August 10, 2023
 Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Dolly is coming to Washington! On Tuesday, August 15th, legendary country musician and philanthropist Dolly Parton will visit our state to celebrate achieving statewide coverage of the Imagination Library. All Washington children from birth to age five may now register to receive one book every month from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, all for free.
This day will also be commemorated by a proclamation from Governor Jay Inslee and Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck naming August 15th “Imagination Library of Washington Day.”
Dolly started Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library back in 1995 for the children of her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, fueled with inspiration from who father who couldn’t read or write. In 2023, this program now provides more than 2.4 million free books each month to children in five countries and all 50 U.S. states. And earlier this year, the program achieved an incredible global milestone of gifting more than 200 million books to children worldwide.
Families with children under five can sign up for the Imagination Library by visiting www.imaginationlibrarywashington.org.
The August 15th event will be hosted by the Imagination Library of Washington and will feature a fireside chat with Dolly Parton, a small performance, and recognition of individuals across Washington State who are making Dolly’s dream possible. The invite-only event will be streamed live on TVW and will be available to view on both Imagination Library of Washington and TVW social media channels at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 15th. All are invited to tune in!
Due to the Council’s two-week recess, this week’s enews is slightly abridged from its normal form and highlights. Here’s a peek at what’s included:
As always, I would like to hear from you. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
All the best and I hope you are staying safe.
Quote of the Week
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
– Leo Tolstoy
 The Council is back in session next Monday following our two-week summer recess.
Transportation, Economy, and Environment Committee
Next Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., the committee will receive a briefing from Metro’s general manager and will take possible action on ordinances relating to a regional motor sports facility master planning demonstration project, establishment and administration of the forest carbon program, and approval of the grant funding allocation for projects funded through the 2020-2025
parks, recreation, trails, and open space levy grant program. The committee will also take possible action on a motion requesting the Wastewater Treatment Division research and identify methodologies to forecast the long-term costs of its capital improvement need.” Meeting materials will be available prior to the meeting here.
Full Council
Next Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., the council will consider ordinances relating to the adoption of the Harborview Medical Center 2024 Capital Improvement Program Annual Budget, our COVID 10 budget, the King County office of public complaints, and the adoption and ratification of amendments to the 2021 King County Countywide Planning Policies. Meeting materials will be available prior to the meeting here.
Employment and Administration Committee
Next Tuesday following the Council meeting, the committee will receive updates from Human Resources and Chief of Staff. Meeting materials will be available prior to the meeting here.
Committee of the Whole
Next Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., the committee, which I chair, will receive an executive COVID briefing and will likely take action to confirm several executive appointments. Meeting materials will be available prior to the meeting here.
 \Stay ahead of the class: Ways to get your family caught up on vaccinations before the new school year starts.
It’s the perfect time to make sure your children have the vaccinations they’ll need to start the new school year off without a hitch. Not only are vaccines required for school and child care, they’re also one of the best tools you’ve got to help them stay healthy and thrive this year and beyond. Learn more here.
COVID
For up-to-date information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the County, see the Daily COVID-19 outbreak summary dashboard.
Helpful Public Health-related articles.
Summer brings COVID-19 uptick amid renewed travel, socializing. How bad will it get? – The Seattle Times
Coronavirus FAQ: How do I avoid catching COVID while flying in 2023? – NPR
Early signs suggest WA could see a late-summer COVID wave – The Seattle Times
Don't Get Your Next COVID Booster Quite Yet – The Seattle Times
 King County invests $30 million to strengthen behavioral health workforce and increase access to services.
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a workforce investment of $30 million for behavioral health providers in the King County Integrated Care Network. By increasing payments to Medicaid providers, King County plans to enable behavioral health agencies to increase salaries and help stabilize the workforce. Learn more here.
King County makes historic investment to tackle Racism as a Public Health Crisis.
 King County has awarded $25 million in grants to more than 120 small businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations. This investment aims to address the public health crisis which racism poses to our communities, while building a more equitable future. Learn more here.
Madison Street Area Bus Service Change Phase 2
The Madison Street Area Bus Service Change Project is a project focused on making changes to bus routes in neighborhoods around Madison Street which aims to improve public transportation connections and transfer opportunities, deliver the new RapidRide G Line, and reduce bus service duplication with the new RapidRide line. The project completed its first phase of public engagement this past spring and has launched a second phase of engagement from August 1st to 31st.
Community engagement activities for this second phase of public engagement include a survey, community organization briefings, pop-up tabling, placing Rider Alert signs at bus stops and flyers throughout the project area. The outreach team will also manage and respond to calls and emails sent to our project inbox and project phone number. The survey is available in Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), English, Korean, Spanish, Somali, Russian, and Vietnamese.
More information about what Metro will be discussing with community during this final engagement phase is posted on the Metro Matters blog. Ultimately, the Executive plans to transmit this service change packet to Council for discussion and possible action February 2024.
Help Metro finalize bus service changes
 Based on community feedback received during phase one engagement, Metro is moving forward with the proposed changes to routes 10, 11 and 12. These bus service changes will support the new RapidRide G Line, a partnership between King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation, to bring riders more frequent and reliable service to Downtown Seattle, First Hill, Capitol Hill, Central District and Madison Valley. Metro is still evaluating bus service changes in the Summit neighborhood and would like your feedback – take the survey and share your thoughts by August 31st. Learn more here.
Letter to the editor Re: “Starving orcas and the fate of Alaska’s disappearing king salmon”
In response to the recently published article in The Seattle Times concerning the harmful effluent in our regional waterways, my Council colleague Claudia Balducci and I coauthored a letter to the editor, which was published last week. The letter, accessible here, is intended to bring awareness to our newly introduced legislation aiming to curtail chemicals now shown to impact the region’s entire marine food chain, including Chinook salmon, the main prey of our endangered Southern Resident Orcas. For those who do not have a subscription to The Seattle Times, the letter is copied below:
“We appreciate both The Seattle Times publishing Julia O’Malley’s article for The New York Times and her laudable attention to the current threats to the Pacific Northwest’s beloved southern resident orcas and entire marine ecosystem. Her article highlighted evidence of the damaging effects of PCBs’ accumulation in whales that are passed to nursing young. This harm to our iconic Northwest species demands an urgent, multisystem response.
A recent Metropolitan King County Council-commissioned report focused on the impact of effluent from wastewater treatment systems on the marine food chain. It found an increasing number of PCBs and other “forever chemicals” present in effluent, which are likely harmful for chinook salmon and the orcas that rely on them.
It was concluded that the problem goes well beyond government-run wastewater systems. Effective solutions must control contamination at its origin.
Armed with the information from our study, we are pursuing legislation to curtail the dispersal of these toxins into our waterways. Humans have contributed to the rapid endangerment of the southern resident orcas. The answer cannot rely solely on ending chinook fishing. We must all do everything we can to save them.
Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Claudia Balducci, council members, Metropolitan King County Council
King County transformed dilapidated buildings along the Duwamish River into an estuary.
 The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks transformed dilapidated buildings in Tukwila into nearly six acres of habitat for young salmon and greenspace for nearby communities. The new estuary, known as Chinook Wind, provides the habitat young salmon need as they transition from freshwater to saltwater on their path into the Puget Sound. Learn more here.
 Support Black Business Month
 August is Support Black Business Month. Celebrate the hard work, dedication, creativity, and ingenuity of black businesses in King County. Find a Black business to support here.
Resilience: Stories Overcoming Anti-Asian Hate
The South Seattle Emerald, in partnership with the International Examiner, recently published a 36-page zine, RESILIENCE: STORIES OVERCOMING ANTI-ASIAN HATE. It’s a compilation of stories from both nonprofit publications about how these communities survive and thrive, amidst external hate and violence. I found the broad coverage and individual articles to be outstanding and highly compelling, although upsetting, reading. Individual copies will be available at the Emerald’s 9th Free Music Birthday Bash on Saturday, August 12th, from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Rainier Arts Center and Columbia Park (3515 S. Alaska; Metro Bus #7). Copies will also be available at most coffee shops and small businesses in the CID in August and reading copies are also available at local public libraries.
Waterfront Shuttle update
These data compare ridership this summer, with 2019, when the shuttle ran six busses on three routes, all year.
The Waterfront Shuttle is back and has risen above previous levels of ridership – as of 7/30, total ridership has amounted to 1,663, with trips already tripled in the second week of operation. This summer the free shuttle utilizes two buses on two routes, which began in mid-July. And notably, data found that the most popular stop thus far is the hub at Pier 56, with Seattle Center following closely behind. I am pleased that our County Council allocated $500,000 to the operations of the shuttle.
Join PSRC’s Equity Advisory Committee
 The Puget Sound Regional Council looking for residents and staff from governmental and community-based organizations that have a clear understanding of the barriers being faced by communities of color to be a part of the Equity Advisory Committee. Interested parties should submit a complete application by September 18th.
Guiding resources for implementing racial equity
The Puget Sound Regional Council’s Executive Board recently heard about several new resources which may help to incorporate racial equity into a company or organization’s work, which may be of some interest. These resources include:
Travel industry update
Visit Seattle has published a summary with valuable data and insights that illustrate destination performance, fit with reports and analyses of key tourism indicators including lodging and performance data, convention booking data, and social media & website performance. Click here to view the data.
Best Starts for Kids Health Survey
 Best Starts for Kids works to ensure that every child has the best chance to succeed in life. The information provided by parents through the Kids Health Survey will guide the direction of the voter-approved Best Starts for Kids Initiative. The Best Starts for Kids Health Survey asks about the health of your children and family and all your answers are confidential – only trained employees with permission to work with confidential information can see responses and all the data is carefully saved using secure technology. Children's names are removed to keep personal information confidential and only summarized results will be shared publicly. Take the survey here.
 Ballard Corners Park Rededication event
 Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, August 19th from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., when Groundswell NW and Friends of Ballard Corners Park will host a rededication celebration full of summer festivities at Ballard Corners Park. I am pleased to be recognized at the event for my contributions to the park, having secured funding through the state capital budget for its creation. While the community also celebrates the installation of new interpretive panels at the park, Dave Folweiler of Friends of Ballard Corners Park and Dave Boyd of Groundswell NW will give some very brief remarks on the history of the park, which opened in 2009. Also on the schedule is a family parade, pup parade, and brief remarks from neighbors who helped make the event possible. This park is very special to me, and I am very excited to attend the event with other members of the community. For more information on the event, click here.
Outdoor movies at Ballard Commons Park
Outdoor movies are coming back to Ballard Commons Park. Bring a blanket or chair to the park on August 17th and 24th and enjoy “Out of this world” themed films, appropriate for the whole family. Click here to learn more.
August at the Discovery Center
You can meet local organizations making a difference in the areas of maternal health and services at the Bill and Melinda Gates Discovery Center. August events are listed below.
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BLKBRY: Wednesday, Aug. 16th | 1 to 3 p.m. BLKBRY shares cultural parity with Black folks and families to provide individualized reproductive support, birth planning and education, and support through their reproductive, perinatal, postpartum, lactation and parenting journey.
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Narturely: Wednesday, Aug. 23rd | 1 to 3 p.m. Nurturely’s mission is to promote equity in perinatal wellness and strengthen cultures of support for infants and caregivers through preventative knowledge-sharing, collaborative exploration, and proactive community engagement.
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The Center for Indigenous Midwifery: Wednesday, Aug. 30th | 1 to 3 p.m. The Center for Indigenous Midwifery works to honor ancestral wisdom and reclaim culturally rooted midwifery care.
If you know of any events that you would like to see highlighted in my enews, feel free to share them at lilli.deleon@kingcounty.gov.
Helpful and informative links
Sound Transit sweats over spot for South Lake Union light-rail station – The Seattle Times
REPORT King County Conservation Futures Advisory Committee Recommendations for the Allocation of 2024 Conservation Futures Tax Levy and Parks Levy County Open Space Acquisition Funding – King County Clerk’s Office
REPORT - Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention Report on Corrections Officers' and Sergeants' Vacancies, and Persons Housed in Contracted Detention Facilities – King County Clerk’s Office
Seattle’s growth is heating up the region — literally. See where – The Seattle Times
Seattle City Council approves funding for Cinerama re-opening, community programming – City of Seattle
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here. And you can click here to visit the archive page where you can find all of my previous enews updates
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