Author: kfskadmin

Petersburg Medical Center will see some major staff turnover and change this year in its doctors and nurses. The hospital has a new director of nursing, Jennifer Bryner, who will replace Sandy Tacket. Tacket is moving to Tucson after 14 years as director. Bryner has worked for the hospital since 1996. Meanwhile, after working in South Africa for a year, doctor John Bergren and his family return to town this month. At the same time, doctor MarK Tucillo was called-up to serve a second tour of duty as a lt. Col with the Alaska Air National Guard in Afghanistan. Tucillo returns to the hospital in March….but after his contract expires in may, Tucillo and his family will move to the anchorage area. As the new year begins, the hospital is looking to hire more permanent nurses as well as a new doctor to fill Tucillo’s position. Administrator John Bringhurst recently spoke with Matt Lichtenstein.

Plans for an improved telecommunications link to Petersburg will hinge on a city council decision later this month. In late January, councilors are expected to decide whether to approve a special-use permit and negotiate a long-term lease for GCI to put up an unstaffed building for the new fiber-optic cable connection. The company gave a presentation on the project and addressed some residents concerns late last month in Petersburg.

For Petersburg, the Alaska Marine Highway System’s plan for next year has some ups and downs in terms of local stops. It reduces the popular mainline service out of Bellingham but adds fast-ferry service out of Juneau in the summer. The changes could affect the Interisland Ferry Authority as well as state ferry passengers.

Petersburg’s Volunteer Fire Department is looking to rebuild its ranks, which have been declining in recent years. Fire chief Sam Bunge says the organization has not had any new volunteers this past year and has so far had little response to the recruitment drive for the 2008 training program which starts in January. According to Bunge, the department has less than three-quarters of the people it needs. Fire department volunteers Dave Berg and Mike Turland joined Bunge ifor a recent conversation with kfsk’s Matt Lichtenstein about what it takes to be a volunteer.

Petersburg’s Viking wrestlers came back from a rough start to finish in fifth place at the state’s small-schools meet in Mount Edgecombe last weekend.