A Photo Finish for 2018 Clean Team Ambassador of the Year Scott Siemers
Shared from King County Superior Court and Downtown Seattle Association
King County Superior Court has several treatment programs. One of the programs is Family Treatment Court. The Downtown Seattle Association recently voted a 2016 Family Treatment Court graduate Scott Siemers the DSA Clean Street Ambassador of 2018! Enjoy!
The judge asked for a picture of Scott Siemers. Not for legal reasons, but to celebrate his graduation from the treatment program that successfully reunited Siemers with his three-year-old daughter and fiance. It was a good day, and Siemers ended it by getting married.
Siemers has stayed sober since and, in June, his dedication to a sparkling downtown earned him recognition as 2018 DSA/MID Clean Team Employee of the Year.
The recognition coincides with the first anniversary of Siemers’ hiring. Prior to joining the Clean Team, he was living in transitional housing in Maple Valley and struggling to find work. A fellow resident told him about the Metropolitan Improvement District. Siemers interviewed on June 20, 2017, and was hired on the spot.
Coworkers say Siemers is a joy to work with, crediting his sound decisions, professionalism and skill training new team members. MID ratepayers and DSA members praise his customer service and consistent, quality work.
After joining the maintenance department, Siemers worked his way to field supervisor and lead ambassador – promotions that make sense when you learn about his management experience directing food and beverage services at Marriott hotels and as executive chef at Bellevue’s Hilton Hotel.
What does he think about the change from hospitality and fancy food?
“I feel more at home here than in any job I’ve ever had,” Siemers says. “There’s so much positivity here. Lots of people are trying to improve their lives; it’s like a family.”
Downtown ambassadors are on the sidewalks and streets every day, and they often interact with those experiencing homelessness and struggles with addiction. For Siemers, it’s a reminder of where he was and what he once faced.
Says Siemers, “It helps keep me sober. That’s my old life. I don’t want to go back.”
Days off are all about family. He often hikes, fishes and enjoys nearby trails with his wife and now six-year-old daughter. Tiger Mountain is a favorite route.
“Everywhere I go I try to work hard,” Siemers says. “I feel blessed by God every day. I do the best that I can and have a great attitude.”
And the family photo snapped on graduation day? It’s still hanging in the King County courthouse.
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Workforce Magazine Presents 2018 Game Changer Award
For someone new to HR, Zackary King has the drive, humility and forethought of a true Game Changer.
The Public Health, Seattle & King County Education Engagement Strategy (EES) Program nominated Public Health Human Resources Analyst Zack King for Workforce Magazine’s Game Changer Award. King is now one of 25 recipients of this national recognition.
The Game Changer Award recognizes King’s support of strategic plans for Public Health Environmental Health Services Division’s Office of Equity. The EES Program conveyed appreciation and seeks to expand its partnership with Public Health’s HR team.
Zack’s activities supported:
- Public Health’s focus and priority areas of strengthening collaborations with academic partners to promote excellence in public health practices and workforce development.
- Environmental Health’s emphasis on STEM awareness, employee and community engagement, workplace enrichment, and morale.
Congratulations, Zack! We celebrate you and the continuation of our working together.
Read the Workforce Magazine article here.
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Social Media Spotlight: King County Environmental Lab on Instagram
Welcome to the King County Environmental Lab’s Instagram!
This is the SoundGuardian, King County’s high-tech, fully equipped research vessel. If you visit the Ballard Locks on the right day, you might see it and the crew on their way to collect samples out in Puget Sound. (Photo: Vigor Ballard)
King County Environmental Lab helps safeguard the region’s water quality, and the Environmental Lab’s research vessel SoundGuardian plays a significant role in that effort. SoundGuardian is currently deployed in the north Puget Sound area supporting the orca recovery efforts!
Follow kcenvirolab on Instagram today!
#onaboat #researchvessel #waterquality #pugetsound #science #soundguardian #kcenvirolab
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Featured Job: EMS Instructor I and II – Short Term Temporary
Closing: 09/09/18 11:59 PM
Salary: $38.06 – $48.25 Hourly
Location: Multiple locations in King County
Job Type: Short Term Temporary, Part Time, Standard Weekly Hours Vary
Department: Public Health – Seattle & King County
Job Number: 18NH08502
The EMS Instructors I and II will teach basic Emergency Medical Services (EMS) skills to students completing basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and CPR Training.
This recruitment will be used to build a pool of Short Term Temporary EMS Instructors level I & level II.
Who May Apply: This position is open to the general public.
Work Location: Various locations throughout King County.
For more information, contact Nic Horea at 206-263-8736 or Nicolae.Horea@KingCounty.gov.
Learn more about this position or all available jobs.
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Pet of the Week: Mark
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
Gentle giant Mark is our Pet of the Week!
This five-year-old Siberian Husky loves to be around people. His personality color is “Bashful Blue,” meaning he can be a little shy at first. But, once he gets comfortable, Mark is a very happy and easy-going boy.
Mark has been in a foster home for a few months while he was recovering from some digestive issues. He lived with two dogs, a cat, and children ages 9 and 15. He got along well with everyone, but did want to play a bit too roughly with the cat, so he may do best in a home with no cats. Since Mark isn’t a big fan of being alone, he would prefer to have a predictable routine if he is home without people for long periods of time.
In addition to hanging out with his people, Mark’s favorite things include playing with stuffed animals and riding in cars. This handsome boy is neutered, current on vaccinations, and microchipped. His adoption fee includes a certificate for a free veterinary exam and 30 days of free pet insurance through Trupanion.
You can learn more about Mark on our website at kingcounty.gov/AdoptAPet. We hope to see you soon!
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Finding hidden value at the bottom of a sediment tank
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories
A big mechanical job at our West Point Treatment Plant replaced a special part of our sedimentation tanks. The sedimentation tanks are part of how we clean everyone’s sewer water.
What’s the real cost?
Have you ever been undecided when buying an appliance, trying to choose between a standard or select model? You probably wished you had some data to help you make an informed choice. Well, by studying costs and crunching the numbers, maintenance engineers at West Point determined that what looked like a higher priced option for certain replacement parts was actually the best value in the long run.
The cost of equipment isn’t just the cost of buying it. We work on being smart about how we take care of all our “stuff” and look at all of the costs, or “life-cycle” cost. We ask questions like:
- What does it cost to buy it – or design and build it?
- What does it cost to maintain / operate it – including labor and energy costs?
- How long does it last?
- What does it cost to recycle or dispose of it when we eventually replace it?
Investing in performance
Suction ducts sweep the floor of the tank, scooping up the particles that settle out of the sewer water (sludge) to move it to a different part of the plant for more treatment.
When we clean wastewater, one of the steps is to let it flow slowly through sedimentation tanks, also called a settling tanks or clarifiers. It allows particles in the water to settle to the bottom as the water flows slowly through the tank.
At the bottom of the tanks, where all those particles are collecting, suction ducts sweep the floor, scooping up that settled sludge to move it to a different part of the plant for more treatment.
The now “old” suction ducts were a standard type back when they were installed. But their ‘plain steel’ was rusting and corroding – and the ducts were failing.
Our maintenance teams at West Point helped the ducts last longer by repeatedly applying galvanized and epoxy protective coatings over the years, but eventually they needed to be replaced.
Initially, it seemed that new stainless steel suction ducts might cost too much, but they’re highly resistant to corrosion, eliminating the need for overhauls and coatings every few years. Virtually rustproof, the amount of money we would save in lower maintenance offset the cost of the higher grade steel.
Cultivating mastery
Workers inspect the alignment of the new ducts.
Replacing heavy, crumbling, decades-old ducts requires technical expertise, and West Point maintenance crews were up to the task. Patrick Perrin, industrial maintenance mechanic, devised a method, with a few extra welds, that allowed a two person team to do the work of four. The work also provided valuable service time for industrial maintenance mechanic and project lead Mike Wallace to earn his Master Mechanic certification.
Working on our values
Replacing West Point clarifier suction ducts with cost efficient, stainless steel upgrades shows our employee’s commitment to finding innovative maintenance solutions and being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.
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Teams trying to save ailing orca practice feeding live fish off Lummi Nation boat and SoundGuardian
The King County SoundGuardian was featured in a recent article by the Associated Press, highlighting its participation in efforts to save a sick orca whale in Puget Sound.
Teams taking drastic measures to save a young, ailing killer whale loaded up two boats with fat live salmon as the sun rose Friday and rushed to waters off Washington state’s San Juan Island, preparing if needed to test-feed the critically endangered orca a day after injecting it with medicine.
Image courtesy of the Associated Press
By early afternoon, it appeared the 3½-year-old female orca called J50 was too far north in Canadian waters and any trial feeding effort would not happen, Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who is leading response efforts in the field, told reporters out on the water.
For now, the unprecedented attempt to feed live salmon to a free-swimming killer whale would have to wait.
The team led by the U.S. agency lacks a permit to feed the whale, which is emaciated and possibly suffering an infection, in Canadian waters, though it had one for medical treatment. NOAA would apply for the feeding permit if conditions are right, said Lynne Barre, NOAA Fisheries’ recovery coordinator for the whales.
The agency wants to see whether it can deliver medication to the whale through live Chinook salmon but first needs to test whether the orca will take its preferred food source.
With the whale far away and a bin full of salmon pulled that morning from a state hatchery, crews did a practice run to work out the logistics of feeding live fish to a whale while staying ahead of it in a boat. One by one, crews aboard a boat belonging to the Lummi Nation, an American Indian tribe, sent the plump salmon into a turquoise tube and then into the water.
Researchers with the Whale Sanctuary Project practiced taking samples of fish scales so they can later genetically track whether the whale consumed that fish. A King County research vessel drove alongside, also carrying fish, to provide support.
Read more at the Associated Press. Image courtesy of The Associate Press.
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Boogie up the Block with the Archives Saturday!
Archives will be participating in the Boogie up the Block Urban Arts Festival, coordinated by our neighbors at Washington Hall.
Participants in the Boogie up the Block 2017 Graffiti Mural Competition.
The walls of the Archives and Records Center will once again provide a surface for the Graffiti Mural Competition.
Images from last year’s event can be seen on Bytes and Boxes.
Archives will also have a table at the Street Arts Festival, featuring their new “photo booth” that allows people to become part of King County history today!
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CHOMP! in Your Big Backyard Saturday
Enjoy a full day of activities at CHOMP!, King County’s celebration of local farming, food, and sustainability, Saturday at King County’s Marymoor Park!
King County Parks is has another great music line-up this year! Enjoy free performances by Matisyahu, Caspar Babypants, The True Loves, and more.
For more details about CHOMP!, visit chomplocal.org and follow updates via the event Facebook page.
Eat Well. Live Well. at CHOMP! See you Saturday!
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Training Spotlight: Lean Basics
Have you heard about Lean? Have you wondered if Lean could be applied on your job? Come and join us in the Lean Basics course, where you will become familiar with the fundamental principles of Lean; such as Waste Identification, Visual Management, and Continuous Improvement. Students will engage the materials through instructor lead classroom discussions, and interactive hands-on learning.
Objectives:
- Become familiar with the 4 key principles of Lean
- Learn why Lean is important to King County
- Recognize the beliefs and mindset that drive Lean behavior
- Apply Visual Management and Waste Elimination principles
- Learn how to apply these concepts on the job
The training takes place Wednesday, Sept. 5, 1 – 4:30 p.m. at the King County Administration Building.
Learn more and register on Eventbrite before the session fills up, and visit Learning and Development on KingCounty.gov to learn more about trainings and other opportunities to invest in YOU – including a Sept. 7 Building Change Management and Effectiveness training!
Employee News 