Drafter
Clerk 10/27/2021
Title
A MOTION requesting the executive explore creation of a public art memorial honoring King County residents lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Body
WHEREAS, COVID-19, a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death, is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a new strain of coronavirus that had not been previously identified in humans and can easily spread from person to person, and
WHEREAS, on February 29, 2020, the Washington state governor proclaimed that a State of Emergency exists in all counties in the state of Washington as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and
WHEREAS, the King County executive issued a proclamation of emergency on March 1, 2020, in order to allow King County to quickly respond to the new or different demands on service in response to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and
WHEREAS, as of September 2021, nearly 1,900 people have died of COVID-19 in King County, and
WHEREAS, on March 2, 2021, the King County Council recognized the one-year anniversary of the county's state of emergency to honor the sacrifices made by public health employees, healthcare workers, first responders, educators, and essential workers since the start of the pandemic, and
WHEREAS, on February 29, 2020, King County was the first jurisdiction in the country to report a death of a resident due to COVID-19.
WHEREAS, rates of deaths due to COVID-19 are highest in King County among Native Hawaiian/pacific islanders, Hispanic/Latinx, and American Indian/Alaska Native residents.
WHEREAS, King County's public art program is established in code section 2.46, with the intention to "contribute to the cultural and artistic legacy of this region through the public art program," and
WHEREAS, K.C.C. 2.46.150 specifies that King County's cultural development authority and executive "shall collaboratively define the scope of the artist's involvement, the project specific art budget, project development schedu...
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