Responsible for performing a variety of tasks related to the maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of City parks and public grounds. An employee in this class performs a variety of grounds, right of way, facility, and equipment maintenance and repair activities including turf maintenance, athletic field maintenance and preparation, landscaping and pesticide application. Work involves tasks at a variety of grounds and parks and involves serving as lead worker. Work requires significant independent initiative and knowledge of trade practices and skills. The employee operates a variety of light to heavy equipment including mowers, weed eaters, blowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, tractors, backhoes, track hoes, city vehicles, dump truck, spray rigs and sand pro. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Property Maintenance Supervisor and is evaluated on the basis of attaining stated individual objectives, quantity and quality of work, compliance with safety regulations, and responsiveness to requests or complaints.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Serves as lead worker training new employees, making work assignments, and ensuring adherence to city quality standards of work.
• Maintains and prepares athletic fields, parks, greenways and other municipal properties.
• Applies chemicals for weed control.
• Operates tractor mower maintaining grounds at various parks; operates push mowers, trimmers, and other landscape equipment.
• Operates motorized vacuum to clean downtown sidewalks.
• Performs landscaping at city properties, plant and shrub maintenance.
• Leads a crew in leaf collection daily during the leaf season.
• Provides flood control of city greenways and parking lots.
• Spreads fertilizer and mulch on city properties.
• Sets up for City sponsored special events.
• Leads in snow removal, landscaping, and cleaning buildings.
• Participates in the City's safety program and adheres to safety procedures and policies.
• Performs other related job duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

High school diploma; and three (3) years of experience in buildings and grounds maintenance; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Special Qualifications:

• Possession of a valid Class B Driver’s License to operate a motor vehicle. Requirement exists at the time of hire and as a condition of continued employment.
• Pesticide Applicator’s E, H and L License
• Flagger Certification
• CPR Certification

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the operation and maintenance of grounds maintenance equipment.
• Knowledge of landscaping and grounds maintenance practices including equipment used in grounds maintenance.
• Knowledge of personal computers to enter and retrieve information.
• Knowledge of effective working relationships with other employees and the public.
• Knowledge of safety regulations, occupational hazards and related safety precautions in the work.
• Knowledge of plant identification, diseases and pest identification.
• Knowledge of plumbing, carpentry, masonry and irrigation.
• Ability to operate and maintain mowing equipment, tractors, and small hand tools; ability to operate leaf blowers, weed eaters, and other equipment.
• Ability to work outdoors in varied working conditions and to walk and stand for long periods of time; ability to work overtime and weekends if required.
• Ability to perform manual labor tasks such as seeding, disbursing straw, fertilizing, mowing, shoveling, raking, and erecting proper signage.
• Ability to read, write, and use a computer and related software.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees and the public; ability to apply tact and judgment when interacting with the public.
• Ability to engage in strenuous physical work for extended periods of time.
• Ability to understand and follow both oral and written instructions and work well as a team member.
• Ability to identify and report maintenance needs or safety issues to the supervisor.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Work in this classification is defined as heavy work requiring the physical exertion of in excess of 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or in excess of 50 pounds frequently, and/or in excess of 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Work requires climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, handling and repetitive motions. Work requires dexterity in the hands for typing and operation of standard office equipment and visual acuity is necessary to read handwritten and typewritten materials and to operate a computer terminal. Vocal communication is required to express or exchange ideas. Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels. Visual acuity is required for depth perception, preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection of products, operation of machines, determining the accuracy and thoroughness of work, and observing general surroundings and activities.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is primarily performed in both inside and outside environmental conditions, extreme cold and heat, noise from motorized maintenance equipment (mowers, cutting devices, etc), vibrations, atmospheric conditions, and oils, greases, fumes, dirt, broken pavement, sharps from metal and glass, and biting or stinging insects and possibly reptiles. Employee must wear hearing/visual protection while performing most field work and may be exposed to blood borne pathogens requiring specialized personal protective equipment.