Hot weather on the way – help us keep cool!
We’re expecting unusually hot weather this week with record high temperatures likely Wednesday and Thursday, and the possibility of 100-degree weather in and around King County.
The Facilities Management Division (FMD) is committed to your safety and comfort at work, and to running King County buildings as efficiently as possible. To help us all keep cooler as the weather heats up, here are a few tips:
- Lower the blinds in your work area to reduce sunlight streaming in
- Keep windows and doors closed when the air conditioning is on
- Dress for the weather conditions
- Turn off unnecessary lights, and unplug unused electrical equipment if possible.
For a reminder, feel free to print out and post the FMD Summer Heat Reminder Flyer in your workspace.
Thanks, and keep cool!
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Whitney Abrams announces Dave Sarju appointed Director of Human Resources Division
Dave Sarju, Director of Human Resources Division
Dear King County Employee,
I am excited to announce that King County Executive Dow Constantine has appointed Dave Sarju as Director of Human Resources Division, starting full-time on August 14. Dave has more than 25 years’ experience in developing people, teams and workplace culture in public, private and non-profit organizations and delivering more value to customers.
Dave will report to me as Director of Employee Engagement and Support, and play an integral role in implementing Executive Constantine’s Investing in You strategy to ensure we are building a workplace where you have the tools and support to innovate, achieve your career goals and do your best work. Dave is a true champion of this vision.
Dave joins King County from the Human Services Department at the City of Seattle where he served as Interim Deputy Director. He has several years’ experience at King County having previously worked in senior roles in King County Information Technology and the Department of Executive Services.
I want to thank Chrissy Russillo for her exceptional and dedicated leadership as Interim HRD Director over the past eight months and her commitment to our equity and social justice work and our efforts in employee engagement, development and recruitment.
Please join me in welcoming Dave to King County. He, and our collective team, are dedicated to making this the best place to work.
Thank you,
Whitney Abrams
Director of Employee Engagement and Support
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Social Media Spotlight: Regional Animal Services of King County Facebook
Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) is a joint effort between 25 partnering municipalities and unincorporated King County to advance public health, safety, and animal welfare in the communities we serve.
Follow King County Pets on Facebook today!
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
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Kudos! RASKC receives $75,000 grant from Petco Foundation
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
RASKC recently received a $75,000 grant from Petco Foundation. The award came shortly after RASKC was recognized for being one of the highest-performing animal care agencies in the nation. Read the full story below or click to view the stories aired on KING 5 News.
King County Executive News Release
KING 5: More Pets Finding Homes in King County (interview with Dr. Gene Mueller)
KING 5: “Cat condos” coming to King County Animal Shelter
Read more from Tails from RASKC
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Featured Job: CH Special Projects Manager PPM-III
Closing Date/Time: Mon. 07/31/17 11:59 PM Pacific Time
Salary: $38.66 – $49.00 Hourly
Job Type: TLT (Term-Limited Temporary)
Location: Chinook Building, Downtown Seattle, Washington
Department: Department of Public Health–Community Health Services
Description: Public Health- Seattle & King County’s Health Care for the Homeless Network is seeking a Health Care for the Homeless Special Projects Manager (Project/Program Manager III) to provide project management capacity needed to complete several critical special projects related to federal governance requirements, program evaluation, input from program consumers regarding planning and evaluation, and the oversight and strategic input provided the program by both the King County Board of Health and the program’s community advisory body- Health Care for the Homeless Network (HCHN) Planning Council. It works in close collaboration with the HCHN leadership team and supports the HCHN Program Manager and Operations Manager.
Examples of duties include supporting the HCHN Program Manager in work with the King County Board of Health and the HCHN Planning Council around federal governance requirements, program evaluation, and operational input from program consumers. Other duties may include support for grant applications, contracts development, and quality assurance.
Contact: For questions about the position, please contact Denise Hawthorne at denise.hawthorne@kingcounty.gov. For questions about the application process, please contact Catherine Fitzpatrick at Catherine.fitzpatrick@kingcounty.gov.
Learn more about this position, or view all available jobs.
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Yesler Bridge Rehabilitation Project: Update, Terrace Street closure
Terrace Street next to the Yesler Building, and south of the Chinook Building, will be closed beginning today, Wednesday, July 26, and is scheduled to re-open the week of Monday, August 7. The south end of the alley between 5th Ave and 4th Ave, including the garage entrance and exit, will only be accessible from Jefferson Street. This closure is needed to accommodate demolition activities and concrete pours.
The Yesler Way Bridge Rehabilitation Project, which will improve safety and reliability while preserving the bridge’s historical elements, will continue through fall of 2017. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the project further, please contact YeslerBridge@seattle.gov or 206-684-8684. To learn more about the project, visit the project website.
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Federal Way Youth Action Team making a difference
See how the community in Federal Way is working together to help at risk kids. This video features local organizations, such as the HYPE Program, CHI Franciscan Health, and the Federal Way Boys & Girls Club as well as commentary from Jason Clark, Equity and Justice Advocate with King County Superior Court.
Youth mentors are needed for this growing Federal Way community support network. Click here to learn more.
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Our thoughts on the West Point Independent Review Report
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories
As promised last spring, the King County Council has publicly shared the results of an independent review of our West Point Treatment Plant operations.
The report took an unbiased look at our operations and maintenance practices as part of an effort to learn from what happened at West Point on Feb. 9, 2017, when severe storms and high flows led to flooding and serious equipment damage.
We agree with the report’s findings, which include a number of recommendations to improve plant operations, increase system redundancy, and strengthen employee safety and training.
Read more from Clean Water Stories
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Employee is proud to provide excellent customer service to King County residents
Pictured: From left, author Jimmy’a Carter and Teesha Bailey.
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.
What do a fancy clothing store and King County have in common? For Teesha Bailey, serving store customers helped her transition to serving county customers. She currently works as a Confidential Secretary with the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) for Director Adrienne Quinn.
But two years ago, she was working at Neiman Marcus as a customer service representative for high-end customers: answering their questions, resolving complaints, handling sales and billing issues, and answering switchboard calls.
It kept her busy, but she really wanted a job where she could make the community better in a department that fit her need to help people. That’s why she had always wanted to work for the county, and because she had family and friends there who liked their jobs. They suggested that she apply.
She got the job, and now she supports DCHS and all of its divisions with administrative work on big projects like the Veterans and Human Services Levy and Best Start for Kids. They are also working with schools to try to help children who have made mistakes by showing them what they’ve done wrong and how to make better choices, instead of putting them in detention. Teesha also helps to support the Executive Office when they have issues that connect to DCHS.
She said she likes being an advocate for the community in government, and working to create more equity in King County so that everyone is treated the same, gets paid the same wage, and gets the same opportunities, no matter their skin color, culture, or background.
What stands out to me most about Teesha Bailey’s work is how she wants to help people and children who may not have been treated fairly, by connecting them with programs to improve their lives. She believes her persistence is what got her here today and she loves her work and would not change a thing, except to have opportunities to do even more to help the community.
Teesha has come a long way from selling fancy clothes, but she’s still committed to providing great service to her new customers in King County.
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Metro employee gets to “Be the boss”
By Hannah Debenedetto, intern with King County Department of Transportation
What would you do if you were boss for the day? Metro’s Gerald Freeman found out after winning an employee sweepstakes to “be the boss” of KCDOT Director Harold Taniguchi.
As a marketing specialist, Gerald is regularly at community events to help customers sign up for ORCA cards or to answer their questions. This month, Harold joined him for an afternoon helping customers in Metro’s booth at Kent Cornucopia Days.
“Harold jumped right into engaging people, answering questions, and referring people to me when he didn’t know the answer,” said Gerald,
Through the Employee Giving Program, a service connecting King County employees with nonprofits, Gerald’s name was entered into a drawing with almost 300 other participants. To be eligible, employees had to spend time learning about the Employee Giving Program.
Gerald said he would love to have Harold’s help again, especially if he could bring Metro’s General Manager Rob Gannon and County Executive Dow Constantine along too.
Rob has his work cut out for him. He has completed one of three assignments, sitting in on employee interviews with Josh Isgur, a Human Resources analyst. He’ll complete the others in coming months. Three employees total won separate drawings to be his boss. In addition to Josh, there is Berni Hendrickson, an employee in Metro’s distribution center and Lanie Curry, a Human Resources associate in King County’s Drug and Alcohol program. Rob plans to report to his shifts in the coming months.
Thanks to all participants who took time to learn about the Employee Giving Program, and congratulations to the winners, you’re the Boss!
Employee News 