DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS
The Groundskeeper - Athletic Fields is responsible for performing custodial and maintenance activities for park grounds, street landscaping areas, equipment, and facilities. In most cases, the employee serves as a member of a team. Groundskeepers work under general supervision and perform most tasks with some independence. Work is usually reviewed by the Parks Crew Leader.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This list is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.
- Cleans patios and sidewalks and picks up leaves and litter.
- Trims and prunes tree branches.
- Mows, edges, trims, and maintains turf areas throughout parks, athletic complexes, and sports fields.
- Operates small tractors, power lawn mowers and weed trimmers.
- Performs minor maintenance tasks on power equipment such as cleaning, oiling, greasing and adjustments.
- Performs minor irrigation system repair, maintenance and troubleshooting.
- Repairs benches, playground equipment and sprinklers.
- Irrigates gardens and lawns.
- Replenishes restroom and locker room supplies.
- Cleans offices, recreation rooms, restrooms and locker rooms.
- Paints and maintains field markings, dugouts, fencing, bleachers, picnic tables, and other athletic facility amenities.
- Sets up, relocates, and removes athletic equipment, including goals, bases, field markers, barricades, and traffic cones.
- Digs up ground for flower beds, ditches, and holes for signposts.
- Drags, lines and prepares softball and soccer fields.
- Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality seamless customer service.
- Sets up and dismantles holiday decorations in the parks.
- Ensures the daily opening of public restrooms in the morning, maintaining cleanliness, and ensuring that facilities are fully operational.
- Conducts maintenance and repairs on electrical systems and air conditioning units.
- Performs carpentry tasks as required for maintenance, repair, or improvement of park structures and amenities.
- Performs other duties as assigned within the scope of the position.
- Maintains regular and prompt attendance; physically present to work.
- Performs after-work-hours duties as required, including nights and weekends.
Additional Athletic Field Duties
- Prepares, maintains, and restores baseball, softball, soccer, and football fields for practices, games, tournaments, and special events.
- Mows, edges, drags, grooms, and levels athletic field surfaces to maintain safe and playable conditions.
- Measures, lines, and marks athletic fields according to applicable league and competition specifications.
- Maintains baseball and softball infields, including base paths, pitching mounds, home plate areas, warning tracks, and outfields.
- Sets up, positions, inspects, and secures athletic equipment, including bases, pitching rubbers, soccer goals, nets, football goalposts, and field markers.
- Performs routine turf maintenance, including aeration, overseeding, fertilization, topdressing, irrigation, and repairs to worn or damaged areas, as directed.
- Inspects fields for uneven surfaces, holes, erosion, standing water, drainage issues, and other potential safety hazards; reports concerns to the supervisor.
- Maintains and repairs field amenities, including dugouts, fencing, backstops, bleachers, and related equipment.
- Assists with field recovery, post-event cleanup, and maintenance scheduling to minimize wear and maintain field availability.
- Operates and maintains field preparation equipment and follows established safety procedures when performing athletic field maintenance.
- Maintains records of completed maintenance, materials used, equipment issues, and field conditions as required.
- Performs other athletic field maintenance duties as assigned within the scope of the position.
Additional Requirements:
- Some positions require the use of City vehicles on City business. Individuals must be physically capable of operating vehicles safely, possess a valid drivers license and have an acceptable driving record.
- Some positions will require the performance of other essential and marginal functions depending upon assignment.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED & EXERCISED
- Works under the general supervision of a Crew Leader.
- This position has no supervisory responsibility.
QUALIFICATION GUIDELINES
Ability to:
- Learn cleaning, maintenance, and gardening methods, materials and equipment.
- Learn the operation of motorized equipment such as push and riding mowers, weed trimmers, edgers and hedge shears.
- Learn proper use of hand tools such as hammers, wrenches, picks, shovels, spades, rakes, loppers, saws or similar tools.
- Learn irrigation techniques using sprinklers, hoses and flooding methods.
- Understand and follow oral and written instructions.
- Communicate effectively and professionally with co-workers and the general public.
- Learn job-related material primarily through oral instruction and observation which takes place mainly in an on-the-job training setting.
- Work cooperatively with other City employees and the general public.
- Work safely without presenting a direct threat to self or others.
Education & Experience:
- High School Diploma or equivalent; or six (6) months of related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Licenses, Certificates & Registrations:
- Valid Texas Driver's License.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Travel over rough and uneven, rocky surfaces.
- Use mops, brooms, paint brushes and rollers and work with cleaning fluids, chemicals, pesticides, insecticides, paints, cleaning agents or similar solutions using only normal protective equipment.
- Move or carry heavy objects (up to 50 pounds).
- Bend or stoop repeatedly over time.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.
WORKING CONDITIONS
The employee is exposed to outdoor weather conditions and disagreeable elements. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud. Employees may be required to work evenings, weekends or holidays.
SAFETY SENSITIVITY
This position is not classified as a safety-sensitive position.