The Public Works Tree Care Worker will be responsible for watering park and street trees in City of Mercer Island as well as beautifying public outdoor spaces by pruning, planting, weeding and other horticultural duties. Experience with landscaping, horticulture, irrigation, or ecology is a plus but training opportunities in these fields will be provided. This position reports to the Parks Operations Manager and Urban Forestry Project Manager. The pay range for this position is $20-$24 per hour depending on experience. Seasonal position duration: August 20 to October 20.

Work independently and with full-time Park Maintenance Team Members to water trees and other plantings in City parks, including:

• Ability to work weekends
• Drive and operate a watering trailer
• Horticultural maintenance – shrub and flower bed trimming and weeding;
• Turf maintenance – mowing, trimming, and edging grass areas;
• Irrigation repair;
• Sports field maintenance – field upkeep and preparations;
• Facility maintenance – garbage and litter removal, restroom cleaning, small repairs and pressure washing;
• Facility repair – carpentry and other skills necessary to make repairs to park facilities;
• Perform other duties as assigned

• High school education or equivalent.
• One or more year of experience in landscape field desired.
• Ability to work weekends desirable
• Possess good verbal communication skills (active listening and feedback) as well as effective interpersonal and customer relation skills are essential in a team environment.
• Basic writing skills are required, along with the ability to perform basic arithmetic calculations.
• Must provide and wear steel-toed safety boots.
• Must have regular and predictable work attendance to fulfill the essential functions of the job.
• Work well with others, stay on task, and follow written or verbal direction from Team members, Crew Leads, and Foreman.
• Must be able to:
  • Work outdoors during all types of weather conditions.
  • Practice safety by wearing appropriate protective clothing, using safety equipment, and follow good housekeeping and safety procedures
  • Learn general principles of landscape & facility maintenance
  • Experience with horticulture is a plus
  • Identify work hazards and practice general safety procedures
  • Communicate information effectively verbally and in writing
  • Understand and follow oral and written instructions
  • Work independently without direct supervision in the field
• Safely and efficiently operate a variety of park maintenance equipment including light-duty trucks, various hand tools and small power equipment
• Ability to safely back-up a trailer
• Work well with others as a team member
• Lift up to 50 pounds and perform a variety of physical tasks and heavy labor
• Provide excellent customer service to park users

Licensure/Certification

• Valid WA State Driver’s License with a driving record free from frequent or serious violations. A three (3) year driving record abstract must be submitted prior to hire
• Current First Aid and CPR certifications desired.

 
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT:
Various types of tools and equipment are used including, but not limited to watering trailer, power wheelbarrow, push mower, riding mower, chainsaw, line trimmer, power hedger, various hand tools, leaf blower, backpack sprayer, and traffic control devices.
 
WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL ABILITIES:
Seasonal employees’ risk physical hazards from working in forests and other remote locations, around traffic, heavy machinery, and heights. Exposure to noise, and vibration is routine. Work requires physical strength and agility necessary to perform heavy manual labor under all kinds of weather conditions. Work activities include combinations of sitting, standing, and walking and the ability to lift and carry 50 pounds as required. Seasonal employees must be able to see, hear and smell in order to detect problems and be responsive to their own safety, as well as that of fellow employees. Seasonal employees must follow appropriate safety procedures and use of protective clothing and equipment including, steel-toed shoes and boots (must provide own steel- toed boots/shoes), hard hats, eye/ear protection, rain gear, gloves, traffic control equipment. Maintenance teams operate in a smoke and drug free work environment for their health, safety, and productivity, as well as that of their customers.