Grounds Technician IV (Depot Park)

City of Gainesville•Gainesville, FL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a semi-skilled and skilled lead craft work over a small crew performing grounds maintenance and facilities maintenance and construction. Positions allocated to this classification report to a designated supervisor and work under general supervision. Work in this class is distinguished from higher classes by its lack of administrative and supervisory duties and from lower classes by its emphasis on skilled work requiring an above average degree of skill, knowledge and proficiency. The City of Gainesville offers a competitive benefits package and opportunities to grow both professionally and personally. All ‘regular’ employees are eligible for traditional benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, paid leave, 11 paid holidays a year, a pension plan and a deferred compensation plan, but we also offer great things like on-site fitness centers, tuition reimbursement, on-site medical staff and a wellness program to keep you healthy and happy. Please note; benefits are not available for temporary employees.

Requirements

Completion of high school or possession of an acceptable equivalency diploma.
Three or more years experience in laboring work, with at least two years as a lead worker or supervisor including the use of hand and power tools and motorized equipment including trucks, trailers, mowers and tractors, equipment maintenance, repair and construction work; or an equivalent combination of training and experience which provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities.
A valid Florida Driver License is required.
Knowledge of types and uses of common hand tools, materials, and standard equipment used in maintenance, construction, and repairs.
Knowledge of horticultural practices and the tools and equipment used in landscape and grounds keeping.
Knowledge of maintenance and construction methods related to parks, athletic fields and recreation equipment and playgrounds.
Knowledge of precautions necessary to work safely with tools and mechanized equipment and around the public.
Knowledge of Florida native plants and non-native invasive species.
Ability to perform manual tasks involving physical strength and endurance under varying climatic conditions including working with herbicides and around smoke and extreme heat during prescribed burns.
Ability to work effectively with coworkers and the general public, including angry and/or abusive individuals.
Ability to read and understand detailed plans, complex work schedules and diagrams.
Ability to work independently with little supervision.
Ability to conform to grooming and dress codes (uniforms furnished).

Nice To Haves

A class A or B CDL may be required at time of appointment or within 3 months of hire depending on job assignment and work location.
May be required to obtain and maintain CPR and First Aid certifications.
May be required to obtain and maintain certifications for: S: 190/S-130, I-100 and Standards of Survival, and other specialized prescribed fire courses.
May be required to obtain Sawyer Certification, Natural Areas Weed Management Certification or other training required to conduct natural resource management maintenance.
May be required to obtain State of Florida Dept. of Corrections Inmate Training certification within 6 months of employment.
Skill in this area will take three or more years to acquire.

Responsibilities

Oversees field operations involving landscape maintenance and maintenance and construction activities within City Parks.
Provides leadership and knowledgeable guidance to crew members.
Performs skilled trail, grounds and landscaping work including, but not limited to, pruning or trimming vegetation, pulling weeds, mowing, spraying or applying herbicide and fertilizer, raking or blowing leaves, edging curbs, loading trimmings onto truck, picking up trash and blowing or sweeping debris off parking lots and sidewalks.
Utilizes a specialized knowledge of trees, shrubs, and bedding plants and horticultural practices to perform and oversee installation of city trees, shrubs, and bedding plants including, but not limited to, preparing planting sites, digging holes, setting and watering plants and preparing appropriate supporting structures.
Operates motorized equipment such as mowers, tractors, frontend loader, backhoe trucks, dump trucks, and trailers used to transport materials and equipment to maintain parks, grounds, athletic fields and other areas.
Operates other equipment as required.
Services and washes vehicles.
Inspects and performs scheduled preventative maintenance on assigned equipment including, but not limited to, checking and making appropriate adjustments, lubricating, performing fluid and filter changes, replacing components and lighting maintenance and repairs.
Performs excellent care and cultural maintenance of athletic fields including, but not limited to, verticutting, aerating, top dressing and installation of clay in-fill materials, chalking, dragging and watering infields and warning tracks, packing holes on pitchers mounds, home plates and bullpens, laying out fields, painting lines and bases, picking up trash and removing practice equipment from fields.
Performs skilled upkeep, maintenance and the assembly and repair of recreation equipment.
Assists or performs skilled electrical, carpentry, plumbing, painting, concrete, and other trade work.
Uses and maintains power hand tools, such as drill, nailing gun, and circular saws.
Performs metal fabrication, cutting, welding and metal repairs.
Installs and repairs fencing.
Builds wood structures including pole barns, ramps, sheds, warehouses, pavilions, decks, concrete forms, fences and scaffolding.
Performs hand and bench work in a carpentry shop.
Performs excellent customer service by providing information and assistance to citizens who visit the City’s parks or conservation areas.
Supports City special events and programs by updating, repairing and caring for displays and exhibits, moving and lifting of heavy equipment, tables, and chairs, setting up barricades and other temporary traffic control devices, providing flagging services and cleaning up at the end of events.
Assists in moving and storing office equipment and cleaning and maintaining buildings and facilities.
Ensures park facilities are properly secured after normal hours and responds to emergencies and disasters.
Enforces compliance with building rules and regulations.
Participates as a member of a trained, professional prescribed burn team.
Participates as a member of a trained exotic pest plant control team.
Diagnoses weed and pest problems within City landscapes and performs corrective measures.
Prepares and or enters work orders.
Performs skilled cemetery site location work including, but not limited to, locating gravesites using maps, diagrams, surveys, posts, and probe and assessing area relative to obstacles and safety such as tree limbs, vegetation, monuments and irrigation.
Performs skilled pre- and post-burial site work including, but not limited to, operating backhoe and dump truck to open grave, assisting vault company with vault installation and set up, directing funeral procession to site and operating frontend loader to close grave and recondition site.
Assists Cemetery Coordinator with general inquiries directed to the office, lot sales, diagramming lots, and genealogy requests.
Researches cemetery ownership and perpetual care records relative to burials and schedules services as necessary, ensures payment for services, ensures all ownership and authorization processes are properly completed and obtains official documents.
Prepares daily work reports and visitor reports in a timely manner.
Trains employees in cemetery field operations including rules and regulations, map reading and grave location procedures, equipment usage and methods of safe and efficient operations.
Attends work on continuous and regular basis.
May drive or operate other pieces of light, medium, or heavy equipment or trucks in the absence of regular equipment operators or truck drivers.
May perform lead work in the absence of supervisor.
May perform work of a lower classification.
Will chauffeur other employees, depending upon assignment and work location.
Performs other related duties as assigned.