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Parks and Cemetery Maintenance Worker

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Parks and Cemetery Maintenance Worker

Salary

$28.76 - $34.39 Hourly

Location

Des Moines, IA

Job Type

Regular Full-Time

Job Number

3864.4.2025

Department

Parks

Division

PK200226 - PK Horticulture Maintenance

Opening Date

04/30/2025

Closing Date

5/19/2025 4:00 PM Central

FLSA

Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit

CIPEC

Occupational Group

Civil Service

Location of Vacancy

Parks and Recreation

Recruitment

Entrance

Selection Method

Applicants deemed most qualified based on qualifications may be contacted for an interview. Qualified applicants who need a reasonable accommodation must inform this office at (515) 283-4213 or TTY at Iowa Relay at 711 or 1-800-735-2942 prior to closing date.

+ Description

+ Benefits

+ Questions

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.