Groundskeeper

Youngstown State University•Youngstown, OH

15h•Onsite

About The Position

The class works under general supervision and requires considerable knowledge of grounds keeping in order to perform skilled and semi-skilled grounds maintenance duties.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED and two years of experience in grounds maintenance.
Valid driver's license.
Pesticide license in 6A (Ornamental Pests) and 8 (Turf Pests) within 4 months of employment.
Knowledge of basic mathematic principles; grounds maintenance; safety practices associated with use and operation of grounds maintenance equipment.
Skill in operation of various types of grounds maintenance equipment including tractors, mowers, sprayers, sod cutters, etc.
Ability to carry out instructions in written, oral, or picture form; deal with problems involving several variables in familiar context; demonstrate general physical fitness.

Nice To Haves

Landscaping experience.
Snow plowing experience.
Experience working with collegiate athletics facilities and artificial turfs.
Certified Grounds Technician (CGT).

Responsibilities

Performs skilled maintenance of university grounds including mowing, edging, trimming, and fertilizing. Applies pesticides and herbicides to lawns, shrubs, and trees. Lays sod, limes, grades surfaces, and applies topsoil.
Performs skilled maintenance on university flower beds, trees, and ornamental plants. Weeds and grooms flower beds, plants and prunes trees, plants and maintains ornamental flowers and other foliage. Pulls bulbs and winterizes tender annuals.
Performs skilled maintenance, preparations, and mitigation of effects of inclement weather on university facilities. Plows and salts university parking facilities, streets, walkways, loading docks, and entrance ways. Cleans up damaged trees and shrubs following inclement weather.
Maintains a clean and professional appearance of university grounds. Performs regular rounds removing trash and litter. Maintains facilities following events. Moves and stages memorial benches and associated outdoor furniture.
Performs minor shallow, manual, or light mechanized excavation for university led beautification projects. Performs shallow trenching to expose failed irrigation systems for access to make necessary repairs. Develops beds and digs holes for planting of new or relocated trees. Removes soil for landscape renovations and edging. Installs signs, gates, or fences. Builds retaining walls, patios, walkways and ornamental structures. Pour concrete for walkways and surfaces, repairs damaged concrete surfaces. Repairs and patches asphalt surfaces.
Maintains and grooms artificial turf for athletic facilities. Grooms and drags artificial turf for all athletics fields and facilities. Adds infill in high traffic areas as needed. Patches and repairs seams as needed. Performs decompaction on artificial turf.
Maintains and services university irrigation systems. Identifies and isolates leaks and faulty components. Replaces lawn sprinkler heads and control valves. Works with university plumber for more complex problem resolutions.
Cleans and repairs tools; installs attachment on equipment; operates heavy equipment.
Assists with training new hires.
Performs other duties as assigned and/or required that are within the level of responsibility for this classification at the discretion of the supervisor.