Keep cool when the heat is on!

We are expecting more hot weather this week and next. Now is a great time to remember that, although the sun is beautiful, it can make our work environment warm and uncomfortable for some. The Facilities Management Division is committed to your safety and comfort at work, and to running King county buildings as efficiently as possible.  To help us all keep cooler as the weather heats up, here are a few tips: Close the blinds in your work area to reduce sunlight streaming in. Keep windows and doors closed when the… Read More

Employee Discounts to 2018 Washington State Fair

Washington State Fair: Employees can save on tickets to the Washington State Fair, Aug. 31 – Sept. 23. Click here for instructions on how to purchase your discount tickets. Once you are logged into the Corporate Perks portal, your discount pricing will be unlocked. There is no need to enter an additional discount code. See all available employee discounts here.  

CHOMP!, King County’s celebration of local food and sustainability, returns Aug. 18 with Matisyahu, Caspar Babypants, more

Shared from the DNRP Newsroom CHOMP!, a full-day celebration of local farming, food and sustainability, returns to King County’s Marymoor Park on Saturday, Aug. 18. Now in its fourth year, this fun, family-friendly event is hosted by King County Parks and is set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Featuring cooking demonstrations from Beecher’s Foundation Sound Food School, hands-on workshops to make you a better backyard farmer and gardener, kids’ activities, a farmers market, live entertainment, and so much more, CHOMP! is a free all-day event that will inspire, entertain and feed… Read More

Investing in water quality, one community at a time

Crossposted from Clean Water Stories When it comes to making a big impact on the environment, sometimes it pays to think small. King County’s WaterWorks Grant Program began in 2015 to kick-start investment in hyperlocal projects that improve water quality and encourage community partnerships. Through a sense of purpose and the dedication of countless volunteers, our WaterWorks grants are supporting the kind of environmental progress that makes our neighborhoods – and our region – an even better place to live. Take for example how a former parking lot in Kent was transformed… Read More

Living Well workshops offer an easy way to manage long-term health conditions

Crossposted from Balanced You Are you living with an ongoing health condition such as diabetes? Or maybe you watch your spouse or partner deal with issues such as arthritis or high blood pressure? Balanced You sponsors workshops that are led by volunteers who teach you simple ways to manage your chronic health condition. These volunteers are trained and have dealt with managing long-term health conditions themselves so they have a true understanding of the challenges you face. Read more. As a benefits-covered King County employee, you and your spouse or partner covered… Read More

Kudos! to DNRP’s Solid Waste Division

The Solid Waste Association of North America announced last month SWD’s Factoria Replacement Project is the recipient of the SWANA Gold Excellence Award in the Transfer Station category. The King County Solid Waste Division has received national recognition for its newest recycling and transfer station, which advances the division’s commitment to environmentally and economically sound solid waste management. The new station replaces the old with a 78,200-square-foot LEED gold facility. Constructed in four phases and sequenced, the facility maintained service to customers throughout construction. The winners will be acknowledged and awarded at… Read More

Metro driver Mark George honored for pulling two people from burning vehicle

Crossposted from Metro Matters By Scott Gutierrez, King County DOT King County Metro bus driver Mark George didn’t hesitate when two people in a burning car needed his help. On the evening of May 12, George was driving his usual route near the Eastgate Park-and-Ride when an oncoming vehicle lost control while turning and collided with the side of his bus. The car ricocheted into a boulder wall and caught fire. George quickly checked on his passengers and rushed to the other vehicle with a fire extinguisher. He doused smoke rising from… Read More

Microsoft generates 125 million building footprints using AI and deep learning

Crossposted from GIS & You By Greg Babinski King County GIS Training Program partner Eric Pimpler of Geospatial Training Services has authored a fascinating article about a building footprint dataset which Microsoft has generated from Bing aerial imagery using artificial intelligence, deep learning and computer vision. The dataset comprises footprints of 125 million structures across all 50 states. This data is available for download via GitHub free of charge in the open standard GeoJSON format. Heads up! Geospatial Training Services will be teaching two specialty GIS classes at the King County GIS… Read More

Featured Job: Rideshare Services Representative (Vanpool Accounting)

Closing: 07/26/18 11:59 p.m. (GMT -8:00) Salary: $33.32 – $40.28 Hourly Location: King Street Center, Seattle, WA Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Department: Transportation – Transit Division Job Number: 2018JI08333 Description: Metro Transit’s Rideshare Operations (RO) programs offer King County commuters ridesharing services consisting of several popular High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) transportation options beyond traditional fixed route transit service, including vanpools, vanshares and carpools. This position is one of a team of 5 Rideshare Services Representatives (Vanpool Accounting) in Rideshare Operations who manage the accounts of 1600 vanpools (each… Read More

Social Media Spotlight: King County, WA on LinkedIn

King County is one of the best places to work in Washington and one of the state’s largest employers. With more than 14,000 dedicated employees, we are changing the way government does business and delivering vital services for more than 2 million residents. Join more than 16 thousand others; check out King County on LinkedIn today and follow us!