Megan Dunn's eNewsletter
Snohomish County Council
3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 609
Everett, Washington 98201
8th floor, Robert J. Drewel Building
Phone: 425-388-3494
E-Mail: Megan.Dunn@snoco.org
Paula Rhyne, Legislative Aide
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Dear Friend:
I hope that this newsletter finds you well. It’s been an eventful month at the county and I am grateful to share updates with you about our work. On the COVID front, the vaccine rollout has been going well. The County has opened seven mass-vaccination sites and as-of May 18, 707,594 total doses have been administered and 312,025 people have completed their vaccinations. In other words, 44% of Snohomish County is completely vaccinated and 57% have received at least one dose. This is great news for our County as we work to move past COVID and reopen to our new normal. If you or a loved one have yet to get your vaccine, please do so as soon as you can. It’s safe, effective, and free. Here is a link to the State’s site to locate a vaccine clinic near you. With case counts continuing to decline as well, some summer activities are back on including some of my favorites: Evergreen State Fair, Jetty Island, and Sorticulture.
Thank you for taking the time to read though this month’s newsletter. If you ever have any questions or if I can be of assistance in any way, myself and my office are here for you. You can email me at megan.dunn@snoco.org, call my office at 425-388-3494, or email my aide, Paula Rhyne, at paula.rhyne@snoco.org.
On Earth Day last month, I was glad to participate in the Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee’s “Plastic Free Salish Sea” clean up event. Paula and I went to Edgewater Beach in Mukilteo and perused the beach looking for trash or objects that may wash out to sea. We walked from the parking area to the ferry terminal and back and picked up about 3-½ lbs of garbage and hazardous debris! Overall the event resulted in the collection of 544 pounds of trash from beaches and streams all over the County. Great work to everyone who lent a helping hand to keep our waterways clean. And a reminder to take your garbage with you when you visit our local parks or greenspace. Here are some pictures from the day:
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We collected two bags of garbage! |
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A beautiful day for a beach clean up! |
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Some of the debris we collected. Lots of Styrofoam! |
In 2020, the County received $147M in Federal CARES dollars to respond to our county’s COVID needs. We recently allocated the remainder of these dollars and will soon receive an additional $160M in federal American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) dollars which can be spent over the next three years. I am committed to an equitable and strategic distribution of these dollars to ensure an economic recovery that works for everyone. In an effort to hear more from the community about the effectiveness or gaps of the CARES distribution, I have been intentionally reaching out to BIPOC communities, business owners, and non-profits for input and suggestions. These discussions have provided me with valuable first-hand perspectives and stories that will inform future decisions about ARPA dollar allocations.
During deliberations I will also keep in mind that we cannot move ahead with an economic recovery from COVID without addressing the critical need for affordable housing, particularly in light of the eventual end of the eviction moratorium. Council recently voted unanimously to accept a $33M grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce for rent relief, and within the first two weeks of the money becoming available, 211 has received more requests for help with rent than all of last year combined. If you or someone you know needs help with back rent, please call 211 for assistance, and due to the overwhelming number of calls, folks are asked to please be patient as staff works through the large volume of requests.
If you have thoughts or suggestions about ways that the ARPA dollars should be allocated, or other things that I should keep in mind during these discussions, please email me at Megan.dunn@snoco.org.
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I was honored to recently share time with the Tulalip Tribes at an event honoring a story pole crafted by the Lummi Nation. The pole is taking a journey from Washington State to Washington DC and made a stop at Hibulb Cultural Center. It‘s called the Red Road to D.C., a journey of thousands of miles across our nation to bring 24-foot totem pole carved to D.C.. A team of 14 carved a 400-year-old cedar, unearthing the story of a people still fighting for the land. I was moved to hear the symbolism of the figures including a grandmother figure with painted red hands because her daughter is missing, seven tears that represent the historical trauma and the language that was taken, and an Indian in the moon praying to the creator to save mother earth for the children. It was an honor to see this gift that is being shared with the people, open to everybody, and the tribes throughout the U.S.
Here are some pictures from the inspiring event with myself and Tribal Chair Teri Gobin:
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With Tulalip Board of Directors Chair Teri Gobin |
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Commemorating the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis |
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I recently met with Chief Thad Hovis to do a tour of several South County Fire Stations. Paula and I met with staff at several fire stations to hear more about the benefits of the Regional Fire Authority, trainings for hazardous rescues, and the implementation of the Community Paramedic Program. At one of the stops, we were able to meet the newest recruitment class and watch their CPR training in action. During the last application process for new recruits, South County Fire received 449 EMT and 43 paramedic applications and from this pool, only a total of 38 recruits were carefully selected. Congrats!
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With Chief Thad Hovis |
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Chief Hovis, Paula, and I with the talented recruits. |
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Since the onset of COVID, the county and organizations in the area have focused on mitigating the disproportionate impacts of COVID on marginalized communities. As the vaccines are rolling out, our BIPOC communities, particularly people who are immigrant and refugees, may be hesitant or unable to access the vaccine. I have been participating with the Vaccine Equity Partnership which is a group of BIPOC organizations coming together to help serve BIPOC communities. These partners have been working with Providence Institute for Healthy Communities to provide a space and outreach to BIPOC communities to access the vaccine. I recently volunteered at one of their clinics where they administered their 2000th vaccine! I returned a couple of weeks later with sandwiches and cookies for lunch for the volunteer crew to help do my part to keep efforts moving ahead. And since then, they’ve been able to administer a total of 3,500 vaccinations. I’m grateful for the hard work that these partners have been doing and proud of the positive impact and cultural considerations that they have been able to make.
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Delivering Red Rocks subs for lunch! |
On Wednesday, May 26, Council unanimously passed Resolution 21-021 raising awareness of the importance of sun safety and recognizing this Friday, May 28, 2021, as "Don't Fry Day."
Memorial Day is an important day of reflection and remembrance, it’s also a weekend of enjoying the outdoors and one of the most common times to get a sun burn. For that reason, the Skin Cancer Foundation has a resolution to designate the Friday before Memorial Day as "Don’t Fry day."
My family is very familiar with cancers. My father died 9 years ago of lung cancer and my husband, mom and sister are all survivors of different cancers. In March, I was diagnosed with skin cancer and went through treatment and reconstructive surgery over these past few months for a full recovery. Skin cancer is common but preventable. My hope is that by sharing my story I can encourage others to get tested and practice good sun safety measures.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and don’t forget your sunscreen and hat!
On May 25th, I toured the newly remodeled Recovery Café in Everett. I first learned about this project in 2015 as a member of the City of Everett's Human Needs Commission, which allocates grants to human service providers in Everett. Since that time, they’ve moved from an 800 square foot house to a multi-use space at 1212 California in Everett. I toured the newly remodeled space and heard how Recovery Café offers hospitality, work training, connections and a model for our residents in recovery. The space has a commercial kitchen, a stage for open mic nights, work spaces for computers and classroom for volunteer-lead classes. It’s wonderful to see this needed day space for people in recovery to connect and create community. More here: https://www.everettrecoverycafe.org/
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With Katya Stetshyshin at the coffee bar in the Café |
Recruitment and applications are now being accepted to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Sno-Isle Board of Trustees. Applications will be accepted until June 11. The seven-member Board of Trustees governs Sno-Isle Libraries, sets library policies, reviews and approves the annual budget, and determines the general direction of the library system. Check out (pun intended!) this website for more information and the link to apply.
Master Builder's Association Rampathon Event:
Every year, the Master Builder’s Association helps to build wheelchair access ramps to people’s homes for free. Since 1993, they have provided over 500 ramps for homes across King and Snohomish County. They are now accepting applications for this year’s Rampathon awardees through Monday, June 21. Here is a link to the webpage with more information and a link to apply or volunteer with installation.
Home-Preserved Foods Classes
WSU Snohomish County Extension Food Safety Program is hosting a series of events through June to learn how to preserve fresh food safely. Many folks took to gardening during the pandemic and here’s the chance to make sure those fresh grown foods can stay fresh until winter months. Here is a link to look at the list of classes and to register.
Everett’s Sorticulture (“sorta art and sorta horticulture”) event is back this summer! It will be from June 11-13 and this year has been moved from Legion Park to downtown Everett on Wetmore between Hewitt and Everett Avenues. The move will allow for vendors and guests to spread out a bit to social distance. There’s always a great lineup of artists and entertainment, including the one-and-only Ciscoe Morris! Though it’s an outdoor event, please wear your mask, practice good hand hygiene, stay home if you’re feeling sick, and keep your distance when you can.
Join the Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce for their Music at the Beach summer concert series starting on Saturday, June 26. Though the music doesn’t start until 7p, arrive as early as 4:30 to save your spot and enjoy some happy hour specials. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Please drink responsibly and don’t drink and drive.
Aquasox Vaccination Events
The Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce has partnered up with the Aquasox and will be offering the Pfizer vaccine before the June 1 and 2 Aquasox games. Folks 12 and older are welcome to stop by the Seattle Children’s North Clinic Playfield at Funko Field between 5:30-8 (game is at 7:05) to get their shot. Second shot clinic is already scheduled for June 23. Click on the banner below for more info.
Thank you for reading through my monthly newsletter. I sincerely hope that if you or a loved one haven’t yet gotten your vaccine that you will get yours asap. The sooner we can control the spread of COVID, the less of a chance there is for variants, and the quicker we can get back to fully opening up. If you have any questions about matters going on with the county, please don’t hesitate to email me at megan.dunn@snoco.org. I read all of my emails and appreciate folks reaching out.
I hope that this finds you safe, well, and wearing sunscreen!
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