New “License Management” portal simplifies software requests
KCIT is pleased to introduce a more streamlined way to request Microsoft Project or Visio software licenses. King County’s new License Management portal makes it easy to submit license requests, track the status of your request, and receive automatic notifications when your request is approved or declined by your department’s financial approver.
To get started, visit the KCIT Helpdesk. Users requesting a Microsoft Project or Visio license will be automatically directed to the License Management portal. Currently, the portal supports Microsoft Project and Visio license requests only. For all other software, please continue to follow your department’s standard approval process.
For more information, read the how-to guide or watch a short training video. If you have questions, your department’s financial approver can assist you – or contact the KCIT Helpdesk.
Resources to support you and your loved ones
Employees and their families may be experiencing a range of emotions as the nation navigates current events. Balanced You wants to remind you that there are resources available to help you manage these challenges.
Making Life Easier (MLE)
Making Life Easier (MLE) provides free, confidential mental health services to employees and anyone living in their household. Support is available through virtual or in‑person counseling, text-based coaching, online classes, and more. Read more.
Balanced You Conversations: Candace Conaty
Balanced You Conversations is a series of talks about important topics related to overall health and well-being.
Karla Clark, Employee Health & Wellness Project/Program Manager III with the Balanced You team, sits down with Candace Conaty, Director of Operations with Vivecorp, a long‑time partner supporting the county’s employee wellness efforts. They discuss the many benefits of regular exercise, such as reduced risk of chronic disease, improved mental health, better sleep, stronger muscles and bones, and enhanced daily physical function. Read more.
Department of Local Services joins community to unveil ‘Welcome to Skyway’ mural
Crossposted from King County Local
A brightly colored piece of artwork now greets anyone traveling in the heart of Skyway. It’s the result of community feedback and advocacy, as well as support from the Department of Local Services.
Last week, the department joined the community to unveil the new “Welcome to Skyway” mural along the north end of Renton Avenue South.
Stretching 40 feet long and standing 4 feet high, the unveiling marked the culmination of a community driven effort led by the West Hill Community Association and supported by the Department of Local Services. Read more.
Reserve space with the Fee Assistance Program
Crossposted from the King County Parks Newsletter
If you need to reserve fields or other spaces in our parks this year, check out our Fee Assistance Program! Our goal is to make sure everyone in the community can rent or use a park facility — regardless of the ability to pay. Reserve picnic shelters, trails, tennis courts, ballfields, and more. Learn more and apply here.
Parks and trails are reopening after flooding
Crossposted from the King County Parks Newsletter
As we get further from the historic flooding in our region, our crews are hard at work repairing the damage and reopening our affected parks and trails. Some of the recovery efforts will be long-term, but many of our flooded properties have reopened for public use.
Please check the Backyard Fun Finder to view current impacts and closures in our parks as you plan your trip to nature!
King County Promise highlights early progress for students
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
According to South King County data and decades of higher education research, a lack of individualized support is a main barrier to receiving a college education.
That’s why programs like King County Promise prioritize building individualized supports. A cross-agency initiative designed to support young people with graduating and successfully transitioning to college or the career path of their choosing, King County Promise provides one-on-one advising, service referrals, postsecondary navigation and transition support, and an Equity Grant to support students through key milestones like financial aid completion, high school graduation/equivalency, college admission, college graduation, and more. Read more.
Four Fridays Film Festival starts Feb. 6
Crossposted from the DES Express
In recognition of Black History and Culture Month, employees are invited to celebrate the legacy, the resilience and the promise of Black History, Arts and Culture with four film screenings in February.
The Four Fridays “We Know Who We Are” series starts Friday, Feb. 6 and runs each Friday in February from 3 – 5:30 p.m. on Zoom. Here is the schedule and theme for each:
- Feb. 6: Black Panther, We are Heroic, Hosted by the Department of Executive Services
- Feb. 13: The Fight for Black Lives, We are Proactive, Hosted by the Department of Public Health
- Feb. 20: Rustin, We are Strategic, Hosted by the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention
- Feb. 27: Hidden Figures, We are Legacy Builders, Hosted by King County Information Technology
Register in advance here. After registering with your King County (@kingcounty.gov) email address, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the Zoom event.
Each screening will feature a post-film “Talk-back” with perspectives and take-aways on relevance to the county’s shared work and vision for greater inclusion and belonging. Each week will feature special guests from the host department. All King County employees are welcome to attend any or all sessions with supervisor approval. For more information, email Four.Fridays@kingcounty.gov.
The senior gardener at South Treatment Plant sees the beauty in it all
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories
There is probably no one who knows more about South Treatment Plant’s 90-acre property than Jim Davis. He’s been the senior gardener at the facility in Renton for more than 20 years, which gives him a granular perspective of what goes on there.
Surrounding the acres of gray infrastructure that make up the wastewater treatment process is a landscape of lawns, gardens, and wooded areas that are Davis’s domain. Weeds, a fallen branch, a bush that needs trimming … there’s little that escapes Davis’s notice. And while he can’t always immediately take care of what he notices, he makes a mental note. Areas of high traffic are a priority, such as the gardens surrounding the main collection of buildings where staff work. In the warm months it’s getting the weeds under control, in the fall it’s the endless piles of leaves. Read more.
Airport levels up on carbon reduction goals
Crossposted from the DES Express
King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA) has taken another step forward in its journey toward becoming carbon neutral. Airports Council International (ACI) recently informed the airport that it has met the standards for Level 3 in the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program (ACAP) by engaging airport tenants and users to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the airport helps King County residents, especially those who live and work nearby,” said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay. “Achieving Level 3 in the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program shows that the airport is making progress at reducing its impact on those most affected.” Read more.

