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AUGUST 23, 2023
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VOL. 104, NO. 34
Council approves $1.3M for critical HVAC fixes for KidsQuest Children’s Museum Submitted
Courtesy of the Washington State Patrol A wildfire burns in Adams County near the town of Lind, Washington.
Burn bans in three Wash. counties; 13 separate NOAA air-quality warnings issued By Timothy Schumann The Center Square
The Washington State Department of Health and the Department of Ecology have sent out mailers to warn Washington state residents of an impending drop in air quality, and what the fallout means. “More than half our state is breathing in unhealthy air because of wildfires in Washington and Canada,” said a Friday news release issued by the Health Department. It highlights 13 separate entries on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's “Watches, Warnings, and Advisories” page for
Washington, all of which started Friday. “It wasn't a matter of if, but when smoke would hit,” said Department of Health Air Quality Policy Specialist Kaitlyn Kelly in a statement. “Wildfire smoke season is here in Washington, which means we need to be proactive about taking steps to protect ourselves.” The Department of Health urges people to stay indoors and maintain high air quality by taking the following precautions: • Closing windows and doors unless temperatures inside get too hot • Filtering indoor air by using an HVAC system, HEPA portable air cleaner, or DIY box fan filter
• Not adding to indoor air pollution by smoking or burning candles indoors • Setting air conditioning units to recirculate The Department of Ecology also issued a warning containing burn prohibitions for Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties. “No outdoor burning is allowed, including residential and agricultural burning, during a Stage 2 air quality burn ban. Home heating with fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves is also prohibited. This ban includes recreational fires like campfires and fire pits. This air quality burn ban is separate from, and in addition
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KidsQuest Children’s Museum and Lake Washington Institute of Technology received big boosts from the King County Council last week, when it approved $1.3 million of funding in one of the last appropriations of federal COVID-19 dollars. “I’m so pleased to support children and families with these funds while they’re still available. With this money, we will provide essential cooling and ventilation improvements for a treasured children’s museum, and build new childcare facilities to enable low-income students to strive for new educational opportunities at Washington state’s only public institute of technology,” said King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci. “These investments help address the new normal of COVID-19, while helping an essential childcare and development center recover from the impacts of the pandemic.” KidsQuest will receive $300,000 to fund initial upgrades to the museum’s HVAC system, so that it can handle increasingly hotter days and continue providing adequate ventilation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As a vital educational resource, KidsQuest is a place where children learn through play and exploration in an environment designed just for them. We have a responsibility to the more than 200,000 people we serve each year to ensure that the facility remains safe and healthy with appropriate ventilation, heating, and cooling, so that we can continue to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families in King County,” said Putter Bert, President and CEO of KidsQuest Children’s Museum. “We are truly grateful to the King County Council for their support of this critical infrastructure upgrade.” An additional $1 million will go to the Lake Washington Institute of Technology to rebuild its Early Learning Center MUSEUM Page 3Æ