GROUNDS SPECIALIST (SUBSTITUTE/ONCALL)

Barstow Community College is an open-access, comprehensive two-year institution serving a diverse student population in the Mojave region of San Bernardino County, California. The College’s campus is located in the City of Barstow, California, situated in California’s high desert, between Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Established in 1959, the Barstow Community College District (BCCD) encompasses a vast service area, stretching from the Nevada border on the East to Kern County on the West, and from Inyo County in the North to the San Bernardino Mountain range in the South. BCCD serves the communities of Barstow, Lenwood, Newberry Springs, Daggett, Yermo, Hinkley, Ludlow and Baker. The institution also maintains a satellite learning center at the U.S. Army National Training Center in Ft. Irwin, California, which serves military personnel and their families. Barstow Community College is committed to providing an equitable, accessible, and affordable education to its diverse student body, including local, military, distance education, and historically marginalized student populations. Through a variety of high-quality and comprehensive degree, certificate, and job skills training programs, we provide holistic student support with clear and diverse educational pathways that provide students with life-long learning and networking opportunities, critical thinking skills, and success in a globalized world. Barstow Community College serves as a hub of innovation and educational excellence, fostering a culture of growth, partnership, and inclusion as the premier college of the California High Desert. Summary Performs a variety of physical work involving grounds maintenance and landscape of public areas including athletic fields, gardens, and pedestrian parks.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Plants, cultivates, and prunes trees, grass, flowers, and shrubs. Sprays for control of insects, weeds, and plant diseases. Applies fertilizer as needed. Spades and otherwise prepares grounds for planting. Trims shrubs, hedges, and trees. Hoes weeds and rakes lawns.
• Performs layout and planting of new garden areas. Recommends plants and other improvements to enhance the beauty of garden areas.
• Mows and edges lawns by operating power riding lawn mowers, multi-gang mowers, and edger.
• Operates common trucks, tractors, and other motorized equipment requiring similar skill. Operates a backhoe and forklift. Maintains grounds equipment and vehicles in a safe operating condition.
• Prepares sports fields for athletic events, drags and marks fields according required contours and distances. Cleans and repairs fields and facilities following events.
• Performs general grounds clean-up including picking up paper and trash on grounds areas.
• Designs, prepares plans, installs, repairs, and replaces landscape irrigation systems following blueprints, sketches, or verbal instructions.
• Checks operation of, services, installs enhancements to existing sprinkler irrigation systems. Sets and operates sprinkler clocks to water lawns and fields.
• Transports equipment as required using trucks and trailers sufficient to complete assigned task.
• Cleans parking lots and related areas using tools and equipment designated for that purpose such as power sweepers. Resurfaces parking lots and walkways.
• Performs gardening duties including pruning, planting, and edging. Sprays for weed and pest control.
• Performs other duties as assigned that support the overall objective of the position.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS Requires a working knowledge and understanding of the procedures, methods and techniques of grounds and landscape maintenance. Requires a working knowledge of accepted methods of propagating, cultivating, pruning, and caring for plants, flowers, shrubs, trees and lawns; methods of preparing soils for planting. Must understand the procedures used in the proper application of fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides and pesticides. Requires a basic knowledge of the principles of routine operation, maintenance and repair of sprinkler irrigation systems. Requires basic knowledge of the operation and mechanical characteristics of grounds and landscape equipment, including tractors, mowers, and handheld machines. Requires sufficient communication skills to interact with co-workers.

Abilities Requires the ability to perform all of the essential duties of the position at an entry or journey level depending on classification. Must be able to operate and maintain grounds and landscape maintenance tools, equipment and vehicles. Must be able to operate vehicle, excavating and other mechanical equipment safely. Must be able to read and interpret blueprints and apply methods for gardening and landscaping. Must be able to calculate fertilizer and chemical application amounts and apply them in a safe manner. Must be able to operate and perform routine repairs on automatic sprinkler systems. Requires the ability to identify common plant, insect and nutrient deficiencies. Requires the ability to obtain a pesticide applicator's certificate. Requires the ability to obtain a forklift operator's certificate. May require the ability to perform work assignments at all College locations.

Physical Abilities Requires the ability to perform heavy manual labor, occasionally in extreme weather conditions. Requires the ability to stand, walk and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of up to 75 pounds on a frequent basis and pushing, pulling, and guiding over 75 pounds on an occasional basis. Requires the ability to stoop, kneel and crouch on a continuous basis. Requires sufficient hand-eye coordination, hand and finger dexterity including ability to grasp, and visual acuity to operate equipment and read technical and safety information.

WORKING CONDITIONS Work is performed indoors and outdoors in extreme weather conditions where significant safety considerations exist from full-body physical labor and handling of medium-to heavy weight materials.

Requirements MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS High School diploma or equivalent required, plus 2 years of experience in gardening, nursery work or grounds maintenance, and demonstrated experience in operation of light duty equipment.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES Requires a valid Driver's License.

This is a full-time, 40 hours per week, classified service position . Benefits: The District provides a comprehensive health and welfare package which includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and income protection. Current employer contribution not to exceed $17,300 per year. will receive 8 hours of sick leave and vacation per month, plus 17 paid holidays per year. Position is within the CSEA Bargaining Unit and subject to Association dues. Classified staff serve a probationary period of twelve months EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: The Barstow Community College District is an equal opportunity employer. Barstow Community College District is committed to hiring a staff that is sensitive to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds of community college students. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, disability, political affiliation, age, or veteran status.

The District provides a comprehensive health and welfare package which includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and income protection. Current employer contribution not to exceed $21,000 per year. Employee will receive 8 hours of sick leave and vacation per month, plus 17 paid holidays per year. Position is within the CSEA Bargaining Unit and subject to Association dues. Classified staff serve a probationary period of six months.

Please refer to the website: http://www.barstow.edu/HR\_Cbenefits.html for more benefits information.