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Being Hospitable: It’s fall, ya’ll

Memphis says it has 46 positive tests considered active

As the Y Walk Wednesday group gathered alongside the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA on Wednesday afternoon, Karen Grant of Kingston explained why she enjoys the weekly walking excursions through Downtown Wilkes-Barre.
				&ldquo;We get out in the fresh air, and we&rsquo;re exercising,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;And we learn things.&rdquo;
				Each week, a different walk leader offers information during the stroll, whether it&rsquo;s a representative of the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority talking about &ldquo;Keeping the Susquehanna Out of Our Living Rooms&rdquo; during a walk along the levee system, or Larry Newman from the Diamond City Partnership talking about &ldquo;What&rsquo;s New Downtown.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;I like it because you might read about things in the paper, but here you get a visual on where things are and learn all the history,&rdquo; said a walker who identified herself only as Brenda, from Shickshinny.
				The Sept. 16 walk, led by planner and grants coordinator Kathleen Bednarek from the Luzerne County Transportation Authority, headed south on South Franklin Street and east on West Ross Street to reach the site of the former Murray Complex, which is destined to become a new home for the LCTA.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be quite a structure,&rdquo; Bednarek said, telling the group the building, which will house administration, maintenance and storage, will extend from the area near The Medicine Shoppe at the corner of Hazle Avenue and South Pennsylvania Boulevard, to the area near the South Street Bridge.
				Riding an LCTA bus is more convenient than ever, Bednarek said, because passengers with smart phones can download an app that will tell them exactly when a bus will reach the spot where they are waiting.
				&ldquo;They used to just stand at the stop and wait,&rdquo; she said.
				&ldquo;How about if I was in Kingston and wanted to go the mall?&rdquo; Grant asked. &ldquo;Would it tell me where to transfer?&rdquo;
				Yes, Bednarek said, adding the app can tell determine an individual&rsquo;s location and tell them how to reach a bus stop, giving such precise directions as &ldquo;walk 500 feet and turn left.&rdquo;
				Answering questions during the walk and at the site, Bednarek said safety precautions designed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus include having passengers board the buses through rear doors, away from the driver; frequent disinfecting of buses and, for now, free rides.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to go to contact-less payment,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;probably sooner than we would have without the virus.&rdquo;
				Among the advantages of the new LCTA site, she said, it is closer to the Intermodal Center so there will be fewer &ldquo;deadhead miles&rdquo; of not-in-service buses returning to where they are stored, which is currently in Kingston.
				Also, they will be refueled with compressed natural gas at the site, rather than having to travel to Dupont for refueling as they do now.
				Next week&rsquo;s Y Walk Wednesday offering, planned for Sept. 23, is titled &ldquo;A Walk on the Wild Side: The Kirby Park Natural Area&rdquo; and the leader is Vinnie Cotrone from the Riverfront Parks Committee.
				After that, &ldquo;Walking Your Way to a Healthier You&rdquo; is set for Sept. 30 and &ldquo;Wilkes-Barre WalkWorks&rdquo; is planned for Oct. 7.
				All walks begin at 5 p.m, leaving from outside the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA, corner of South Franklin and West Northampton Streets, and are approximately 90 minutes long. In case of heavy rain, the walk will be cancelled. To confirm a walk or for questions, call the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA at 570-823-2191 on a Wednesday between 4 and 4:30 p.m.
				The group is limited to 24 participants, who are asked to wear face masks if they can&rsquo;t keep 6 feet away from others. To register for a walk, visit the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA website, wbymca.org.

‘It’s going to be quite a structure’