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Bethel DMV Opens After Two Months

Shana Decossas helps someone renew their driver's license.
Greg Kim
/
KYUK

After two long months, the Bethel DMV is open for business. It had been closed while the state found and trained a new employee. She’s finally here, and her name is Shanna Decossas. KYUK talked with Decossas about how eager people are to see her.

At 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 15, the line at the DMV was literally out the door. It stayed that way for a long time. Decossas said that she was at the office until 9:30 p.m., but she only had one complaint: “Not eating. That was the only hard part of yesterday, not getting lunch. So at 4:30 [p.m.] when I took my break, I finally got to eat.”

She’s not required to do any of this overtime work; she chose to. She said, “Because I know people have been waiting for almost two months for someone here.”

And then Decossas showed up the next day at 8:00 a.m. with a smile on her face. Asked if she enjoyed her first day, Decossas responded, “Yes, definitely! I love all of my coworkers, my boss. I like the people out here, because I’m from here and I know the people. It’s nice to be welcomed and wanted. I love it. Absolutely love it.”

Decossas says that even though she enjoys her new job, she hopes she can leave closer to 5:00 p.m. in the future.

Greg Kim was a news reporter for KYUK from 2019-2022.