Job Details

Park Maintenance Worker I

If you are a park maintenance or streetscape professional with a passion to serve the community, then the City of La Mesa's Department of Public Works invites you to apply for the part-time position of Park Maintenance Worker I.

This is a temporary, non-benefited position. The position is limited to a maximum of 1,000 hours per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). Note: The selected candidates may work up to 2,000 hours during the period of January 2026 to December 2026, as long as 1,000 hours per fiscal year are not exceeded (a full-time equivalent schedule is 2,080 hours per calendar year).

The typical schedule for this position is 6:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (9/80 schedule) with alternate Fridays off. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted, and candidates may be notified immediately for an interview. The Department of Public Works currently has two part-time positions available. One vacancy is in the Park Maintenance unit and the other is in the Streetscapes unit.

The position in the Park Maintenance unit will focus on keeping parks, playgrounds, and facilities safe and beautiful by doing groundskeeping, such as mowing and planting, and cleaning within the 14 city parks in the City of La Mesa.

The position in the Streetscapes unit will focus on keeping public areas clean and attractive by removing trash and weeds, and performing minor street and sign maintenance, and other tasks as assigned. Workers may need to lift up to 50 lbs. Proficiency with a weed whip, hedger, or blower, and working safely around traffic is desired.

This recruitment will remain open until the needs of the City are met.

Key Responsibilities

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

• Perform a variety of semi-skilled and skilled grounds, gardening and turf maintenance duties involved in the development, maintenance, and repair of landscaped areas, parks, playgrounds, and public facilities.
• Perform routine maintenance duties such as mowing and edging grass, operating a weed eater, blowing leaves on sidewalks and parking lots, removing and trimming shrubbery, raking leaves and debris, and removing graffiti/vandalism.
• Perform a variety of duties in the maintenance and repair of irrigation systems; adjust and maintain timers and controllers; repair sprinkler heads and lines; locate and repair water breaks; refer problems to higher level park maintenance staff as required.
• Plant, water and maintain landscaped areas consisting of turf, bushes, trees, flowers, and shrubs; trim and prune bushes, trees and shrubs; water, mow, weed, renovate, and fertilize lawns.
• Identify turf, shrub, and tree diseases, parasites and other problems.
• Perform maintenance and repairs on various equipment including playground equipment, picnic tables, gates, fences, and tree stakes.
• Assist in moving and installing park and recreation equipment such as bleachers, backstops, and playground equipment.
• Perform routine maintenance and repair activities for park facilities; clean restrooms and stock materials and supplies; assist in building repairs including carpentry, painting and plumbing repairs.
• Perform general grounds cleaning; clean and maintain assigned areas; pick up and discard trash and litter.
• Respond to public inquiries in a courteous manner; provide information within the area of assignment; resolve complaints in an efficient and timely manner.
• Operate and maintain a variety of landscaping equipment including sprayers, edgers, blowers, hedge trimmers, weed eaters and related equipment.
• Operate a variety of hand and small power tools and equipment such as push mowers, riding mowers, shovels, rakes, chainsaws, and other equipment in support of parks maintenance and repair operations.
• Maintain records of time spent performing various maintenance functions; provide assistance in preparing records and files.
• As assigned perform grounds maintenance chemical application duties; store, mix and spray herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides; ensure proper application of all materials; ensure equipment is operating properly; perform all duties in compliance with City and other mandated health and safety rules and regulations.
• Drive vehicles used to transport materials, tools, and equipment as required.
• Assist and train less experienced personnel.
• May be assigned a variety of duties to assist in street, sewer, and other public works maintenance and repair projects.
• Prepare ground for concrete or asphalt work; assist with concrete work as necessary.
• Perform related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education/Training:

Formal or informal education or training that ensures the ability to read and write at a level necessary for successful job performance.

Experience:

Six months of experience performing a variety of grounds maintenance work is desirable.

License or Certificate:

Possession of an appropriate, valid driver's license.

Special Requirements:

Employees in this position are subject to mandatory drug and alcohol testing as required by the Department of Transportation. The applicant selected will be given a conditional offer of employment pending the outcome of a post-offer physical and drug screen. Additionally, applicants will be required to provide written authorization allowing the City to contact previous employers to determine if the applicant has previously tested positive for drugs or alcohol or refused to submit for testing.

Examination Process

Interested applicants must submit an online application and supplemental questionnaire. This position is open until the needs of the City are met. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply immediately. Only those candidates whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the City will be invited to participate in an appraisal interview. Eligible candidates will be notified when dates have been established. NOTE: Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment medical evaluation, including alcohol/drug screen, and Livescan background check.

As a general rule, temporary part-time employees do not earn any fringe benefits with the City of La Mesa. However, they are covered under workers' compensation and Social Security including Medicare and are eligible for 40 hours of sick leave after 90 days of employment and 30 days of work.