Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 8, 1999
Contact:  Dave Workman, State Year 2000 Office, 360-586-4280

'Y2K: Will You Be Ready?' community workshops scheduled

OLYMPIA — Community workshops in Moses Lake and Spokane will kick off a statewide series co-sponsored by the state of Washington, the Association of Washington Cities and local governments to help Washington communities and businesses prepare for technology issues related to the transition to the Year 2000.

Chris Hedrick, technology advisor to Gov. Gary Locke and director of the State Year 2000 Office, said, "These workshops reflect our partnership with local governments and the business community to help Washington residents prepare to meet the technology challenges associated with the Year 2000.

"We've made it a priority to provide statewide resources to complement those available locally in our communities. This training program was developed in response to needs identified by local governments."

All workshops are scheduled to begin with check-in at 9:30 a.m. Four training modules are offered concurrently from 10 a.m. to noon, and repeated from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. so participants can attend more than one.

The workshops are free of charge and will offer training to anyone who attends. They are especially designed for small businesses, local governments, port officials, tribal leaders, private non-profit service providers and school officials. The public is welcome.

Training will be provided in:

- Contingency planning: Strategies for keeping service or business functions in tact, despite any Year 2000 technology glitches.

- Individual, family and community preparedness: Sound, basic advice on preparedness for a variety of emergencies — provided by local, state and federal emergency managers.

- Desktop computer readiness: A concise how-to session for anyone interested in bringing desktop computers into the 21st century while minimizing the risk of failures related to the change of date.

- Embedded systems: Training and an information kit to help businesses and local jurisdictions plan and manage a project to assess and remedy risks to vital services and operations, resulting from date-sensitive microchips in facilities and equipment.

The state agencies collaborating to provide the workshops with the Association of Washington Cities and local governments include the State Year 2000 Office, within the Office of Financial Management; the Department of Information Services; the Department of General Administration; and the Emergency Management Division of the state's Military Department.

Further information is available on-line through the Washington State Year 2000 calendar.

Pre-registration is required. Participants may register electronically or by phoning 360-664-2195.

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