Government reps and regional business leaders will gather at the Noel Wien Library, Sept. 29-30

Commissioner Bob Poe of the Department of Administration, and Brigadier General Phillip Oates, Commissioner of the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs will host the two-day event at the Noel Wien public library in Fairbanks on September 29 (1pm - 8pm) and 30 (9am - 1pm). A variety of panelists will discuss their Y2K readiness and plans and answer questions from the public.

Those scheduled to attend include: Commissioner Patricia Demarco, Regulatory Commission of Alaska; Doak Mahlik, Federal Emergency Management Agency; Jeri Walters, National Bank of Alaska, representatives from Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base; Local Emergency Planning Committee members from the Interior region; utility, transportation, and healthcare providers; and regional Government officials.

"With less than 100 days until Year 2000, it is critical that we continue our Y2K Outreach efforts in each region of the State," said Commissioner Bob Poe. "The Interior Region is the 5^th in the series of outreach efforts-and, based on the success of the ones leading to Fairbanks, we expect this to be an excellent information-sharing event for residents of Interior Alaska."

"We are finding that Alaskans are interested in discussing the Y2K issues," said Brigadier General Phil Oates. "We’re seeing private citizens, business owners and managers coming to our meetings. This is a good sign. It really goes both ways – we’re also finding that some people have gotten themselves prepared or others are increasingly interested in making the effort. These meetings will bring a lot of key people together."