King County is acting on your input to develop new programs that increase access to mental health and substance-use services in rural communities. County staffers will hold community sessions this fall to share what they learned.

Community members who took the survey asked King County to make services more accessible, make more services available, and make services that people want to use. New services and programs will begin in 2022.

For details, see this Local Services blog post.

Just a quick reminder that school bus stops in unincorporated King County are on busy streets, and not all of them are marked. So it’s important to pay close attention when you find yourself behind a school bus. Remember to obey all laws, and do not, under any circumstances, pass a school bus when the red stop paddle is out. Some kids may not be super aware about traffic yet, so remember to look out for them!

The Road Services crew will be in northeast King County in mid-September, grinding out the bumps and cracks on SE North Bend Way and SE Preston-Fall City Road before packing up equipment for the year. The crew covered a lot of ground in the SE Petrovitsky Road/140th Avenue SE area in August.

Road Service staffers thank residents and drivers for their patience; they know paving projects can be challenging to drive around. These newly resurfaced roads should last longer and make for a smoother, quieter drive.

Removing and replacing a 70-year-old bridge over Mullen Slough is just part of the story on S 277th Street near W Valley Highway. The other part is likely something you may never see: the work done under and alongside the bridge to protect the environment.

These are small efforts: rocks to prevent erosion, nets to keep even a single fish from entering the area during construction, and a high visibility fence that identifies the project boundary and any potentially hazardous areas to stay away from.

This may look like just another construction project on a stretch of road with a little water underneath, but to Road Services it involves an ecosystem that must be cared for as they do their work. Learn more on the project website.

Questions? Comments?

Join King County Local Services for “Local Lunch” on Fridays

King County Local Services is here to help connect people in unincorporated communities with government services.

Join us every Friday during the noon hour to share questions or comments, ask for help, or just to chat. See our home page for information on how to join.

You can also send us questions, comments, or requests by email or call us at 206‑477‑3800.

King County Parks is recommending some park properties be added to the High Conservation Value Property Index. Created in 2009 as an amendment to the King County Charter, the index ensures a higher level of protection for certain existing parks in order to conserve important ecological functions and critical natural or scenic resources.

In 2021, King County Parks is proposing to give some 2,400 acres this level of protection, which must be approved by the King County Council. Visit this interactive map to see the proposed parks, and send your comments by Sept. 30 to OpenSpaceCharter@kingcounty.gov.

King County Parks recently announced the recipients of nearly $2.4 million in grants to improve the health and well-being of youths in our community. The grants, awarded annually in a competitive application process, fund 40 programs and projects ranging from renovating ballfields and sports courts to teaching bicycling and making recreation more accessible to youths with disabilities.

King County Parks leads high-quality service experiences in county parks. Together with its partners, Parks leads hundreds of events year-round, restoring and improving parks, building and maintaining trails, and just plain enjoying parks. Staffers weave environmental education into every event to make for a rewarding and productive day in the park. Learn more at the Volunteer - King County website.

Spotlight opportunity: Renton Park Volunteer Event (Fairwood neighborhood in Renton highlands)
Sat, Sept. 18, 9 a.m. - noon

Join King County Parks staff and community members at Renton Park to help remove weeds from around young plants and prepare new areas for future plants. This beautiful neighborhood park is a lush second-growth forest, loaded with cool plants and wildlife. Come learn about this hidden gem and help it thrive! Register here.

As the primary service provider to the King County Flood Control District, King County will replace two culverts beneath State Route 169 and the county’s Cedar River Trail. The existing culverts are small and restrict runoff during heavy rainfall. The resulting flooding causes hazardous road conditions, isolates nearby residences, and has forced repeated closure of the highway.

Construction to replace the culverts began in late August. New culverts will be installed during the last weekend of September or the first weekend of October, which will require a weekend closure of SR-169 and the neighboring Cedar River Trail. Please see the project website for updates (including confirmed closure dates) and the planned detour route.

Photo shows floodwater over SR-169 in February 2020.

Annual property taxes include a fee for surface water management. That fee helps address flooding, erosion and pollution caused by development.

If you qualify as a low-income household and live on your own property in unincorporated King County, you may be eligible for a 50 percent discount on the annual surface water management fee on your land parcel(s). Learn more on the county website, call 206-477-4800, or send email.

You may qualify for a new program to help save money on your high-speed Internet bill.

In May, the Federal Communications Commission launched the Emergency Broadband Benefit, a temporary program to help families and households afford Internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands.

Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.

Learn more on the King County website or check GetEmergencyBroadband.org to see if you qualify. You can also check with your internet provider to see if they are participating. Contact the Emergency Broadband Support Center for additional help at EBBHelp@usac.org or 833-511-0311.

Preparedness is a journey. National Preparedness Month is the perfect opportunity to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones, whether you’re just starting out or have been on the road a while. It’s important to be prepared for natural and human-made emergencies and disasters, which can happen at any time and without warning.

Getting prepared is easy if you break it down. Try focusing on a different step each week...

Week one, Sept. 1-4: Make a plan. An emergency plan helps you and your loved ones think through what you'll do and how you'll communicate during a disaster or emergency. Be sure to include evacuation plans, meet-up points, and important contact numbers.

Week two, Sept. 5-11: Build a kit. Fill a backpack with essential supplies and survival materials to help you though the first few days of a disaster. Consider the needs of your family and pets as you pack food, water, flashlights, first aid, and other key items.

Week three, Sept. 12-18: Learn the hazards in your area. In Western Washington, we should all be prepared for earthquakes, but also take time to consider other potential risks, check your insurance policies, weather proof your home, and sign up for emergency alerts.

Week four, Sept. 19-25: Talk about preparedness with your kids, families, friends, and neighbors. Get to know your community, share resources and ideas, and discuss the preparedness steps you have taken. Informed individuals and connected communities are more resilient when disasters strike.

Visit www.makeitthrough.org and www.ready.gov/september to learn more about disaster preparedness and National Preparedness Month.

King County Metro has expanded their Via to Transit pilot to provide better connections to frequent transit service and improved mobility for people who live, work, and go to school in Othello, Rainier Beach/Skyway, Tukwila, and Renton Highlands.

Via to Transit is public transportation that comes to you—it’s a pilot service that connects riders to and from transit and community hubs in four service areas. Anyone in the service areas can download the Via app or call to request an on-demand ride. Via to Transit originally launched in 2019 and has continued to expand access to affordable, efficient, and equitable transportation in King County. 

The cost for Via to Transit is the same as riding the bus: $2.75 adult, $1.50 ORCA LIFT and youth, $1.00 Regional Reduced Fare Permit, and free for children 5 and under—and there is no extra cost transferring between your bus or light rail and Via. You can pay using your ORCA card, a Transit GO Ticket, or a credit/debit card in the Via app or call center. Accommodations can be made for riders with disabilities, and bike racks are available by request.

Learn more: kingcounty.gov/metro/via

The transit-to-trails service, co-led by King County Metro and King County Parks, offers rides to and from the Issaquah Alps and Mount Si. Developed to reduce overcrowding at popular trailhead parking lots, Trailhead Direct has become a popular, eco-friendly way to get out of the city and explore King County’s mountain forests. Both of this year's routes are easily accessible from Sound Transit's Link light rail.

The Issaquah Alps route starts at the Mount Baker Transit Center, with service every 30 minutes serving Margaret’s Way, Squak Mountain, Chirico Trail-Poo Poo Point, High School Trail, and East Sunset Way. The Mount Si route starts at the Capitol Hill Link light rail station and offers service every 15 minutes to Mount Si, Mount Teneriffe, and Little Si.

Learn more on the Trailhead Direct website or read Metro’s May 25 blog post.

COVID-19 resources

Public Health-Seattle & King County:
Website | News and Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Washington State Department of Health:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Website | Twitter

As we move from summer to fall, I’m sure all of us would like to see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, fueled by the Delta variant, cases in our communities are spiking.

According to Public Health officials, this variant is about 50% more contagious than previous ones. The CDC estimates that it’s responsible for 93% of all new infections in the U.S.—and most people with new cases, and about 97% of COVID patients hospitalized in the U.S, are unvaccinated.

On Aug. 9, Governor Jay Inslee, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced a requirement that all public employees be vaccinated. For King County employees, the deadline to be fully vaccinated is Oct. 18 (see the news release). 

At Local Services, we intend to meet the Oct. 18 deadline because we’re doing a lot of work in the communities we serve. Our small business grant program, launched in July, will get much-needed funding into the hands of small business owners across unincorporated King County. We have three community plans—in Skyway, North Highline/White Center, and the Snoqualmie Valley—in different stages of development. We’re facilitating Community Investment Committee meetings in which the committee will decide how to spend $10 million in urban unincorporated communities. And we still have the day-to-day work we do with the communities we serve, year in and year out—such as managing the safety of our roads and providing building permits.

We’re concerned for the health of our workforce and our ability to continue to deliver critical county services—both in-person and remotely. The public often doesn’t have a choice about using our services, and we’re concerned about those who don’t have the option of vaccine protection like children, those with compromised immune systems, and even those who are vaccinated, since we are seeing some breakthrough infections. 

Rest assured that we are doing everything we can to protect your health when we’re out and about in unincorporated King County. 

Please stay safe and healthy in what continues to be a challenging time.