ELYSBURG - A small group of volunteers involved in organizing the local Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run met with PennDOT officials and local police Friday afternoon to discuss details, traffic control and safety issues involved with the 5K run/walk on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The 35-minute information session was held at the office of state Rep. Kurt Masser (R-107) and focused primarily on the race route and making sure enough police, fire police and firefighters will be available to direct traffic to avoid any accidents.
Shamokin Councilman R. Craig Rhoades, chairman of the Northumberland County Tunnel to Towers Team, and David J. Hoffman, one of the local 5K race organizers, coordinated Friday's meeting in cooperation with Masser.
Rhoades has participated in the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run in New York City for seven years, while Hoffman and 5K race co-chairman, Joseph Alexander, took part in the race last year.
Also in attendance were Masser, Shamokin Police Chief Edward Griffiths, Coal Township Chief of Police William Carpenter, Ralpho Township Police Chief Stu Appel, Lara M. Lapinski, assistant traffic engineer with PennDOT District 3-0 in Montoursville; Rob Stitzer, safety press officer for PennDOT, and Jeff Stepanik, assistant safety engineer with PennDOT.
Carpenter expressed safety concerns involved with the race that were addressed at the session. Carpenter, Griffiths and Appel said traffic cones will have to erected along the highway during the race.
Rhoades, who encouraged citizens to express their patriotism along the race course, said he will finalize plans with fire and emergency personnel in Shamokin, Coal Township and Ralpho Township to make sure enough manpower is available on the day of the race to provide traffic control to prevent any potential accidents.
Rhoades said proceeds from the 5K run/walk will be divided to benefit the Northumberland County Tunnel to Towers Team, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run and a local veteran's organization.
Hoffman said organizers and police will make the race as safe as possible for participants and doesn't anticipate any problems with traffic control.
Stepanik said PennDOT doesn't have a problem with conducting the race at this point and will continue to communicate with race organizers in the upcoming weeks.
Hoffman said the local Tunnel to Towers committee is seeking additional volunteers and urged anyone interested in donating their time to attend committee meetings being held at Masser's Wayside Inn at 6 p.m. every Thursday until the race.
Badman's Hill to Kehler Park
The 3.1-mile event will begin at 10 a.m. at Badman's Hill Tunnel at the entrance to Irish Valley Road in Weigh Scales and is scheduled to last an hour.
Participants will run or walk from the tunnel south along Route 61 to the north entrance of Tharptown, where they will then proceed south on Center Street before exiting the village's southern end near Kreco Electric. Walkers and runners will proceed south along the shoulder of Route 61 until they reach the Cameron Bridge. At that point, participants will head south on Sixth Street in Shamokin before turning right onto Arch Street and heading west to Claude Kehler Memorial Park, where the race will conclude.
Northbound and southbound traffic on Route 61 in the area of Badman's Hill Tunnel will be closed for about 10 minutes to allow race participants to cross the highway from the tunnel. Once all the participants cross over to the Tharptown side of Route 61, northbound traffic on Route 61 between the northern entrance to Tharptown and Badman's Hill Tunnel will be restricted to the passing lane for about 30 minutes to allow all race participants to enter Tharptown.
Temporary no parking signs will be installed on one side of Center Street in Tharptown to allow for a wider course for participants.
Sections of Sixth and Arch streets in Shamokin will be closed to traffic until the race is completed.
Water will be provided halfway through the race and at the finish line.
All runners will be chip timed, which means they will be required to wear a small, lightweight chip that uniquely identifies them as they cross strategically placed, electronic mats during the race. In its most basic and common form, chip timing electronically handles the task of collecting and processing results at the end of the race.
Registration, prizes
Registration on the day of the race will be from 8 to 10 a.m. at the park and will cost $20. Participants who pre-register before Aug. 27 will pay $15 and receive a commemorative T-shirt. For those wishing not to purchase a T-shirt, pre-registration costs $10.
Visit www.neparunner.com to pre-register.
Prizes will be awarded to the first-place male and female finishers. Age categories are 15 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, 70 to 79, and 79 and older.
Transportation from the park to the starting line will be provided and $9 chicken barbecue dinners will be available at the park at the end of the race.
The run/walk will simulate the Tunnel to Towers Race on Sept. 25 in New York that was created in memory of Brooklyn firefighter Stephen Siller, who was killed during the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Siller, who was off duty at the time of the attack, picked up his gear at his station and drove toward the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel on his way to find his company. After finding the tunnel closed, he abandoned his vehicle and ran with 60 pounds of gear strapped to his back to the trade center.
More than 90 area residents, including Rhoades, Hoffman and Alexander, will travel to New York to run in this year's race.