Grounds keeper

General Statement of Job

The Groundskeeper performs routine mowing, trimming, landscaping, grass maintenance, minor repairs to grounds. This position performs event support and other tasks (including snow/ice removal) necessary to maintain a safe and attractive environment. Assist with other departmental needs.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Duties:

Maintains campus lawns by mowing, trimming, edging, hand blowing areas.

General lawn maintenance of aeration, irrigation, fertilization and seeding.

Operates riding mowers, tractors, backhoe, pickups, edger’s, vacuums/sweepers, sprayers and aerators as needed.

Uses hand tools to remove snow and ice from stairs, walks and ramps.

Operates salt spreaders, tractors, and Bobcats to remove snow and ice from sidewalks, drives and parking lots.

Maintains campus trees, shrubs and hedges by planting, pruning, watering, spraying, weeding, hedge trimming/cleaning and mulching.

General maintenance of sidewalks and parking lot areas by making any minor repairs using hot and cold patch as needed or instructed.

Prepares all landscape areas and flowerbeds. Involving annual flower planting and mulching as needed.

Applies herbicides, insecticides and fungicides to control weeds, insects and diseases attacking campus plant life. May require certain training.

Operates departmental vehicles of trucks, UTV’s, tractors and other specialized equipment as assigned.

Maintains surface drainage by keeping catch basins free of debris during heavy rainstorms, and removing snow and ice in the winter months.

Fall leave removal by raking/vacuuming and properly disposing of on a seasonal basis.

Picks up campus litter and empties campus trash receptacles cleaning up as needed around them. May have contact with disposal services for special needs.

Performs other related duties as required or assigned through the work order system.

Education, Experience, and Licenses

High school graduate or GED required.

Valid driver’s license required.

Six months experience in grounds keeping or landscaping services preferred; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to read procedure manuals, work orders, equipment operating instructions and general correspondence.
• Ability to effectively communicate with staff, students, administration and visitors.
• Ability to read and accurately complete maintenance requests, time sheets, supply requests.
• Ability to add and subtract two- digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10’s and 100’s.
• Ability to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume and distance.
• Ability to apply commons sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form.
• Ability to effectively work both individually and as a member of a team in a service oriented environment subject to frequently changing priorities.
• Possess good problem-solving skills and sound judgment.
• Ability to understand and apply University and Departmental policies and procedures.
• Requires the ability to use or repair small/light equipment.
• Requires the ability to use or minor repair/service of small/medium equipment and machinery, such as vehicles or commercial mowers.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stand; and work on their feet for several hours at a time; bend, stoop, climb ladder/stairs. The employee is frequently required to lift and/or move up to 50 lbs.; and talk or hear including the use of telephones and two-way radios. The employee is occasionally required to sit; work overhead, using a ladder, scaffolding or bucket lift; and lift and/or move materials up to 80 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color perception, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Requires the ability to smell.

Typically, the employee works outdoors in all seasons and weather conditions. Frequently the employee will work with loud power equipment. Occasionally the employee will be required to work outside in inclement weather conditions performing such duties as cleaning entrances, shoveling snow or hauling trash.

NOTICE: The above job profile does not include all essential and nonessential duties of this job. All employees with disabilities are encouraged to contact Human Resources to review and discuss the essential and nonessential functions of the job. An employee with a disability can evaluate the job in greater detail to determine if she/he can safely perform the essential function of this job with or without reasonable accommodation.