The Grounds Maintenance crew is responsible for providing landscape maintenance services including edging; line trimming; weed control; mowing; mulch and planting replacement; irrigation system operation and repair; pruning and other vegetation care and control measures.

The Grounds Maintenance crew provides landscape maintenance services to select public right-of-way areas, such as Aurora Avenue, as well as many of our park landscapes. This in-house maintenance service started in 2019 for ROW services and 2020 for Park services that had previously been provided under contract.

Our responsibilities in the ROW include up to 3 cycles in the ROW and Parks Grounds Maintenance Service Area Map areas:

• Maintaining arterial landscapes, including shrub pruning, weeding, mowing and irrigation system repairs.
• Ensuring a safe pedestrian environment, including maintenance of street tree grates and sidewalk sweeping in main arterials.

Before work



 

 After work

Our responsibilities in the Parks include weekly services March thru October for:

• Mowing of ballfield and ornamental turf in park areas and along the Interurban Trail.
• Maintenance of planted beds including weeding and pruning of shrubs within park areas.

The City of Shoreline is seeking volunteers to maintain landscaping within local street traffic circles Citywide.

Traffic circle landscape maintenance has historically relied upon resident volunteers. Many of these circles are more than 15 years old and resident volunteers have dwindled significantly over time.

Traffic circle vegetation has not historically been budgeted for Shoreline crews to maintain. Without resident volunteers, the City will only address vegetation in these circles if safety issues arise. Any safety related maintenance performed by City crews will not be for beautification.

A list of all traffic circle locations is available here:

Traffic Circle Locations

To volunteer, please contact Kendra Dedinsky, City Traffic Engineer, at kdedinsky@shorelinewa.gov or (206) 801-2431. If you are already maintaining a traffic circle, please be sure to provide your contact information to the City Traffic Engineer so we can account for your great work!

 

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

The City updated the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy in 2023. This policy works to improve upon our efforts to reduce or eliminate pesticides and other toxic chemical use. This reinforces our commitment to utilizing cultural and mechanical means of control for a wide variety of pests such as weeds, insects, and other pathogens.

Some of the methods currently utilized are:

• Foamstream - The City's new machine (which resembles a carpet cleaner wand) uses hot water and an environmentally friendly coconut oil and glucose solution to eliminate weeds. The machine creates a foam from the oil which insulates over the hot water ensuring heat is not lost to the atmosphere. This allows the hot water (190 degrees or higher) to penetrate the leaves down into the root eliminating the weed.

The use of pesticides is not a primary control method for pest issues and is limited to the control of noxious weeds and stinging insects. Per the Integrated Pest Management policy, the use of chemical controls requires prior approval and 48 hours of no rainfall in the forecast following application. Alternative methods of control must also be documented before the use of pesticides is approved.

Noxious Weeds

The following noxious weeds are currently being treated with the use of pesticides to control/eradicate populations:

Poison Hemlock

This class B noxious weed is required to control on public lands and rights-of-way. Poison Hemlock is seen in various locations, primarily west of 8th Ave NW. Mechanical control efforts (hand pulling, mowing) have proven ineffective and chemical control was approved in spring of 2023. Treatment will occur as the weather allows in March and April to prevent plants from reaching the flowering stage. Seeds can remain viable for up to 5 years and treatment will occur as needed to gain control of this rapidly spreading weed.

Shiny Geranium

This class B noxious weed is required to control on public lands and rights-of-way. There is a limited population of Shiny Geranium in the city but it is slated for chemical control in the spring of 2024.

Knotweed

While an unregulated class B noxious weed, knotweed’s aggressive growth requires several cutbacks per year in sensitive areas. Treatment has occurred mostly in trail access points and other areas where visibility of traffic and/or pedestrians is impeded. Additional treatments along waterways have been approved which were completed by contractors within Ballinger Open Space and Paramount Open Space. King County also treated knotweed at the Edwin Pratt Park property ahead of future site development.

We continue to monitor knotweed populations and there are additional efforts to remove knotweed from the Thornton Creek watershed.

If treatment has been approved, the following sign(s) will be posted 24 hours before application and removed 24 hours following application. This is the only sign approved for designating city treatment. Any additional signage not approved by city representatives will be removed by city staff to avoid unnecessary confusion as to if/when treatment will occur.

 

6.7.1 – Signs

Small freestanding informational signs displaying the City's logo shall be posted and include the following information: 

• Date and time of planned application,  
• Location within the site to be treated,
• The pest to be controlled, 
• The pesticide used,
• A department contact name and phone number to call for more information, and 
• Small colored flags shall define the area to be treated.

Stinging Insects

Yellow Jackets and paper wasps are predatory insects that prey on garden insects and help control their populations.  To minimize the impacts on beneficial pollinators, not every hive reported will be treated or eradicated.  Treatment will be conducted if a hive is verified and meets the following conditions:

• Close proximity to high-use areas such as picnic shelters and playgrounds
• Close proximity to heavily used sidewalks, pathways, or trails

Reports of hive activity will be investigated within 2 business days.  If treatment meets the above-listed criteria, it will be treated within 24 hours and a sign (shown above) will be placed notifying the public of the treatment time.  If a hive is verified but does not meet the necessary treatment criteria, a sign will be placed to notify the public of an active hive. 

 

This year the Grounds Maintenance crew purchased its first electric pickup truck! This is the first of many to help Public Works do its part to achieve the City's climate action goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We have also deployed an all-electric mower and continue to evaluate the use of smaller battery-operated landscape tools like backpack blowers, chain saws, line trimmers, and other tools of the trade. One challenge the city is facing with electric tools is battery life. Handheld electric tools work well for homeowners but are more problematic for commercial operations where batteries need to be changed every 20 to 30 minutes. Another challenge is the cost of these tools which can run two to four times the expense of fossil fuel options.

While the City understands these challenges, demand is increasing for electric tools and we expect the battery life issue will be resolved and the price point to come down in the near future.