New pumps function as South Plant’s ‘heart’
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories Our South Treatment Plant in Renton recently underwent the equivalent of a heart transplant operation. Raw sewage pumps function as the heart of a treatment plant, providing the power to move wastewater into the plant, and South Plant replaced three of them — each orchestrated by a skilled team. The pumps had been in service for over five decades. They were reliable and easy to operate, but inefficient and energy-intensive. Project manager Bill Olwell said, “It is amazing that they are still up and working after 50 years. But… Read More
Keeping residents safe from flooding
With increased rainfall in King County during the fall and winter months, the risk of flooding in some parts of the county increases. “Flooding is a big problem in King County,” said Ken Zweig, Program Manager for River and Floodplain Management at Water and Land Resources Division. “Since 1990 we’ve had 12 presidentially declared disasters in this county. Historically the biggest floods have happened in the late fall and winter months.” The employees of King County’s Flood Warning Program work to educate and prepare residents who live in flood-prone areas about what… Read More
A new King County initiative prevented more than 3,000 people from becoming homeless in 2017
A new initiative launched a year ago by Executive Dow Constantine has prevented more than 3,000 people in King County from becoming homelessness. Results from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30 – the latest data available – show that 96 percent of the 1,024 client households still had a place to live, which prevented the need for additional shelter beds. It also decreased the number of children who suffer the trauma that homelessness can cause, which can affect brain development. Read more in the official press release.
New employee grateful for fresh start after hurricane
The Bellevue Reporter recently featured Rafael Muñoz-Cintrón who, with his family, left the devastation caused to Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria, to begin a new life in Bellevue. Less than two months after arriving in King County, Rafael successfully applied for a Legal Secretary position with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. “We thank God every day we were able to get on our feet so quickly,” Rafael Muñoz-Cintrón said in the article. Read more at the Bellevue Reporter.
Get crafty this season with Green Holidays
Get in the holiday spirit with a do-it-yourself (DIY) project this season. DIY gifting can be fun if you want to get crafty. Best of all, “Green Holidays” give a second life to items you already have at home, while reducing the environmental impact during the holiday season. For many years now, Project Manager Tom Watson has managed King County’s EcoConsumer Public Outreach Program. One of the programs that Tom coordinates is Green Holidays. “The program started in the late 1990’s as the “Waste Free Holidays,” working with businesses to promote giving “experience… Read More
Social Media Spotlight: Best Starts for Kids Facebook
Best Starts for Kids builds on the strengths of communities and families so that more babies are born healthy, more children thrive and establish a strong foundation for life, and more young people grow into thriving members of their community. Follow the Best Starts for Kids on Facebook today! Click here to view all King County social media pages.
RASKC kittens are a big hit in Chinook
Five kittens from Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) were welcomed with open arms in the Chinook building on Tuesday, December 5. The kittens were part of a “Kitty Café”, a KC Employee Giving Program event sponsored by the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget and Seattle Meowtropolitan Café. The event highlights a partnership with cat cafes located in Seattle promoting the adoption of RASKC cats. “There was a strong interest and tentative reservation made for 4 of the 5 kittens that were brought in,” Animal Services Administrator Lluvia Ellison-Morales said. “Overall, an overwhelming majority loved the well-organized event.” Employees stopped by to pet the kittens, which were all eligible for adoption. Attendees were also able… Read More
Regional leaders announce ‘One Table’ – a community approach to homelessness and affordability
King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus today announced the formation of One Table, a comprehensive effort made up of business, service providers, healthcare, faith community, philanthropy, labor, academia, community members and people who have experienced homelessness. The group will assess the region’s current response to homelessness, including root causes such as escalating home prices, inequality and the need to expand mental health and addiction services. It will also work to scale up community-based and government programs that are successful. “We all know homelessness is a… Read More
Graduates from ironworkers training begin new pathway
Finding meaningful employment can be difficult for people who have been involved in the criminal justice system, but a King County program is offering new opportunity and hope. The King County Jobs Initiative (KCJI) provides assistance to individuals with previous convictions or justice system involvement who are unemployed and on food stamps. It focuses job training in employment areas that have the most potential for wage growth. The program recently partnered with the Ironworkers Union Local 86 to launch KCJI’s first Ironworkers Cohort Pre-apprenticeship training, a four-week intensive program that submerges participants into the world of ironworking. On Orientation Day, individuals went through a four-hour physical test; lifting 80-pound rebar to and from different areas for 30 minutes; various wire tying tests; a rope tying test; and a… Read More
Renewing our commitment to veterans
King County’s Vets 4 HIRE Program is an internship program for veterans with a purpose to support veterans in making a successful transition to civilian employment. It provides them with valuable hands-on practical experience to increase their competitiveness for King County and other civilian positions. It is available to veterans who reside in King County regardless if they are enrolled in college and places them in workplaces throughout the County. Hiring agencies receive up to $6,250 in wage reimbursement per veteran hired into a six month or longer experience. The program began in 2012… Read More
Employee News 