Exec, FMD celebrate completion of Courthouse electrical project
Last summer, the Facilities Management Division (FMD) learned that the bus ducts in the King County Courthouse were well past their service life and needed to be replaced immediately.
Bus ducts contain large metal bars that conduct electric current through a building. The ducts are used in large commercial buildings because they can carry far more energy, and are easier to install, than the wires used in a typical home’s electrical system.
The Courthouse bus ducts, which were more than 50 years old, had areas where electric current had jumped across the bars, known as arcing. This arcing could have brought down the entire power system in the Courthouse, or worse.
If the old bus ducts had failed, “it could have been catastrophic,” said Joe Lagonoy, an electrician foreman for FMD. “We could have had an explosion or fire.”
As FMD Director Anthony Wright explained, “Arcing, crossing over the bars, for those of you who are not electricians, is kind of like crossing the beams on ‘Ghostbusters.’ It’s a really bad thing.”
While there was no imminent danger, the risk of a failure was enough of a concern for FMD to ask the County Council for emergency funds to replace the bus ducts. The project was estimated to cost $11.6 million and take more than a year to complete. FMD crews would need to work closely with contractors to complete the project, and it could have had a major impact on operations at the Courthouse.
Pictured: King County Executive Dow Constantine with Facilities Management Division staff and contractors who worked on the project.
On August 7, Executive Constantine and Wright brought the project team together to celebrate the successful conclusion of the bus duct replacement project.
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing remarkable work that just exemplifies the things we talk about, whether you’re a contractor or whether you’re a county employee, when we talk about Best Run Government,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Thank you so much for everything you did.”
“Usually when you do emergency projects, you talk about how much more you’ll end up spending,” said Wright. “But we delivered this one ahead of schedule and below our budget.”
The project team “made it possible for us to continue operations to the people of this county without even a bit of a hiccup,” the Executive added. “There’s an awful lot going on here, and to be able to minimize disruption and keep this workplace functioning was a huge achievement.”
Most of the work took place in the evening and on weekends, meaning long hours for FMD crews and the contractors working on the project. However, those extra hours paid off, as there were fewer shutdowns of the Courthouse power system than originally anticipated. Throughout the bus duct project, FMD kept Courthouse employees informed through tenant alerts and a project page on KCWeb.
With the bus ducts replaced, now Lagonoy and the team of FMD electricians and other professionals are turning their attention to replacing electrical panels throughout the Courthouse.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Lagonoy. “To know [the bus ducts] have been replaced, a great cloud lifted. I’m elated. We pretty much have a whole new electrical system here. It’s great.”
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DPD internship program brings on qualified, invested lawyers committed to County priorities
With the arrival of summer comes the annual onboarding of interns in workplaces across the country. While some internships may just be grabbing coffee and making copies, King County is proud to develop interns and employees for a career in public service.
One notable example is within the Department of Public Defense (DPD). Across the four divisions, DPD has expanded a program to attract third-year law students locally and across the country with the idea that they will stay on as public defenders full time after graduation. Summer internships are full time while a school year externship is part time.
“The beauty is we can invest in interns and lawyers in training,” said Lorinda Youngcourt, Director of Public Defense. “We can hire students at the beginning of their third year of law school, which allows us to be competitive.”
The program is currently run by La Mer Kyle-Griffiths, DPD’s training director. La Mer has been with the County since 2015 and is passionate about growing and developing staff. Her significant experience as a trainer has helped the intern program thrive. Modeled after the not-for-profit model, the program allows interns to receive training and become Rule 9 certified. They also practice through mock trials, and under supervision, co-counsel actual trials and cases. Interns also receive coaching and mentoring from excellent King County public defenders from all four divisions. “Most law schools don’t talk about the people element – that is what this program is designed to do,” says La Mer.
“This gives our interns real experience, the chance to see if public defense is what they want to do and allow them to practice courtroom skills,” adds Lorinda.
Interns are assigned to one of four divisions: the Associated Counsel for the Accused Division (ACAD), the Northwest Defenders Division (NDD), the Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons Division (SCRAPD) and The Defenders Association Division (TDAD).
Lorinda has been with King County a little over two years, but has close to 29 years of legal experience. In her previous role as Chief Public Defender, she started the first public defense office and internship program in Lawrence County, Indiana. She considers interns an integral part of running a successful office because of the perspective they bring.
“I have seen a lot in my career, including how important it is for interns to bring new eyes and energy to the work,” she said.
From last summer’s program there are currently seven law students who have accepted a position and are committed to working with King County. This summer the program has 24 students participating and partners with law schools to help with the hiring process, receiving applications from many law schools like Notre Dame, NYU, Berkeley and Harvard, Columbia, George Washington University, as well as from local universities like Seattle University and the University of Washington.
“Seattle University’s program is more social justice oriented and that also gives us a high number of diverse students,” said Lorinda. “It’s allowed us to have qualified people lined up instead of running around to hire lawyers off the street.”
“We can train people as trial lawyers and when a position is available call them up and say ‘Hey can you start in two weeks?’”
This quick turnaround in hiring allows for faster onboarding and also for more qualified applicants, bringing in new lawyers well acquainted with DPD’s practices and King County’s priorities. Lorinda describes this process, a “school to courtroom pipeline,” as a valuable way to fairly and equitably represent the community.
“The success of this program shows how the community supports our work so that clients are getting quality representation,” she said. “It’s the most beautiful thing about King County – here local government is so committed to social justice, equity and a quality public defense that it allows us to hire qualified lawyers and be well defensed.”
For more information about the DPD internship program visit the DPD intern opportunities webpage. For more information about other King County internships, visit our Internships webpage.
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Planning pays off: Long awaited paramedic services proving successful for residents and employees
Since this past February, King County Medic One (KCM1) has provided ongoing, excellent paramedic services to the Vashon Island community. Long in coming, this new service delivers to residents the best in emergency response through a seamless transition from Vashon Island Fire and Rescue to KCM1.
“For citizens of Vashon Island, the change will hardly be noticeable. If you call 911 and need paramedics, a medic unit will still arrive and provide excellent ALS (Advanced Life Support) care,” said Eric Timm, a Paramedic for KCM1. “The only difference is that the medic unit will be staffed by King County Medic One paramedics.”
The change in service though addresses issues of sustainability. Previously, Vashon Island paramedics were only able to see approximately 350 patients annually, well below the County standard. After other issues were identified, including turnover and staffing, the parties involved began to develop a solution that would both address these issues and continue providing lifesaving services to residents.
Pictured: From left, Senior Paramedic Tony Smith, Division Chief Matt Riesenberg, Chief Keith Keller, Division Director for King County EMS Michelle Plorde and Battalion Chief/MSO Paul Nordenger.
Considered a merger, this accomplishment follows over two years of extensive negotiations and planning. The groups involved in the process included King County Medic One, Vashon Island Fire and Rescue, IAFF Local 2595, IAFF Local 4189, the Washington State Council of FFs, IAFF International, the King County Council, and the businesses and residents of Vashon Island.
“The merger directly impacted so many different stakeholders,” said Eric. “It was critical that everyone’s thoughts and concerns were considered.”
“It was also important to get input from outside groups who had experience with previous mergers to weigh in on potential impacts.”
The merger has allowed employees and residents to benefit greatly from such a well-planned effort. Former Vashon Island paramedics who are now KCM1 employees can rotate throughout all of the paramedic units across south King County, gaining professional experience and community exposure. It has also created a more robust, coordinated paramedic system that ensures consistent service standards, provides increased training opportunities and offers a larger staffing pool of paramedics not only for Vashon Island, but for all of South King County.
Working out the best plan to deliver high quality, consistent paramedic and ALS services to the citizens of Vashon Island is another example of the way in which King County prioritizes health, equity and social justice for its residents.
“This allows the County, via King County Medic One, the ability to provide the highest level of emergency health care to the citizens of Vashon Island,” said Eric. “The paramedics of King County Medic One provide this care equally and without prejudice to all in need.”
More information about this new service and KCM1 can be found in several recent news articles, including this one from the Vashon Beachcomber and this one from Public Health Insider.
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Being prepared for the upcoming August 21 solar eclipse
As if heat and wildfire smoke weren’t enough to raise public concern, some are not aware of the dangers of looking at the August 21 solar eclipse without special protective eyewear.
Please take a moment to read this important information about protecting your eyesight. Click here.
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An interview with Councilmember Larry Gossett
By Jimmy’a (jih-MY-uh) Carter, a summer intern for the Executive’s Office Customer Service team. Jimmy’a, a 16 year old who will be a junior this fall at West Auburn High School, plans to attend a four-year college and get a degree in youth counseling. She joins us from the Bridge to Prosperity mentoring program.
Pictured: From left, Councilmember Larry Gossett and author Jimmy’a Carter.
Last month, I was so excited to do an interview with King County Councilmember Larry Gossett because I had heard he has done good things for our community, and through his policies and activism he has had a huge impact on the residents of this county. It was very interesting getting to meet someone like that because a lot of people don’t get that opportunity.
Councilmember Gossett grew up in Seattle in a close family. He played all-city basketball, and even boxed from age eight to 23. By the time he was at Seattle’s Franklin high school, he was already known as an activist fighting for people like him: who had grown up in poverty, and who didn’t have a lot of opportunities. After he graduated from high school, he went to the University of Washington.
During that time, he was a student activist and helped found the school’s Black Student Union. He also joined the VISTA community organizing group, which introduced him to new experiences and opportunities that he said that had a big impact on his life.
After graduating from college in 1967, he worked for and ran a local non-profit organizations serving communities of color. In 1993, he ran for King County Council for the first time, and won. 24 years later, he has been re-elected eight times.
Some of the work that he is most proud of is helping to make the county’s Drug Court and Mental Health Court a reality. After he learned that many people who commit crimes are also struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, or untreated mental health issues, he worked closely with fellow councilmembers, County Executives, and the courts to call for building and funding drug and mental health courts so that struggling residents get the help they need.
A lot of people were angry and didn’t like the special courts or the costs. But so far, the program has been successful at helping lots of people stay out of jail.
Councilmember Gossett is currently following progress on construction of a new family justice center, which he supported, with programs to help families and support youth to stay out of jail and off of the streets. He is also trying to work with other leaders in the area to make jobs more available for unemployed King County residents, especially youth and the growing number of people who live in poverty.
He also believes that we need more housing in King County. Thousands of residents struggle to afford housing in this area, even though there are many global and national companies here with good paying jobs available.
But most of those jobs require at least a high school diploma, technical skills, or advanced education. Councilmember Gossett feels that everyone should be able to get a good job that pays livable wages based on their ability to do the job, even if they don’t have an expensive education. “Why does an education determine whether you’re fit for the job or not?” Gossett asked. “Many of our most creative people don’t have formal training.”
Councilmember Gossett likes being one of nine councilmembers who get to help make policies for improving the area for county residents. He said he has no plans to retire, but one day hopes to use the knowledge from his long career in public service to teach policy and development back at the UW.
For now, he is focused on his job serving the county and in his spare time is writing a book about his colorful and inspiring life, which has taken him from poverty to a powerful position where he can help those who struggle to get ahead, just like he did.
I think Councilmember Larry Gossett is a great asset to King County because he cares about the community, he works to make changes that make people’s lives better, and he uses his voice and power to help the people who do not have the same opportunities.
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Tech Tip: Resetting password and unlocking your account with Self-Serve Account Management (SAM)
In the coming weeks, King County employees will be required to enroll in the Self-Serve Access Management (SAM) program. This program allows employees to reset their own password and unlock their account/mail/device if locked out of the system. Employees will no longer need call the HelpDesk. If they’re locked out, they can do it themselves.
Many employees have already voluntarily enrolled in SAM and use it frequently. If you have not enrolled, it’s easy to do and takes less than two minutes.
Directions:
- Go to http://www.kingcounty.gov/SAM
- Click the Enrollment tab.
- Answer five security questions.
- Click update.
- Done.
Lapsed time: 90 seconds (more if you don’t know your high school mascot)
The next time you forget your password and find yourself locked out, the identity box will prompt you to reset your password using the security answers. You will no longer contact the HelpDesk.
Customer Support Services spends up to 30% of their time doing password resets. They would prefer to help you with more complex problems. So thanks from your support team!
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PlazaFest: Enjoy sunshine and local food, August 8
Spend time outside in the great weather and connect with friends and colleagues at the next PlazaFest, organized by the Facilities Management Division.
Food cart vendors will be available on the Administration Building plaza Tuesday, August 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Vendors will include specialty hot dogs from Dirty Dog and nachos and tacos from Nach’yo Average Food.
For questions about PlazaFest on August 8, email Judy Hairston.
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Social Media Spotlight: GIS and You blog
The King County GIS Center provides quality service and exceptional value for our clients with the most capable GIS organization in the Pacific Northwest. Unlike most consultants, our professional staff members are not merely theoreticians, but practicing users of the types of GIS solutions government and business require.
Why do we offer our services to outside customers? We have a long-term interest in the success of city and county GIS. We know that our success depends on satisfied clients and we are committed to delivering quality GIS business solutions that provide value for our customers.
Whether you need consulting, programming, data, mapping, or GIS training, let KCGIS help you put GIS to work!
Follow the GIS and You blog today!
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
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Reminder: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Minnesota United August 20 employee discount
King County employees can get discounted tickets to the Seattle Sounders FC vs. Minnesota United at 7 p.m. on Sunday, August 20, at CenturyLink Field. Tickets start at $25. Click here to buy tickets. All fans will receive their tickets via email 48 hours before the event. Questions? Call Jordan Long at 206-965-8787 or email him at jordanl@soundersfc.com.
See all available discounts on the Employee Discount webpage.
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Featured Job: Wastewater Construction Management IV
Closing Date/Time: Fri. 08/18/17 11:59 PM Pacific Time
Salary: $41.57 – $52.69 Hourly, $86,465.60 – $109,595.20 Annually
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Location: Multiple locations in King County, Washington
Department: Department of Natural Resources & Parks – Wastewater Treatment Division
Description: The Department of Natural Resources & Parks is seeking a candidate for the role of Wastewater Construction Management IV. This role will plan, organize and supervise the administration and inspection of specific construction projects, ensure compliance with plans, specifications, code and relevant regulatory laws, and direct the work of the inspectors. This role will also provide inspection information to capital projects and conduct inspections of conveyance systems and other facilities, as well as provide technical assistance in the planning and design stages of wastewater construction projects.
Contact: For questions about the position, please contact Diana Eberly-Shepard at Diana.Eberly-Shepard@kingcounty.gov.
Learn more about this position, or view all available jobs.
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