Salary: $28.76 - $34.39 Hourly Location : Des Moines, IA Job Type: Regular Full-Time Job Number: 3964.9.2024 Department: Parks Division: PK200226 - PK Horticulture Maintenance Opening Date: 09/19/2024 Closing Date: 10/7/2024 4:00 PM Central FLSA: Non-Exempt Bargaining Unit: CIPEC Occupational Group: Civil Service Location of Vacancy: Parks and Recreation Recruitment: Entrance Selection Method: Education & Experience Rating: Applicants meeting the minimum requirements will be evaluated based on demonstrated experience and education. Driving Record Check: Driving records of qualified applicants will be reviewed. Applicants not meeting City driving standards will be eliminated from employment consideration. Qualified applicants who need a reasonable accommodation must inform this office at (515) ###-#### or TTY Iowa Relay at 711 or 1-800-###-####, by the application deadline date. Distinguishing Features of the Class Under general supervision, to do skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled work in assisting in the operation and maintenance of Parks and Recreation property which includes park, cemetery and other municipal property. This is a general position utilized by multiple teams performing maintenance operation tasks within the department which include cemetery, park grounds/aquatic facility operation, horticulture/landscape, natural resource, trail, sports parks, and construction activities. Acceptable Experience and Training
- Completion of an associate's program in horticulture, forestry, mortuary science, natural resources or other earth sciences and a year of full-time experience in park or cemetery maintenance.
- Any equivalent combination in which related education and experience are interchangeable at the rate of one year of education for two years of experience and a minimum of one year of experience in the operation of pumps, motors, machinery, or similar equipment.
Required Special Qualifications
- Required valid motor vehicle operator's license issued by the State of Iowa.
- Required within one year of appointment. Valid class A or B commercial driver's license and a valid Iowa pesticide applicators license within one or more of the following categories: 3OT, 3G, 5, or 6.
- Depending on the work assignment, one or more of the following may be required within one year of appointment. Valid (CPO) Certified Pool Operator's certificate Completion of S-130 Firefighter Training, S-190 Introduction to Fire Behavior. Valid (CPSI) Certified Playground Safety Inspector certification.
- Candidates for positions in this class must pass a post employment offer physical examination and drug screen.
- Candidates for this position must pass a background check.
Examples of Essential Work (Illustrative Only)
- Plans and conducts turf grass culture, renovation, and maintenance programs including soil prep/conditioning, sodding, and seeding, watering, weeding, aerating, fertilizing, mowing/trimming, pesticide and herbicide selection and application and seed mix recommendation.
- Performs horticultural and natural resource maintenance tasks; plans, plants, maintains, and removes landscape beds and other plantings; tills, fertilizes, waters, and mulches flower beds and other plantings; mulches trees, shrubs and other plantings; prunes trees and shrubs; assists Forestry in ensuring trees are maintained in a safe and healthy condition; performs weed control in turf, flower beds and other plantings, shrub areas, and general municipal areas.
- Performs facility site maintenance tasks as assigned including minor plumbing of seasonal water start up and shut down.
- Programs, inspects, maintains, and repairs irrigation and sprinkler system controllers, valves, pipes and related components.
- Ability to utilize cemetery maps to locate burial locations and cemetery spaces for tasks which need to be performed.
- Opens, closes, and maintains cemetery burial sites including locating lot sites, jack hammering, cleanup area around burial services, assist with setup/takedown of burial vaults and tents, serve as a pallbearer as needed, tampering, backfill graves tilling, seeding, topdressing, lead in burials services, perform tasks for cremation burial services, snow removal, operating and performing minor maintenance on cemetery equipment, and operating equipment in tight turning spaces.
- Assist the Cemetery Equipment Operator for opening and graves or for digging foundations for monuments.
- Documentation of work performed for customer requests and for monument, foundation in written or with photos as needed.
- Utilize tools and equipment to reset, level or raise monuments and perform cleaning on monuments as needed.
- Inspects reports and/or may repair, adjust, and lubricate malfunctioning pumps, controllers, and filtration and chlorination components of swimming pool and wading pool operational equipment; develops and implements plans to correct and prevent breakdowns.
- Skims grease, replaces sand, and purges filter system as needed; checks and adjusts water chemistry; tracks use of chemicals and recommends annual purchases.
- Performs snow removal activities ranging from snow shoveling to operating a wing-plow tandem axle truck.
- Performs restroom cleaning, opening, and closing.
- Develop new methods of providing public landscapes which provide for an improved ecology, including rain gardens, bio-swales, controlled burns, and other environmental efforts that provide leadership towards an improved environment.
- Inspects trees and provides maintenance of the urban forest in consults with other forestry staff and consultants.
- Cleans and clears municipal properties of debris, litter and hazardous conditions.
- Provides input on planning projects and may assist on the installation of capital improvement projects.
- Cleans, maintains, and repairs shelters, playgrounds, medians, trails, structures and playing fields, fences, picnic tables, benches, drinking fountains, and retaining walls in park and recreation facilities, using a variety of skills including carpentry, painting, electrical and plumbing.
- Operates pickup trucks with hydraulic trailers, dump trucks, tractors with attachments, gang mowers, generators, garbage compactors, jack hammers, tampers, portable power tools, power riding mowers, power hand mowers, leaf blowers, tillers, sod and weed cutters, augers, chain saws, edger's, sprayers, aerators, electronic sprinkler controls, and various hand tools such as shovels, rakes, hoes, clippers and personal protective equipment.
- Plans, schedules, leads other staff, and follows through with routine daily work activities.
- Ensures that safe and efficient work practices and procedures are followed, including those pertaining to the clean and orderly set up of a work site, the use of equipment, the maintenance and storage of equipment, materials and tools, and the use of personal protective clothing and equipment.
- Interacts with volunteers, other city staff, neighborhood associations, plant societies and other special interest groups in the public, private and corporate sectors to obtain input in identifying both department needs and resources available within the assigned area of responsibility.
- Records on a daily work sheet the time and work performed, and materials used; provides input regarding supplies and equipment needs.
- Communicates City policy to the general public.
- Completes safety training courses, assigned training by Human Resources and other training courses as assigned.
- Performs any and all needed maintenance tasks as assigned.
01 Do you have a degree in Horticulture, Forestry or a closely related Earth Sciences field?
If Yes, submittal of college transcripts showing degree conferred is required by application deadline. Please submit to the City of Des Moines Human Resources Department; electronically to ...@dmgov.org, by fax to 515-###-####, or by mail to 1551 E MLK Jr Pkwy, Des Moines, IA 50317 by the application deadline date.
02 Check all applicable park maintenance areas where you have at least one year of full-time work experience:
- Athletic Field Maintenance
- Building/Facility Maintenance
- Cemetery Grounds Maintenance
- Equipment
- Natural Resources/Habitat
- Horticulture
- Snow Removal
- Swimming/Wading Pool Maintenance
- Turf Maintenance
- Weed Control
- Playground Inspection and Repair
- None of these
03 Describe any professional work experience you have with horticultural care, including where this experience was obtained and duration of experience. If no experience, indicate none . 04 Describe any professional work experience you have maintaining commercial swimming pools and working with swimming pool equipment and chemicals including where this experience was obtained and duration of experience. If no experience, indicate none . 05 Describe any experience you have leading or supervising the work of a crew including where this experience was obtained and duration of experience. If no experience, indicate none . 06 Describe any professional work experience you have maintaining cemetery burial sites, including where this experience was obtained and duration of experience. If no experience, indicate none . 07 Do you currently possess a valid Iowa Driver's License? NOTE: If you possess an out-of-state license, you must submit a certified driving record by the application deadline. Failure to submit all required documentation may cause application disqualification. Certified driving records should be submitted to the City of Des Moines Human Resources Department; electronically to ...@dmgov.org, by fax to 515-###-####, or by mail to 1551 E MLK Jr Pkwy, Des Moines, IA 50317.
- Yes, I possess a valid Iowa driver's license.
- No, I do not have a valid license.
- No, I possess an out-of-state license - I understand submittal of certified driving record required by application deadline.
Required Question