Wastewater Treatment Division recently had great success getting information out about its Brightwater Treatment Plant when a story posted on its Facebook page about weddings at Brightwater went viral. A KIRO-7 story about wedding availability at Brightwater’s Environmental Education and Community Center led to coverage from FOX News, Huffington Post, TIME.com, and newspaper websites galore including the Washington Post, New York Daily News, the UK Daily Mail, the Times of Malta and the Irish Examiner. WTD was even interviewed for A3 Radio’s morning show in Melbourne, Australia! The context was playful but… Read More

Four years ago King County Executive Dow Constantine issued an Executive Order that aimed to reform the County’s procurement and contract business processes, and included a goal of providing greater opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and minority- and women-owned businesses to compete for and obtain County contracts. As we get ready to celebrate National Small Business Week from May 12 – 16, we spoke to some of King County’s small business advocates in the Business Development and Contract Compliance group in the Department of Executive Services to see what the County is doing… Read More

King County has opened a Rural Services Center on Vashon Island to provide residents with a one-stop shop for King County services. The Vashon Rural Services Center is home to the King County Sheriff’s Office, King County District Court, the Vashon Community Service Center, and services provided by the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review and the Community Service Area Program. The new center was made possible through a partnership between King County and Vashon Island Fire and Rescue (VIFR). “King County is the local government for Vashon-Maury Island but they’re separated… Read More

The Department of Community and Human Services’ Developmental Disabilities Division recently hosted its annual Transition Resource Fairs. Held every March for the past seven years, the fairs support the School-to-Work program by informing and better equipping students and their families to prepare for a successful transition from school to employment and other community resources. The fairs were at Highline Community College on Saturday, March 1, and at Microsoft on Tuesday, March 4. The fairs are intentionally held away from high schools—the message is about adult life in the community. Over 900 community… Read More

On March 18, King County Executive Dow Constantine and bus riders across the county celebrated the contributions of our hard-working bus drivers, Access drivers and rail operators on Bus Driver Appreciation Day. Drivers work hard to drive safely, help riders board and exit, give directions and travel advice and stick to their schedules through tough traffic – and many riders around the county took the opportunity to recognize drivers on Bus Driver Appreciation Day. See below for the video of the official proclamation of the event given by Executive Constantine to Metro’s… Read More

The Department and Community and Human Service’s YouthSource employees have brought a new way of delivering great customer service to youth in South King County that’s making it easier for clients to access important resources and services. YouthSource, a service of DCHS’ Community Services Division, is a youth one-stop center located at WorkSource Renton that offers a full array of programs for young adults, ages 16-21, who have dropped out of high school. YouthSource’s programs focus on education, employment and leadership development. It also provides connections to youth programs, community resources for… Read More