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
DPD employee graduates from Washington Leadership Institute
DPD’s own Matthew Sanders, an attorney in the Association of Counsel for the Accused Division, graduated from the 2017 Washington Leadership Institute (WLI) last week. The WLI is a program sponsored by the University of Washington and Washington State Bar Association to recruit, train, and develop attorneys from traditionally underrepresented groups for future leadership positions within the bar association and the legal community at large. The program selects attorneys with three to ten years’ experience for an eight month program that includes weekly meetings and offers participants the chance to receive mentoring… 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
Tech Tip: Skype Bite – How to Use Instant Messaging
Want to get in touch with someone fast? Skype for Business is perfect for that. Whether it’s an instant message, call, or a cute (work-related) emoji, Skype should be your first, fast option.
Kudos! Metro Transit creates lasting friendships
The following kudos was received August 9 and is from a longtime King County Metro rider: I’ve been riding Metro bus lines for 11 years. I commute to and from work on the 121 or 122 every day. About a year ago, I met a nice woman on my evening commute on route 122. We sat next together sharing only our route time in common and quickly became best buddies. Our friendship grew outside our commute time together, and this past weekend I participated in her wedding. When other guests asked how… 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.
Upcoming construction: 6th Ave paving project
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is planning to repave 6th Ave between Stewart St and Yesler Way. E ach year, Seattle rehabilitates arterial streets to make them safer and more comfortable to travel on and to extend their useful life. We anticipate major construction will begin as soon as spring 2018 and take 4 months to complete. In the meantime, repairs and replacements of any deficient curb ramps will start as soon as October of this year. This project was selected and prioritized based on pavement condition, traffic volume, opportunities to improve… Read More
Employee News 