District trades workers support all District operations
District trades workers set up a mobile pump unit to help alleviate flooding in Flagler County following a hurricane in 2016.
If you’ve visited a District conservation area and seen picnic facilities or seen a mobile pump in operation to remove water from a flooded area following a hurricane, chances are you have seen the work of a St. Johns River Water Management District trades worker.
A team of trades workers work behind the scenes each day to help keep the District ticking. Trades workers have many roles in our Bureau of Operations and Maintenance and in the Office of Transportation, Facilities and Safety Services, supporting all District staff through the important functions they provide.
A District trades worker uses a backhoe to secure an informational kiosk in place along the wildlife drive at the District’s Lake Apopka North Shore property.
There’s never a dull moment with the variety of tasks these skilled men and women perform. One day, team members may be building a foot bridge across a creek in a public conservation area, another day they may be fabricating gates, building fences, or using heavy equipment to perform maintenance on roadways, levees and at flood control structures.
District trades workers also perform maintenance on the boat fleet, trailers and diesel equipment, do welding, provide maintenance to roads, culverts, levees and canals, and use heavy equipment such as front-end loaders and graders. Around District office facilities, you’ll also see their handiwork in painting, carpentry, masonry, plumbing and grounds maintenance.
No job is too small. This team will change a lightbulb and fix that squeaky door hinge. You may even see them in your own neighborhood during an emergency response. Our crews respond to assist outside agencies in alleviating localized flooding.
“I’ve worked with these team members following hurricanes to help our local government partners clear debris or pump water from roadways to help alleviate flooding and there’s a great sense of accomplishment in helping our neighbors,” says Dave Dickens, director of the Office of Transportation, Facilities and Safety Services.
“Our crews took a lot of pride in building enhancements to the District’s Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive to install picnic tables and bird perches that help visitors to this District land enjoy the wildlife,” says Woody Boynton, chief of the Bureau of Operations and Maintenance. “It’s great to be a part of a team that provides so much to the District’s work and for the community at large.”
Vehicles, boats and heavy equipment used for District projects are maintained by skilled trades workers at the District’s service centers.
