Grab the hiking boots, leave the car! Trailhead Direct returns May 13
King County’s Trailhead Direct, the weekends and holidays transit-to-trails service, will begin its fifth season on Saturday, May 13, and run through Labor Day, Monday, September 4. Metro and King County Parks, with the support of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Amazon, are working together to provide funding for the 2023 season.
This summer, Trailhead Direct continues to focus the transit-to-trails service on the most popular route with stops at trailheads near Mount Si, Mount Teneriffe, and Little Si. Riders can take the bus, Sound Transit Link light rail, or bike to get to the Sound Transit Capitol Hill Link station, where Trailhead Direct coaches will depart every 30 minutes. The 2023 season will include service on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. Watch the informative video and read more in the official press release.
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‘People need us out there’ Metro Ambassadors engage and inform
Crossposted from Metro Matters
You might see “‘blue jackets” at transit centers, outside schools or on your way to a game at Lumen Field or T-Mobile Park. The people wearing the jackets are Metro Ambassadors and they are there to answer your questions, point you in the right direction and may even have some swag for you.
“I see this as a way to get comfort back,” said ambassador Royce Williams. “To make people comfortable about riding the bus again.” Read more.
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Recognizing DAJD staff during National Correctional Officers and Employees Week
Please join us in acknowledging National Correctional Officers and Employees Week from May 7 to 13.
This is a special opportunity to honor the Corrections Officers, Juvenile Detention Officers, and staff in other varied positions at King County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD). These professionals are responsible for operating safe, secure, and humane detention facilities and community corrections programs.
National Correctional Officers Week started in 1984. In 1996, Congress officially modified it to “National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.”
DAJD’s employees often encounter people at the worst time in their lives, after they’ve entered the criminal legal system. DAJD is entrusted with a crucial and challenging role at the intersection of public safety, public health, and the courts. Too often, the compassion DAJD professionals bring to their jobs goes unnoticed. During National Correctional Officers and Employees Week, King County recognizes and appreciates the hard work of DAJD staff as they diligently serve our community and help save and change lives for the better.
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Metro retires @kcmetroalerts, but will keep @KingCountyMetro
Crossposted from Metro Matters
King County Metro will continue to post on @KingCountyMetro, our general news Twitter account. But we will retire our automated, alerts-only Twitter account @kcmetroalerts after today. The information previously shared through @kcmetroalerts will still be available through other trip planning tools. Read more.
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2023 Seattle Pride Parade
2023 Seattle Pride Parade planning is underway. If you are a King County employee and want to be kept up to date on all things Pride Parade, send an email to Leah.Holland@kingcounty.gov with PRIDE INFO 2023 in the subject line.
This year, t-shirt sales will be done completely online and mailed directly to you. The Parade route runs from downtown Seattle to Seattle Center on Sunday, June 25. More info will be sent out soon. Happy PRIDE!
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King County is fixing stuff for free
During Earth Week, a Solid Waste Division program that helps people fix household items for free was featured on KING 5’s Evening Magazine. The program aims to keep items out of the landfill and put them back in use. The repair events are held approximately every month. The program was also featured on the Spanish-language TV channel KUNS.
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Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel disruptions: Service alternatives available during repairs
Crossposted from Metro Matters
Damage to the ceiling of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) at Westlake Station is disrupting Sound Transit Link 1 Line service until further notice. Riders should prepare for additional travel times as trains are operating every 15-20 minutes in the DSTT. Surface street bus options are available by using King County Metro’s Trip Planner. Read more.
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Have your say: King County asking for input on budget cuts
King County launched a community survey asking for public input on prioritizing services funded by the County’s General Fund to inform looming budget cuts. The 2025-2026 General Fund is facing a $100 million revenue shortfall due to the state’s arbitrary one percent limit on property tax collections, which has not been updated in 20 years and now coincides with increased costs and high rates of inflation exceeding 9%.
To prevent deeper cuts in the next biennial budget and to provide time for affected programs to wind down, King County will be considering a budget in the fall that will include cuts to general fund programs.
Executive Constantine is asking for input on budget priorities from employees and residents. The budget cuts are required because the legislature did not fix the outdated property tax revenue limits for counties. Take the survey here.
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Local Services gets National Association of Government Communicators award for Participatory Budgeting
Crossposted from King County Local
Local Services’ Participatory Budgeting program has received an international accolade for the way it helped spread the word to the community.
The department won a National Association of Government Communicators’ Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award for the blog post/news releases that it produced for Participatory Budgeting. Read more.
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Voters approve Crisis Care Centers Levy—a generational investment to transform the behavioral health system in King County
King County Executive Dow Constantine applauds the approval of the Crisis Care Centers initiative, a nine-year levy that will create a regional network of five Crisis Care Centers, restore and increase mental health residential treatment beds, and invest in the people who do the difficult, important, and historically underpaid work of providing mental health and substance use disorder services.
“King County voters agree – we must build a stronger behavioral health system to meet the urgent and growing need for care,” said Executive Constantine. “With this strong approval, we will chart a path forward to provide the help people need and deserve.” Read more in the official press release.
Pictured: King County Executive Dow Constantine announces the final stage of purchasing Cascade Hall, a 64-bed residential treatment center in north Seattle on September 14, 2022.
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