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Featured Job: Contract Specialist II
Application Deadline: Thursday 6/5/14 Salary: $71,905.60 – $91,145.60 Annually Department: Department of Executive Services – Finance and Business Operations Division Description: King County’s Procurement & Contracting Service Section (PCSS) is looking for a detail oriented Contract Specialist. A successful candidate for this position will have knowledge of contract administration, possess positive negotiation and project management skills and have experience in improving operations. Some of the responsibilities for this position include determining and developing a procurement approach, working with client groups to analyze and develop the scope of work, holding public pre-proposal meetings,… Read More
Victim Advocates help abused women escape, start again
Emily Elting, a Domestic Violence Victim Advocate for the King County Prosecutor’s Office, helps abused woman find their way out of domestic violence through the justice system and into new lives. One of those women is Jane Gregory, who was beaten nearly to death by her partner in 2012. Jane got the help she needed from Emily and was able to testify at her abuser’s trial. Watch the KCTV video here. Note: the video contains some graphic images.
Wastemobile makes hazardous waste disposal easy
When the permanent hazardous waste facilities weren’t enough to deal with all of King County’s hazardous waste disposal demands, the Wastemobile was created. “We didn’t know how big the demand was; we needed a better plan of doing it,” said Henry Draper who was the original project manager of the Local Hazardous Management Program’s Household Hazardous Wastemobile. “That was the genesis of the Wastemobile.” Now, celebrating its 25th anniversary, two Wastemobiles serve rural and suburban areas of King County, accepting residential and small business hazardous waste materials. The Wastemobile is dedicated to… Read More
Kudos! Public Health Preparedness gets perfect score in CDC review
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded Public Health’s Preparedness Section a perfect score of 100 in a recent assessment of its ability to receive, stage, store, distribute, and dispense medications during a public health emergency. In 2004, the CDC established the Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) to increase preparedness for biological disasters and protect the public if there is a public health emergency in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. A public health emergency could include an anthrax attack, an influenza pandemic, or a natural disaster that affects the health of a… Read More
Responders help King County achieve world’s highest cardiac arrest survival rate
King County’s emergency responders have long been recognized as among the best in the world and that standing was enhanced even further this week when it was revealed that the cardiac arrest survival rate in King County, already the world’s best, has reached an all-time high. Someone who has a cardiac arrest in King County has a greater chance of survival than anyone else in the world, with the survival rate in King County up to 62 percent in 2013, according to the latest analysis by county officials. By comparison, the cardiac survival… Read More
Weddings at Brightwater Stories Go Global
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
Annual Report Highlights Employees’ Work to Help Solve Crimes Using Fingerprints
The King County Regional AFIS Program, or Automated Fingerprint Identification System, just published its 2013 annual report. AFIS is a regional levy-funded program that has been operational since 1986 under the administration of the King County Sheriff’s Office that provides criminal identification services to all cities and incorporated areas of King County. Program employees collect and search the fingerprints of arrested individuals to locate unknown aliases and warrants prior to their release. Staff also recover, process, search, and compare fingerprints from crime scenes. The AFIS Program aids in solving crimes throughout King… Read More
Solid Waste and KCIT making strides in small business contracting
When King County’s Solid Waste Division (SWD) put out a contract to build the new Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station eight years ago, there wasn’t a specific goal or target for including small businesses in the project. “We paid a contractor $24 million, but we don’t know what went to a small firm,” said Ann McFarlane, a contract specialist for SWD. Today, King County agencies are working to make sure that there are more opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and minority- and women-owned businesses to compete for and obtain County contracts – a… Read More
Employees Are Key Players in Improving Cardiac Arrest Survival Rates
Way back in 1974 the TV show “60 Minutes” declared Seattle “The Best Place to Have a Heart Attack.” That remains true even to this day. The Seattle & King County Emergency Services System, MEDIC ONE, consistently achieves survival rates for witnessed out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest higher than anywhere else in the world. In 2013 the rate was 57% compared to an overall national survival rate of approximately 10% across the U.S. “One of the many reasons behind this success is that we’ve taken a collaborative and comprehensive approach to… Read More
Five Questions with Mark Isaacson, Director, Water and Land Resources Division
1. What was your first role with King County? I came to the county in the early 1990’s in the heady days after the Growth Management Act became state law. I worked in the director’s office of the Department of Public Works as a program analyst on plans to meet the state mandated concurrency requirements for public facilities. I came to that job as a city planner – and the attraction was taking the color maps of the county and working to build infrastructure considerations into the planning process. 2. What does… Read More
Community Activism and the International District – Thursday, May 15, noon – 1 p.m.
To celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Program, King County is hosting a lunch and learn discussion for employees with Bob Santos called “Community Activism and the International District.” Robert “Bob” Santos is the most publicly-recognized spokesperson and leader of the movement that began in the 1970s to preserve Seattle’s Chinatown/International District. He served as president of the Catholic Interracial Conference, HUD Regional Director, and was Executive Director of Inter*Im from 1972 to 1989, and 2002 to 2006. Santos will describe the local civil rights movement related to the Asian American Community in… Read More
Sheriff’s Office Honors Young Victim of Gang Violence
King County Deputy Brian Barnes wanted to make sure that a young victim of gang violence was not forgotten – so he worked to post a permanent reminder outside the King County Sheriff’s Office West Hill storefront. KING 5 News recently featured the story of 12-year-old Alajawan Brown who was shot and killed four years ago in Skyway in a case of mistaken identity, and the work of Deputy Barnes in getting a sign dedicated in Alajawan’s honor. Watch the story. (Image courtesy KING5.com).
Meet King County’s Small Business Advocates
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
Featured Job: Wastewater Engineer – Journey (modeler)
Application deadline: Fri. 05/16/14 4:30 PM Salary: $75,400.00 – $95,576.00 Annually Department: Department of Natural Resources & Parks – Wastewater Treatment Division Description: Perform computer modeling of King County’s wastewater service area and conveyance system in support of the Wastewater Treatment Division’s capital projects. Modeling will simulate both the hydrologic responses of the basins as well as the hydraulic behavior of conveyance facilities. Modeling work will be performed for a variety of WTD projects, such as developing Design Flow Technical Memoranda for Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) projects and for WTD’s Conveyance System… Read More
Kudos! Tino Brown, Metro Transit Operator
I would like to compliment driver Tino Brown. Tino operates his bus (Route 197) as if it is an extension of himself. As I see it he is comfortable driving and is alert to other drivers informing them that the bus is near them. He gets us to our destination as quick as safely possible. He also has a “good morning” for everyone as they enter and leave the bus; very refreshing. Please let Tino know that he is doing a great job – Kathleen
Save the Date for upcoming Services Days
On May 12 (Chinook) and May 20 (King Street Center) KCIT and DES are teaming up once again to present Service Day. Don’t miss this opportunity to talk with your internal service owners to better understand KCIT & DES internal services and rate structures. You can also get a copy of our 2015 Service Catalog and join the discussion on Mobility, the cloud, ESJ in IT, Energy Efficiency (SVE, Data Center), Bring your Own Device & Mobile Device Management, SharePoint, Unified Communications and more! May 12, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Chinook… Read More
Kudos! Callista Kennedy, Access & Outreach, Public Health – Seattle & King County
“I am a full time UW student and busy mother of 3 small children. After the switch from DSHS medical to Apple Health, my one year old was suddenly dropped from his insurance. I have been trying for a couple weeks to figure out how to get him back on insurance without messing up the rest of the family’s insurance and having to reapply for everyone. I called and visited multiple local and state resources only to be told there was a waitlist, I couldn’t be helped, and to be hung up… Read More
Employees Share Learnings from Equity Conference
A group of employees who attended the Governing for Racial Equity (GRE) Conference in Portland, Ore., last month came back with new ideas and renewed energy for challenging racial inequity in our community. “People brought all of their expertise and experience to the conference, and our job now is to bring that back to our work and to grow it,” said Jo Anne Fox, a Budget Analyst in the Office of Performance, Budget and Strategy, at a lunch and learn discussion for employees. More than 550 people from around the United States… Read More
Five Questions with Tom Watson, Manager, King County EcoConsumer Program, Solid Waste Division
1. What was your first role with King County? I started as a 60-percent-time employee in 1992, working three days a week and caring for our baby while my wife also worked part-time. I started with the same section I’m still in, Recycling and Environmental Services in the Solid Waste Division, but at that time it was called Waste Reduction and Recycling. My first assignment was developing a plan for appliance recycling. 2. What does the EcoConsumer program do? The King County EcoConsumer program does public outreach on a wide range of… Read More
WTD Staff Rescue Citizen in Amazing Emergency Response
On March 20, West Point wastewater treatment plant staff rescued a man who had climbed over the fence, fallen into the channel, and was carried downstream about 500 feet where the current pinned him to equipment in the partially-treated wastewater where he was difficult to see. In an amazing twist of luck, Operator Darek Kenaston happened to see the man through a grate during his routine area check. Thankfully, the operations team pulled the man to safety and he was taken to the hospital and did not appear to be injured. The… Read More
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