Social Media Spotlight: All Home Facebook
All Home (formerly the Committee to End Homelessness) is a community-wide partnership to make homelessness in King County rare, brief and one-time. We bring together local governments, religious institutions, non-profits, philanthropic organizations, shelter and housing providers, the private sector and engaged citizens in a coordinated effort that both responds to the immediate crisis of homeless individuals and addresses the root causes of the problem in our region.
Like All Home on Facebook today!
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
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Kudos! Awesome Metro driver makes sure child gets home safe
This appreciative parent submitted a commendation for Bonita Johnson, a King County Metro driver who went the extra mile to make sure all her passengers, including this young man, got home safe. This parent says:
Hello, I am writing to let you know about the excellent customer service my son and I received by one of your drivers. My 12 year old missed his stop and became lost. The driver let him use her phone and when she got to the end of the bus line kept him with her and brought him back to his stop. She went above and beyond the call of duty and it was a relief to know he was in good hands.
Kudos to Bonita for waiting with this boy to be sure he was safe and sound!
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RASKC on Univision: Adopting a pet (story no. 4)
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
This is the fourth of nine segments which Univision Seattle, KUNS Channel 51, is proudly airing on Wednesdays at 6pm and 11pm. This segment is focused on adopting a pet. Learn more about RASKC’s stories on Univision.
For more information:
- About RASKC featured stories on Univision
- Watch RASKC on Univision: Saving lives (story no.1)
- Watch RASKC on Univision: Pet licensing (story no.2)
- Watch RASKC on Univision: Pet disaster preparedness (story no. 3)
Read more at Tails from RASKC
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Tech Tip: What’s in a name: Skype, Skype for Business and Lync
King County uses a Unified Communications system (UC) for internal and external communications. It replaced the old telephony system. (yes, that’s a word. “Telephony is the technology associated with the electronic transmission of voice, fax, or other information between distant parties using systems historically associated with the telephone, a handheld device containing both a speaker or transmitter and a receiver.”)
To provide clarity: Skype is the Microsoft consumer version for personal communications you use (for free or a small fee) to communicate with people. “Skype for Business” is Microsoft business version that King County’s uses. It is a more professional and robust version of its personal/consumer little sister. It has instant messaging, screen sharing, conference calls, voicemail, and shows whether someone is free to take calls or messages. Using Skype for Business for instant messaging keeps those quick, check-in emails out of your inbox and provides a free alternative to Webex or GoTo Meeting.
Lync is the old name for Skype for Business that will appear on devices like MAC products until Microsoft releases a Skype for Business client for that OS.
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Developmental Disabilities and Behavioral Health Legislative Forums
We have two upcoming legislative forums to identify legislative priorities for the coming year.
Developmental Disabilities Legislative Forum – The King County Board for Developmental Disabilities’ 27th annual Legislative Forum will take place on Monday, Nov. 21 at the DoubleTree Suites in Tukwila. This event is hosted by the King County Parent Coalition, a program of The Arc of King County. The King County Board for Developmental Disabilities will present the 2017 legislative agenda, focusing on issues important to the developmental disabilities system.
- Monday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Suites, 16500 Southcenter Parkway, Seattle
Behavioral Health Legislative Forum – The Behavioral Health Legislative Forum will take place Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Town Hall Seattle. This annual event brings our community together to celebrate recovery and connect with elected officials about key issues in mental health and substance abuse. The forum will include remarks from King County Executive Dow Constantine, Jim Vollendroff, BHRD director, sharing King County’s proposed legislative priorities for 2017, The compelling stories of people in recovery from mental illness and substance abuse and much more. Register here before the event fills up!
Wednesday, December 6 at 6 p.m. at Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave, Seattle
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A summer intern tells all
Crossposted from Lean in King County
This summer, after completing the first year of my MPA program at UW’s Evans School, I joined King County’s Performance, Strategy, and Budget Office (PSB) as a Line of Business (LoB) Intern. I wanted to learn about the county, get more connected to the region, and apply my Evans coursework in a meaningful way.
I’ve learned a great deal about my own strengths in graphic design and communication, about King County’s Lean management system, and about the way King County agencies collaborate and operate. I had so many questions about acronyms and definitions, about relationships between agencies and nuances of PSB’s work, and there were always people willing to answer them. The projects I worked on felt meaningful and useful, never trivial. To put it succinctly – this has been a fantastic internship.
Read more at Lean in King County
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Third annual free health clinic in Seattle/King County a success
KOMO news reported on how more than 900 individuals received free medical care at the clinic, which was held at KeyArena Thursday, October 27 through Sunday, October 30.
The clinic relied on over 1,000 volunteers to provide free dental, vision and medical care for almost 4,000 people.
Read more about this successful event in the article Massive effort to provide free health care gets underway at KeyArena, including a quote from King County Executive Dow Constantine.
Image courtesy of KOMO news
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The Annual Employee Giving Drive: Outdoors Nonprofits
The County’s 2016 Annual Employee Giving Drive is now past the halfway point, and this year’s goal is to raise $1.82 million. King County employees have donated $561,762.41 so far, bringing the drive to 31% of our goal!
This week, we’re featuring four nonprofits serving King County’s great outdoors, and each is eligible to receive donations through the Employee Giving Program!
- Seattle Parks Foundation (2739) 105 S Main St, Ste 235 Seattle, WA 98104 – Seattle Parks Foundation works with volunteers, donors and community leaders to build and sustain a thriving, accessible, connected system of public space for all people.
- Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance (9152) 418 NE 72nd St Seattle, WA 98115 – Washington State’s largest mountain bike organization with over 8,000 followers dedicated to trail maintenance, building, advocacy, and education.
- King County Parks Foundation (9553) 201 S Jackson St, Ste 700 Seattle, WA 98027 – The foundation is devoted to connecting communities to regional trails, open space and parks and to ensure the resiliency of the parks system.
- Outdoors for All Foundation (2797) 6344 NE 74th St, Ste 102 Seattle, WA 98115 – 700 volunteers are dedicated to improving the quality of life of 2,300+ children and adults with disabilities through year round outdoor recreational opportunities.
There is also time left to win prizes just by learning about five nonprofits who attended the nonprofit expositions virtually! To enter a drawing for the grand prize of Seattle City Pass, movie tickets, and fun giveaways, visit nonprofits (in person, or through the online video presentations) and fill out the “passport.” The drawing will take place November 9. You will be notified if you win, and winners will be posted on the website.
The Employee Giving Program is a philanthropic resource for King County employees that benefits county employees by providing prescreened nonprofits, allowing you to plan your giving, making it possible for you to donate time (vacation or compensatory hours), and offering anonymity.
You may pledge either online in PeopleSoft or with a paper form. Through payroll donations, employees can donate to as many as 20 nonprofits, and contributions can be made bimonthly (first two pay checks each month), monthly (second paycheck each month) or annually (first paycheck in January).
Every donation made through the Employee Giving Program is tax deductible. Just keep track of the proper paperwork and you can deduct your donations when you file your taxes!
This year’s drive runs through November 18. For more information, visit the EGP site. For additional questions, contact your EGP Ambassador, email EmployeeGiving@KingCounty.gov or call 206-263-9405.
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From the Hip: Julie Wise, Director of Elections
Why you shouldn’t only vote this November
I know for many of you it feels like this election has been going on forever, but here at King County Elections we’ve actually been preparing for years. For this election we will –
- Process about 100,000 additional voter registrations
- Send out nearly 1.3 million ballots to King County voters
- Field more than 27,000 phone calls from voters
- Count more than a million ballots
At our headquarters in Renton we’ll have countless tour groups, party observers and media visitors. On Election Day, we’ll have more than 500 temporary staff helping us make sure that every ballot is efficiently processed and accurately counted. It’s going to be momentous.
But let me tell you something that may sound like sacrilege for an election administrator. I’m much more interested in next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. Those are the city council and school board races, the local initiatives and fire district levies, the propositions to fund parks and school construction. Those are the important choices about our community and, in many cases, only 20 – 30% of people are voting in local elections. That’s crazy.
In February 2016, only 29% of voters participated in the special election. Last year turnout for the Primary and General Elections was 24% and 39% respectively.
What’s more, some of these races are decided by the narrowest of margins. Just last year we had a Seattle City Council race with a margin of 39 votes. In 2013, we had a Des Moines City Council race won by 31 votes. Your vote matters, but only if you use it.
However, it’s 2016. We’re predicting turnout this November 8 at about 80%. It’s that unique time every four years when we are all absorbed by things like election system security and voter registration laws. So let me make this pitch while everyone is paying attention – please vote. Please vote this November, but also next November in your local elections. Please vote in the Primary in August. Please vote in the February and April special elections. Please vote on the races at the top of your ballot and at the bottom. Please let your voice be heard in all of these important decisions about our community, not just in one race every four years.
My job is to make it as convenient and easy as possible for you to vote. Your job is to do it.
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Celebrating 105 years of combined service- and no regrets
Al Viray, Al Williamson, and Bryon Fauchald recently received a 35-year service award, as well as lunch with acting Wastewater Treatment Division Director Gunars Sreibers and Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True, to celebrate each employee and his incredible commitment to wastewater services for our region. Thank you to all three for their dedication to King County!
On December 1, 1981 three men, Al Viray, Al Williamson, and Bryon Fauchald, reported for their first day of work at the West Point Treatment plant in Discovery Park. At that time, they were the three newest employees of Metro (now the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, or WTD), and none were too sure how long they would stick it out.
“I came from the Navy, and I could have worked for Boeing. I didn’t know anyone here,’” Viray says. Fauchald could have followed his family into a career as a commercial fisherman, and almost did several times. “I stayed because I had the greatest supervisor,” he said, “and it was a great place to work and a great job for raising a family.”
“I only got to know Al Williamson when he dropped a wrench into a valve and conveniently remembered that it was my fault.” Fauchald laughs, “He still remembers it that way.”
Pictured from left Wastewater Treatment Director Gunars Sreibers, Al Viray, Al Williamson, Bryon Fauchald and Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True.
That was 35 years ago, and even though Viray, Williamson, and Fauchald have faced long hours and hard work at a large, complex facility, the three look back on their tenure at West Point Treatment Plant with pride. Viray, Williamson, and Fauchald all took jobs in the wastewater industry for one reason. “It’s always been the kind of job that is stable, but also one that allows you to move up in the organization,” Viray says.
Williamson agreed, and added that though stability was the selling point, another advantage has been the actual work. “This place will challenge you,” he emphasizes. “It will challenge you mentally and physically. When your skills and judgment helps keep the plant together during a bad situation like a major storm and power outage, you really feel accomplished.” Fauchald adds that “there is a lot of variety- you’re always learning and never bored.”
The trio have been part of major changes in the agency, the industry, and regulations. They were part of the team that kept West Point operating as it was upgraded from a primary to secondary treatment system. “You can’t turn the plant off to switch it over, right? We were right in the transition and storms were coming in,” Viray says. “We had to work directly with engineers to operate the new system, because there wasn’t a manual yet. We had to figure it out along the way.”
Many of their most hair-raising adventure stories predate modern equipment and safety regulations. “You didn’t have vactor trucks to suck up sewage and solids into a tank,” says Viray. “You used a shovel.” The men followed regulations and protocols that existed then, but the rulebook was a lot thinner then than now.
When asked how their vast knowledge and experience will be passed on, the men describe two efforts to ensure institutional knowledge doesn’t retire with them. “We’ve always trained our operators from the ground up,” says Viray. “We want them to know the basic parts of the system, how it’s put together, not just start manning the controls.”
Williamson explains that documented standard operating procedures also capture years of experience. Detailed work orders are like pilots’ pre-flight checklists, providing a systematic way to prepare for big tasks like cleaning digesters. “Those work orders used to be on 3 by 5 inch cards,” laughs Williamson. “We had a card file, like a library.”
While a stable job with training, advancement opportunities and lots of challenges inspired the men, there’s a different reason they’ve stayed so long.
“We’ve spent the past 35 years working together, and for 10 years we worked on the same shifts for 50 hours every week. We like each other, but you become close because you have to depend on one another to stay safe,” Williamson says.
“We’ve always watched each other’s backs,” Viray agrees before adding. “It’s really the people and teamwork that have made me stay here so long.”
For Fauchald, being able to raise a family and work with a team that became family was key. “The challenges we faced over the years brought us together at work, and we were spending more time together than with our families at home.”
“I never thought I’d be in such a diverse workplace, where I’d come into contact with people with such different backgrounds, from all walks of life, who have stories so different from mine,” Williamson says. “That’s been the best part for me. My only regret is never taking the opportunity to learn some of the other languages my coworkers speak.”
Viray, who hails from the Philippines and speaks three languages, leans back in his chair confidently. “I have no regrets.”
Employee News 