alert their fellow colleagues about any emergencies in the park and what steps to take.

Poveromo gave a demonstration of how those authorized to make updates will utilize the system to log details about any emergencies in the park. The Send Word Now system comes with more than 30 standard features and can be set up to deliver messages in multiple languages.

“The power (of the system) is pretty impressive. You can send multiple messages to different groups. There is also a conference call option and a way to send weather alerts. I see so many benefits to using it,” Poveromo said.

CAN DO officials are currently exploring funding options for the Send Word Now service and hope to make it available to employees in all of its parks.

CAN DO President and CEO Kevin O’Donnell and Director of Operations Greg Kurtz provided an update on the Route 424 and White Birch Road extension project. CAN DO is continuing with its portion of the project to connect White Birch Road and Commerce Drive, however, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently provided CAN DO with a list of required intersection improvements in the park that will increase the cost of the project to just under $4 million. These improvements include widening the radii at intersections and adding turning lanes on Maplewood Drive. O’Donnell said CAN DO is continuing with its work, together with Hazle Township, and is considering options to phase in these required updates as funding becomes available for them.

Humboldt Park Association members also elected officers for the 2018 calendar year. Brian Poveromo, of American Eagle Outfitters, will remain as president for the third consecutive year and CAN DO Director of Administration Nancy Stasko will stay on as secretary. Current treasurer Tracy Karchner, of Karchner Logistics, will move to the vice president roll and Tony Cortese, of NBTY, will serve as treasurer.

There were also presentations by Hazleton Area Recreation Program (HARP) representatives Kellen Kulbacki and Keith Segedy to encourage industries to start a Hazleton HitTrax Industrial League using HARP’s HitTrax baseball simulator equipment.  In addition to the camaraderie built from team competition, a portion of the participant fee will benefit area youth. Also, Lackawanna College-Hazleton representatives April Harris-Snyder and Lex Sloot spoke at the meeting about a new Lackawanna College initiative that will merge the Greater Hazleton business community with the college’s student population.

For additional information on these topics or of the Humboldt Park Association, contact Nancy Stasko at the CAN DO office.