Superintendent of Grounds

Statement of Duties

The Superintendent of Grounds is responsible for the management and operation of all City public grounds maintenance and cleaning, including all schoolyards, parks, playgrounds, community paths, athletic fields, green spaces, and athletic courts, as well as the continued health/maintenance of all public shade trees within the City of Somerville.

Essential Functions

- Manages a staff of foremen, tree care professionals, motor equipment operators, mechanics and laborers spanning the Grounds Division in the Department of Public Works. - Plans, organizes and directs the delivery of maintenance services for all planting beds, irrigation systems, surfaces and play structures for a portfolio of over 60 public open spaces. - Implements, develops, and monitors a variety of service contracts related to grounds maintenance including landscaping and surface maintenance, irrigation maintenance and repairs, play structure maintenance and repairs, as well as all cultural work on our the City’s natural grass fields and parks. - Develops, recommends and implements best practices for the maintenance and upgrading of the urban forest, including tree health evaluation/preventive maintenance, contracts to fertilize, spray, trim, remove dead trees, prevent Dutch elm disease, Pine Bark Beetles, Emerald Ash borer, and other urban forest deliverables per City plans. - Acts on the City’s behalf to protect the public in cases of emergency/hazardous situations involving all trees, including issuing orders to correct hazardous conditions. - Manages City vendors, including assessing and documenting vendor performance and efficiency. - Oversees seasonal changeovers and decorations on City property. - Coordinates departmental cooperation with stakeholders in other City departments, including City Administration, OSPCD, School Department, Recreation, Constituent Services, Infrastructure and Asset Management, Inspectional Services and others. - Supports, adjusts, and manages the City’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan in parks and playgrounds. - Prepares a wide variety of written materials (e.g. City Council agenda items and briefings, contracts for professional services, budgets, property contracts, legislative updates, contract changes, requests for proposals, a variety of narrative and statistical reports related to constructions, maintenance, and modernization of facilities) for the purpose of documenting activities, providing written reference, seeking input, and/or conveying information. - Oversees and administers the purchasing of supplies and equipment according to Federal, State, and City purchasing policies and procedures. - Makes preliminary estimates of the cost of repairs and maintenance to City and School facilities. - Researches new products, laws, and regulations for the purpose of recommending purchases, contracts, maintaining city-wide services and compliance. - Selects vendors and contractors who provide ground maintenance services. - Reviews, comments on, and closes out all Grounds service orders, and ensures that work is completed appropriately and efficiently. - On site availability, at any hour, for all severe weather events including snow and flooding. - Oversees removal of snow from parks and playgrounds. - Other related duties as assigned.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Business Administration, Parks and Recreation Management, Turfgrass Science and Management or a related field, with five to seven (5-7) years of work experience managing one or more crews or laborers, with a preference for experience maintaining a portfolio of parks and playgrounds, or similar assets (athletic fields, golf courses, landscapes, etc) ; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Other Requirements

Valid Class D driver’s license required, Commercial Drivers License preferred.