Waterless carwash contract saves 33 gallons per wash
The “spray on, wipe off” method is the latest and most environmentally sustainable way of washing vehicles, saving 33 gallons of water per car wash, and the Fleet Administration Division (Fleet) is a leader in this effort. Fleet recently finalized a five-year contract with Eco Service USA for fleet vehicle cleaning, after using their service on a pay-as-you-go basis for the last year. The new contract is already helping King County tackle climate change and reduce its environmental impact. Fleet Personal Property Supervisor Russ Johnson oversees the Motor Pool Dispatch Program and the Online Reservation System used by King County employees to check out vehicles. “A component of my role is ensuring vehicles are cleaned… Read More
Mario Bailey helps youth get back on track with education and employment opportunities
Crossposted from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Facebook In the early 1990s, Mario Bailey was setting University of Washington football on fire. The Husky Hall of Famer and All American receiver helped take the Huskies to the Rose Bowl twice, scoring four touchdowns at the bowl games and leading the Huskies to a co-national championship in 1991. By the end of his college football career, Mario had shattered several records. He still holds the Husky and PAC-12 record for touchdowns in a season (18), and has the record for career touchdowns… Read More
Eat Well, Live Well this weekend at CHOMP! August 18 and 19
Crossposted from King County Parks Plog Dinner in the Park – Friday, Aug. 18: Kick-off the weekend by attending CHOMP!’s Dinner in the Park on Friday, Aug. 18 at 6:00 p.m. in the historic Willowmoor Farm area at King County’s Marymoor Park. Buy tickets today before they run out! CHOMP! – Saturday, Aug. 19: Enjoy a full day of activities at CHOMP!, King County’s celebration of local farming, food, and sustainability, on Saturday, Aug. 19 at King County’s Marymoor Park. Join King County Parks to celebrate all that is fresh, delicious, local, and sustainable at CHOMP! from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m…. Read More
Boogie up the Block and the Off the Wall mural competition, August 19
Crossposted from Bytes and Boxes Saturday, August 19, the King County Archives will be participating in Boogie Up the Block, an all-ages urban arts festival taking place on Fir Street in Seattle’s Central Area. Hosted by 206 Zulu and Hidmo, the event will include music, dance, art, food, exhibits, and a kids corner (complete with a bouncy castle). The Archives will be featuring its Ship Canal Centennial exhibit and sharing information about its collection.
Standing up to hate, fascism and bigotry
Dear fellow King County employee, On Saturday we witnessed the ugly face of hate in our country at a rally of white supremacists, fascists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia. A similar group gathered yesterday in downtown Seattle, and my message to these groups on behalf of the people of King County is clear: We fought a Civil War against slavery, and you lost. We fought a World War against fascism, and you lost. Today, we stand united against the hateful rhetoric you have brought to our community. And you will lose again…. Read More
The poop-loop scoop: How King County recycles waste and water
Crossposted from Public Health Insider Public health is committed to preventing disease and death from water-borne pathogens. Modern sanitation, including wastewater treatment, is key to keeping our waters clean and the people and animals that live here healthy. But the efficiency of modern sanitation creates an interesting problem. Today, our waste is “out of sight, out of mind” as soon as we flush the toilet or as soon as the water disappears down the drain. We might know that dirty water goes somewhere, and it gets cleaned. What we don’t know is how… Read More
Empowering employees as innovators and change agents for equity and social justice
Crossposted from Inside Transportation The principle of being fair and just is incorporated into all of our work at King County, under a six-year Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan that guides how we improve practices for better outcomes. At King County DOT, we are working collectively so that each member of our agency can be an agent of advancing equity and social justice (ESJ). And we actively involved employees in designing the actions and strategies around specific goals. DOT Director Harold Taniguchi empowered employees from each of our divisions and organizational levels to… Read More
Executive Constantine names Rhonda Berry to lead Zero Youth Detention efforts
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that Deputy Executive Rhonda Berry will lead inter-agency and community coordination and strategy to further reduce the number of youth in detention. “Rhonda is an effective leader able to bring people together,” said Constantine. “Her extensive experience working with all county and partner agencies that impact youth, her reputation for inclusion and effectiveness, and her established commitment to equity and social justice, will give us the best chance to make the vision of zero youth detention a reality. Her passion for youth and families led her to… Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
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