December 4th Community Update
King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 12/04/2025 07:00 PM PST
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News from and about King County… from health updates to community news affecting our daily lives. Dear Friends: Today’s update includes news about the new King County Executive and Councilmember, the arrival of Link Light Rail in South King County, Permitting Guidance for Storm Impacts, the New Environmental Health Permitting System, the South County Recycling and Transfer Station, and more.
Washington Trivia This sculptor and environmental artist moved to Seattle and created “recycled art” pieces along Post Alley, Pike Place Market, and more. Who is he? (Answer is at the bottom) On Tuesday, November 25th, the King County Council officially swore in Girmay Zahilay as the new King County Executive and Steffanie Fain as the Councilmember for District 5. Additionally, we took a moment to recognize the contributions of outgoing King County Executive Shannon Braddock and Councilmember De'Sean Quinn, both of whom demonstrated exemplary leadership during this transitional period.
‘Tis the Season for Link Light Rail in South King County In just two days, the highly anticipated extension of the Link Light Rail 1 Line to South King County will officially open at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 6, featuring stops at Kent Des Moines, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown. This development marks a significant milestone for our community, as the addition of these three new stations will enhance accessibility across Kent, Des Moines, Star Lake, and Federal Way, facilitating travel like never before. Notably, trips between Federal Way Downtown and downtown Seattle will take a mere 45 minutes. Discover South King Link | How to ride | Fares and how to pay | Ways to Save
At the Federal Way Link Extension Preview on December 3rd, featuring the route from Kent Des Moines Station to Federal Way Downtown Station
Permitting Guidance for Storm Impacts With the heavy rain moving through and winter weather nearly here, the King County Permitting Division put together information on how to apply for a permit to fix property damaged by storm, fire, earthquake, or other natural disaster. YouTube video | King County Local Blog
New New Environmental Health Permitting System to Launch December 10 Public Health – Seattle & King County is launching a new environmental health permit system on December 10. The new Public Health Permit Center aims to enhance customer service by streamlining the permitting process and simplifying access to application information. Please note that the current system will be offline until Tuesday, December 9, during the transition period. Read more here.
South County Recycling and Transfer Station In October, major construction on the new recycling and transfer station on West Valley Highway South was completed, allowing both traffic directions to open. Future work includes striping, sign installation, guardrails, and fencing, with intermittent lane closures expected. On-site paving was also finished in October, and the overall construction is set to be completed by year-end. View time-lapse photos of the worksite updated daily.
To sign up for timely alerts, visit WSDOT | King County Roads | King County Metro | SEA Airport | Sound Transit | Federal Way | Auburn | Kent | Snow and Ice | Be Flood Ready
Non-Profit Corner
Did you ever wonder where words and phrases originated from? That train has left the station Meaning: An option, choice, or opportunity is no longer accessible or feasible. Origin: The phrase "that train has left the station" likely originated in the late 1800s when trains became common, symbolizing that an opportunity has been missed and a decision is irreversible. It parallels older expressions like "that ship has sailed," illustrating the impossibility of boarding a departing train for latecomers. Gridlock Meaning: A scenario marked by severe traffic congestion or a situation in which progress is halted due to conflicting groups reaching a standstill. Origin: The term “gridlock” is a compound word that combines “grid” and “lock.” It was introduced in the early 1970s by Sam Schwartz, a city traffic engineer in New York City. Initially used internally to describe how traffic jams on a city's interconnected street grid could result in a complete standstill, the term gained public attention during the transit strike of the 1980s.
Local Services Contact Information Code Enforcement Links: Auburn | Algona | Federal Way | Kent | Pacific | Unincorporated
Mariners 2026 Spring Training Schedule Take transit to all your sporting and community events in Seattle. Metro and Link light rail serve riders heading to T-Mobile Park, Husky Stadium, Lumen Field, and Climate Pledge Arena.
With best wishes,
Washington Trivia Answer: In December 1973, Lewis Cole "Buster" Simpson moved to Seattle after studying at Pilchuck Glass School. He quickly created his first installation, Selective Disposal Project, with Mary Christine Josephine "Chris" Jonic, from December 4 to 19 in a neglected warehouse. Although it had a small audience, this project marked the start of Simpson's career focused on repurposing discarded materials in Seattle as the city evolved. Polly Friedlander ran a contemporary art gallery in Pioneer Square while the upper floors of her building remained vacant and cluttered with debris, including old architectural woodwork and pigeon guano. Recognizing the spaces' potential, she envisioned converting the 14,000 square feet into rentable lofts. When Simpson arrived in the city, a homeless man informed her about Friedlander's need for a cleanup crew. Simpson and Jonic took on the task, turning it into a residency that led to an exhibition and a temporary recycling center, predating Seattle's curbside recycling program by 15 years. Since the 1960s, Simpson has explored various artistic mediums and focused on utilizing repurposed materials, and Jonic arranged the objects, with their cleaning process influencing the display. The transformed space featured raw art collections, such as precariously stacked cups on banister columns and bricks topped with planks resembling a flying buttress. They created a mini-lumberyard from bundled wood scraps, capturing their work with various cameras, including a striking image of a guano-covered hammer. Woodman, Simpson's alter ego, originated in 1974 from the Selective Disposal Project and the demolished Bay Building, located on University Street. This site was formerly the Arlington Hotel, which helped prevent the spread of the Seattle fire of 1889. Woodman was often seen collecting wood among the debris, with scraps frequently falling from his arms. During the 1980s, Buster Simpson engaged in "agitprop" work, notably dropping limestone blocks in the Hudson River, dubbed "River Rolaids." He later created public artworks for urban spaces across the U.S. and Canada. In 2013, he had his first career retrospective, Buster Simpson: Surveyor, at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle. In 2019, he participated in two group exhibitions focused on glass as a medium: An Alternative History: The Other Glass in New York City and As In Also: An Alternative Too in Seattle, curated by John Drury.
SeaBearer at the Seattle Waterfront Park created by Buster Simpson for his installation, “Migration Stage.” Photo by Joe Freeman Junior Photo source: UW College of Built Environments
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