Seahawks player Michael Bennett starts gardening program for youth in juvenile detention
Crossposted from KC Justice Youth
King County Juvenile Detention, in partnership with Interagency Academy, hosted Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks, his wife Pele, and other members of the Bennett Foundation to inaugurate the new Bennett Foundation Garden located within the detention facility. Built by Interagency Academy students at our Opportunity Skyway site in Georgetown with a $5,000 grant provided by the Bennett Foundation, the garden seeks to provide students with an opportunity to learn about growing food, healthy eating, and biology through hands-on gardening and art experiences.
The project represents a unique partnership between the Foundation, King County, Interagency Academy (Seattle Public Schools), the King County detention kitchen, and community volunteers. The food in the garden will be planted, maintained, and harvested by students, and will be used in the kitchen to feed the very students who grew the food. This farm-to-table project is also intended to provide a therapeutic educational experience for our students, many of whom have undergone significant trauma in their lives. Funding from the Bennett Foundation is also supporting the design, painting, and installation of food- and nutrition-themed art murals for the detention garden area. These will be created and painted by students in detention with the support of teachers and community volunteers.
Read more at KC Justice Youth
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Installation of new mechanical System in a 1929 KCIA Terminal Building
This article is featured courtesy of Project Manager Milton Huertas, King County International Airport, Department of Transportation
As directed by the Green Building Ordinance and Strategic Climate Action Plan Green Building Goal Area, King County-owned buildings and infrastructure will be built, maintained and operated consistent with the highest green building and sustainable development practices.
Thanks to the project team and airport staff, the Main Terminal Building at King County International Airport/Boeing Field has just undergone a deep energy efficiency retrofit. The project is planned to achieve a Platinum level rating using the King County Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard.
The work included replacement of rooftop multi‐zone air handlers and installation of new Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF ‐ high tech heat pump) systems, heat recovery ventilator (HRV) and dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS), as well as a change to LED lighting. In 2004, during a complete building remodel, new insulation and energy efficient glazing were installed, but the HVAC units were retained because of lifecycle service and cost. Replacement of the older units provides for a new state of the art energy system that is anticipated to reduce the heating and cooling cost by $19,335 per year.
The new lighting upgrades save $3,200 per year, which is a 47 percent energy cost reduction. The project is supported by a $300K state Energy Efficiency Commerce Grant. The HRV units were purchased at a 50 percent discount as part of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) program.
Initial estimates on savings the from design phase indicate a savings of 391,499 KWH annually in electricity usage and 26,105 therms annually in natural gas savings. In addition, the projected greenhouse gas emissions savings from the project is 388.44 MTCO2e per year from operations.
In King County, the second greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions is from energy used to heat, cool, and power our homes and buildings. Not only does this Main Terminal Building retrofit reduce costs, it significantly reduces energy use. This supports the County goal of reducing government operational energy use in County buildings and facilities by an additional ten percent in the next decade, as described in the Strategic Climate Action plan.
Click through the photos below to learn more about the project.
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Social Media Spotlight: Are you one of our 13,000 LinkedIn followers?
More than 13,000 King County employees, residents and job seekers are getting up-to-date news and information, job opportunities, trainings, discounts and more by following King County on LinkedIn. Are you one of them?
To follow King County on LinkedIn, go to the King County company page and click “follow” (you will need to create a LinkedIn account if you do not have one).
You can also get employee news and information by following us on these platforms:
- Twitter @kcemployees
- Blog www.kcemployees.com
- Tumblr www.kcemployees.tumblr.com
- YouTube King County Employees
- Twitter @kingcountyjobs
Accessing Employee News is an acceptable use of IT assets.
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Michael Jacobson named Chair of the ASPA’s Center for Accountability and Performance
Michael Jacobson, Deputy Director for Performance and Strategy with the County’s Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget, has been named to a three-year board term and one-year chairmanship of the American Society of Public Administration’s Center for Accountability and Performance.
During his term, Michael is working to advance awareness about the importance of performance and accountability in government through the Center’s regular webinar series and annual organizational and performance leadership awards. He will also host performance-related expert panels at ASPA’s annual conferences.
“Another part of what has been exciting for me is the opportunity I’ve had to help diversify board membership in terms of race and gender, and to help create an Emerging Leader Award,” said Michael. “The diversity efforts are very important to do for the organization, to get the different perspectives and a deeper understanding of issues. And the Emerging Leader Award has allowed us to recognize people who are starting out in their jurisdictions and doing great work. We are able to give them some early career recognition, and they get some well-deserved visibility.”
Michael joined King County in July, 2002. In his current role, he is responsible for the overall strategic and performance aspects of the County’s performance management system. He also oversees the Criminal Justice, Strategy and Policy Group within the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget. Under his leadership, the County has received numerous performance measurement and reporting awards and recognitions.
“Our Executive’s best-run government philosophy encourages us to engage our communities – including national professional communities,” added Michael. “This is a great opportunity for me to engage national networks and bring best practices back to King County.”
His contributions to the field have been recognized with the ASPA’s Harry Hatry Distinguished Performance Measurement and Practice Award. This award is presented to individuals whose outstanding teaching, education, training and consultation in performance measurement has made a significant contribution to the practice of public administration. He has also served as editorial board member of Public Administration Review.
Congratulations, Michael!
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Kudos! King County CIO shares County successes in magazine article
King County Chief Information Officer Bill Kehoe was recently featured in StateTech Magazine talking about the importance of rolling out a robust communications platform for organizations.
StateTech spotlighted KCIT’s efforts to roll out a comprehensive communications software that enables King County employees to stay connected via instant message (IM), phone call, and conduct meetings with a voice, video and content sharing.
“We’ve seen tremendous increase in staff productivity and savings from not having to travel to and from meetings – and there are thousands of meetings that occur over a month’s time,” Kehoe said.
Learn more about the progress King County has made in the article here.
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EMS/Medic One doctor talks reasons for survival success
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
On this final look at the EMS system for the week, we asked Dr. Tom Rea, Emergency Medical Services Program Director for King County, to wrap it up with a look at how our system works together to save lives and provide excellent care wherever you go in the county.
In addition to his role with King County, Dr. Rea works clinically at Harborview Medical Center where he is a University of Washington Professor of Medicine. He’s dedicated his career to improving care for emergency conditions.
What constitutes a good EMS system?
The key to your question is the word “system”? For example, consider a serious motor vehicle crash where there are multiple injured persons. Many take it for granted but consider what happens: there is a 9-1-1 call to the emergency dispatch which triages the event and sends appropriate resources.
Read more at Public Health Insider
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Tech Tip: King County’s App Store grows!
KCIT is making it easier to download the apps you need without having to contact the Helpdesk or require someone with special privileges on your PC. In the past, apps had to be installed by a technician with special rights. Now apps can be self installed when it’s convenient for the end user.
Every month, we are putting more apps in the King County App Store known as the Software Center on your PC.
To get there, go to the windows icon in the lower left corner. Click and you will get to a search box. Put in the words “Software Center” and hit return and it will take you to King County’s approved software center. If the app is here, you likely have unrestricted permission to install it. For applications that require a purchased license there will be an automated method to handle that too in the near future.
There are 150+ apps there right now, and we are working toward hundreds more as we centralize all installation software.
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Understanding the role of an Appraiser
King County Assessor John Wilson has put together a video that helps residents understand how property tax values are determined.
“While your property value might change, the greatest driver in how much you pay in property tax is actually voter-approved ballot measures,” Wilson said. “Each local government can only increase property tax revenues by 1% per year unless – and this an important unless – voters approve a special levy; and it’s these levies that are increasing property tax bills for most of us.”
The video debunks some of the myths about the role of property appraisers and explains the key functions of appraisers and how they determine the value of properties.
To learn more about the role of appraisers, click here to watch the video.
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Featured Job: Fiscal Specialist III
Closing Date/Time: Sun. 07/09/17 11:59 PM Pacific Time
Salary: $22.99 – $29.28 Hourly
Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT)
Location: King Street Center – 201 S Jackson St, Seattle, Washington
Department: Department of Natural Resources & Parks – Wastewater Treatment Division
Description: This position is offered as a special duty opportunity open to King County career service employees or it will be filled as a term limited temporary position. First consideration will be given to Wastewater Treatment Division employees who are represented by Teamsters Local 117. Applicants from this recruitment may be considered for other vacancies as they occur for a Fiscal Specialist II or Fiscal Specialist III.
This position is overtime eligible, with a 40-hour work week, Monday through Friday. This position is funded through December 1, 2019.
This position reports to the Customer Service Supervisor in the Finance Section of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Wastewater Treatment Division. Under limited supervision, this position provides specialized technical billing, accounts receivable and customer service related to the Revenue and Accounts Receivable Charge Program.
Learn more about this position, or view all available jobs.
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PRIDE is coming Sunday, June 25
“Whether you arrived here last week or whether you’ve lived here for five generations, you belong here.” – King County Executive Dow Constantine
Please join King County Executive Dow Constantine and other colleagues, friends and family as we walk in the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25. To walk with the King County group, meet at 10 a.m. on Fourth Avenue between University Street and Seneca Street and look for the King County Metro bus. The parade leaves from Union Street at 11 a.m. and ends at Second Avenue and Denny Way near Seattle Center about two hours later. For more information about the parade and Pride events, click here.
The first 200 people to arrive at the gathering point can receive a free King County Pride t-shirt. Adult sizes S-XL are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please be prepared for the event. Bring snacks if needed and note that temperatures are predicted to be near 90 degrees on Sunday. Plan to attend with water, sunscreen and comfortable clothing.
Bring yourself, your family, your friends and enjoy the parade together! Remember, we all belong here.
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