To improve innovation and accountability, Executive Constantine proposes to make Metro its own County department
King County Executive Dow Constantine directed work to begin on a plan to move Metro from a division within the King County Department of Transportation to a standalone County department. This would increase innovation and accountability in four areas: increasing mobility options, capital construction, investing in Metro’s workforce, and expanding the transit system through partnerships. “This region increasingly depends on fast, reliable transit. So it’s no surprise that Metro is one of our most vital, visible, and popular services,” said Executive Constantine. “By elevating Metro as a standalone department, we can better… Read More
The Cat Condos have arrived!
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC Thanks to the Petco Foundation grant, our long awaited cat condos arrived last Friday and were immediately put to great use by our cat residents who have been excitedly purring and relaxing since being placed in their new homes. See pictures below or feel free to stop our pet adoption center in Kent! Read more at Tails from RASKC
Kudos! Courteous Metro Transit driver provides outstanding customer service
The following kudos was received June 12 and is from a King County Metro rider: Driving a bus is not an easy job with the traffic, so when you encounter a driver who goes beyond the job it needs to be acknowledged. So with that in mind I would like to bring to your attention the driver [Andrea Abbott] I had this afternoon who not only drove the bus in a safe and efficient manner but also provided the kind of customer service you like to receive; each passenger was greeted as they boarded with… Read More
King County Executive announces new grant opportunities for unincorporated area projects
King County Executive Dow Constantine today announced the availability of Community Service Area grant funding for a wide variety of educational, cultural and environmental projects that will benefit residents of unincorporated areas. “Community Service Area grants help people share in local art, enhance our forests and green spaces, and connect with neighbors young and old,” said Executive Constantine. “We are proud to support the youth and senior projects, movie and music nights, and neighborhood gatherings that help make King County such a great place to call home.” A total of $90,000 in King County… Read More
King County controls a new noxious weed!
Crossposted from Noxious Weeds Blog It’s not every day you find a new noxious weed in your county, but this August King County had one of those days. On Aug. 15, our program was alerted to an infestation of the Class A noxious weed ricefield bulrush (Schoenoplectus mucronatus) growing in a wetland just east of Redmond. Sean Davis with Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Clark County helped confirm the ID of the species. Prior to this discovery, the main known location of this plant in Washington state had been in the Ridgefield refuge, along… Read More
Survey communications: Asking questions, acting on what we hear
When you ask someone for their feedback on something, you’d better have a plan for how you are going to act on that feedback. That’s exactly what King County has done with its annual employee survey. Almost 340 action plans were created to act on the issues you said were important in the 2016 survey. Two critical issues you raised were Career Opportunities and Leadership Visibility. Here are some of the ways that we acted on your responses: Career Opportunities Expanded the Bridge Fellowship program to provide leadership and development opportunities to more employees. Created an… Read More
Public Health: Providing a range of services downtown Seattle
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. Earlier this month, I took a trip to the King County’s Downtown Public Health Center. I was so excited to learn how everything works in a busy clinic that serves different types of clients. Social workers Mary Cate and Michelle Bollinger… Read More
Increasing diversity in applicants, King County Sheriff’s Office
Blending in at recruitment events is one of the few changes that King County Sheriff’s Office has made to represent the County’s welcoming atmosphere and boost recruitment for females into commissioned officer positions. Court Protection Unit Sergeant Loi Dawkins trades in her full officer uniform for a polo shirt and cargo pants to attend recruitment events, a softer approach, she says, to entice career seekers to engage with recruitment staff. “For some people, it makes them feel more comfortable with approaching us when they otherwise would be intimidated by a gun, badge and uniform,”… Read More
Metro Transit’s Nathan Vass is committed to the challenging Route 7
This article originally appeared in The Seattle Times. It features Metro operator Nathan Vass. He is known among passengers, co-workers and friends as a charismatic storyteller who can defuse tough situations that come with a nighttime bus route traversing Seattle’s urban core. LeRoy Haigler first rode Metro Transit’s No. 7 bus after a one-way train ride from his home in Philadelphia to start over in Seattle. Homeless and fleeing family trauma, the 19-year-old had little money, few belongings and no place to go. He boarded the downtown-bound bus on Rainier Avenue round midnight, finding… Read More
King County’s Barton roadside rain gardens
See how King County used green infrastructure to build a CSO control facility in West Seattle King County’s Barton CSO Control project constructed 91 roadside rain gardens on 15 blocks in West Seattle. The project, completed in 2015, is a type of green stormwater infrastructure. King County is responsible for regular maintenance of the roadside rain gardens year round. You can expect to see crews onsite at least monthly performing regular maintenance.
Employee News 