Crossposted from the DES Express Emergency Management staff participated in a full-scale dam failure exercise for the South Fork Tolt River Dam on Oct. 3. The City of Seattle owns and operates the Tolt Reservoir and Dams, located 16 miles upstream from the City of Carnation on the South Fork Tolt River. The reservoir stores 57,900 acre-feet of water to supply about 30 to 40 percent of the drinking water for 1.6 million people in the metropolitan Seattle area. In the unlikely event of a dam failure, water from the reservoir may… Read More

Crossposted from the DES Express Carol Basile has accepted the newly created role of Public Finance Officer (PFO) for King County. This new position manages the county’s $5 billion debt and $11 billion investment functions and is part of the Finance and Business Operations Division (FBOD) management team. “We created this position to ensure we have the appropriate leadership influence and oversight to manage our complex and rapidly expanding debt and investment programs,” said Ken Guy, FBOD director. “Carol is perfectly suited to step into this role given her financial and accounting… Read More

Crossposted from Metro Matters It takes a lot of people to keep a transit system running smoothly across 150 routes and over 300,000 boardings a day. Bus drivers are the most visible part of any transit system, but there are people behind the scenes who are just as vital in the day-to-day operation of King County Metro. Their responsibilities include training operators, planning the routes that run throughout the region, and literally being the “traffic controllers” who keep track of the buses on their daily runs. Read more.

Crossposted from DES Express Silvana Vasquez, data analyst at King County International Airport and aspiring pilot, is featured in a new book, the fourth edition of “Latinas in Aviation.” Silvana attended the launch of the book in Maryland in September. “I feel so honored and so lucky that I am able to be part of this,” Vasquez said. “All the profit they make off the books go to scholarships for girls that want to become pilots.” Read more.

Crossposted from Metro Matters They are chess players, hikers and gardeners. They love to cook, barbeque, read and travel. They shoot hoops, shoot pool and ride motorcycles.  For riders, they are “patient and understanding,” carry “a really contagious positive energy,”  “very sweet and thoughtful” and make “my day better every time I ride on their route.” They are operators with a century and a half of driving experience. The operators on your bus are as unique as you, and all of them love driving and giving back to their community. Meet your Operators of… Read More

Crossposted from Metro Matters Metro celebrated two “Operators of the Year” today, marking the rare occasion of two drivers being selected for the annual honor. Emmanuel “Manny” Bautista and Thulin Tolliver were jointly honored as Metro’s 2023 Operators of the Year during a ceremony at the Central/Atlantic Base on Wednesday. Metro riders and colleagues call them skilled, kind and amazing examples of public servants. “Every day, their commitment to safety and reliable service stands out,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Their dedication is a shining example of King County’s public service, always putting our… Read More