College advisory group meeting slated; new council members needed

KPC's advisory group, the College Council, will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in room 132 at the Soldotna campus. University of Alaska Anchorage Chan-cellor Edward Lee Gorsuch will be present at the meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.

KPC is looking for energetic individuals to fill vacancies on the council. The council seeks to have representation from all sectors of the Kenai Peninsula. All interested individuals should send a letter of interest and a resume to Kenai Peninsula College, Director's Office, 34820 College Drive, Soldotna, AK 99669. If you have any questions, call Mary Rainwater at 262-0336 or e-mail inmer@uaa.alaska.edu.

Program meeting planned

There will be a meeting regarding a proposed radiological tech program at KPC at 11 a.m. Friday in room 132 at the Soldotna campus. Erica Wight, from UAA's medical imaging department, will discuss UAA's radiology program. For more information, call 262-0377.

Parking lot to get upgrade

KPC's parking lot has been the scene of a number of fender benders over the last few years. Climbing enrollments translate to more students and therefore an increasingly crowded parking lot. With more vehicles in the lot, there's less visibility and more risk of an encounter with another vehicle.

The times call for more regulation that will prompt drivers to be more aware of the "other guy."

KPC Director Gary Turner has consulted with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and plans to implement their recommendations to install 20 traffic signs in an effort to reduce accidents. The KPC parking lot will move from the open format it currently has to a more regimented approach. Before the snow flies, the lot will re-striped to allow for the addition of 14 stop signs.

These stop signs will be placed at strategic intersections throughout the lot in an effort to control the traffic pattern and encourage drivers to "look both ways" before proceeding. The signs slated for placement inside the lot will be movable to allow for plowing snow.

The biggest change for those familiar with the current layout will be the designation of one exit and one entrance into the lot. This will take some getting used to for those who have turned into the same entrance for years.

Plans call for designating the southern entrance, approached from College Drive, as an exit only. There will be a "Do Not Enter" sign on the roadway to keep drivers from turning into the lot. Signs will be posted to allow for a "Right Turn Only" and a "Left Turn Only" lane that will allow an orderly entry back onto College Drive. This spot has been the scene of several accidents where drivers have slid into the guard-rail trying to negotiate the sharp right turn into the lot. The change to an exit-only designation will alleviate these collisions.

The northern entrance into the parking lot will be the only entrance into the lot. This entrance is at the junction of East Poppy Lane and College Drive.

Turner has requested assistance with funding for the signage from the University of Alaska's risk management office. Any additional funding necessary to cover the cost of the project will come from the KPC maintenance and repair fund.

Although the additional signage can't guarantee that all accidents will be avoided in the parking lot, it will serve to raise traffic awareness among all students, faculty, staff and visitors and, hopefully, reduce the risk of fender benders.

Who's Who

KPC's Who's Who highlights the faculty and staff who work hard to make KPC a college of first choice. This week KPC would like to introduce the assistant professor of mechanical technology.

Who: Drew "Obie" O'Brien

Time in Alaska: "I have been in Alaska for 36 years. I came for the Alaskan lifestyle, and for work."

Hobbies and-or interests: "I enjoy hiking, traveling around Alaska and reading history."

Memorable job prior to KPC: "My most memorable job was working in the oil patch as a machinist. I have worked on the platforms, on the North Slope and locally for Unocal, Phillips and Tesoro."

Favorite thing about KPC: "I like meeting people and the challenge of a new start each semester."

This column is provided by Suzie Kendrick, community relations coordinator at Kenai Peninsula College.