Student Parks, Recreation

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has openings for multiple Parks, Recreation & Cemeteries Maintenance Student positions with the Parks, Recreation & Cemeteries division. Locations include Blenheim, Bothwell/Clearville, Cemetery-Chatham, Chatham Parks, Dresden, Ridgetown, Thamesville, Tilbury/Wheatley and Wallaceburg.

This Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries position is broken out into three different areas of focus: Parks Maintenance, Horticulture Maintenance and Cemeteries Maintenance. Students will be placed into one of three categories based on their area of interest, experience and qualifications.

The positions will start approximately May 5, 2025, for a period up to August 29, 2025.

**Job description**

The Parks, Recreation & Cemeteries Maintenance Student works closely with beautification volunteers and/or municipal staff to maintain the downtown core area, parks, cemeteries and trails for the overall tidiness of their assigned community’s public spaces and downtown corridors.

**Essential responsibilities**
- Demonstrate Chatham-Kent’s core values and competencies
- Notify the Supervisor immediately of vandalism, maintenance and/or public concerns
- Painting playground equipment, waste containers, benches, park buildings, downtown fixtures, including waste containers, benches, flower boxes, etc.
- Provide customer service assistance to the public and/or tourists
- Planting and pruning of trees, shrubs, groundcover, and flowers using tools such as trowels, shovels, hoes, rakes, edgers, pruners, shears, loppers and some small equipment
- Plant maintenance of materials located in beds, boxes, planters, baskets, etc.
- Watering of plant material located in beds, boxes, planters, baskets, etc. using various watering systems
- Control unwanted weeds and grass growth
- General community cleanup and litter control, including emptying full waste containers on days when garage pickup is not scheduled
- Using various watering systems, grounds maintenance and grass cutting
- Essential responsibilities are dependent on work location (i.e., beaches, waterways, parks, etc.)

Additional Cemeteries Maintenance essential responsibilities:

- Provide weekly maintenance of Chapels, Mausoleum and other buildings on the properties
- Assist with grounds cleanup and garbage control

Additional Horticulture Maintenance essential responsibilities:

- Maintain beaches, parks and downtown areas

Additional Parks Maintenance essential responsibilities:

- Assist in preparations for community special events
- Maintain beaches, parks and downtown areas
- Maintain pathways, parking lots and bridges associated with parks
- Perform ball diamond grooming and general maintenance, as required

**Essential qualifications**
- To qualify for this summer student position, students must currently be enrolled in school full-time for the 2024/2025 winter term (normally ending April, May or June) and/or returning to school full-time in the 2025 fall term (normally starting in August or September)
- Preference will be given to those students that are pursuing a career in parks, recreation or sports management, horticulture, cemetery & FBCSA experience/program as well as landscape design, or landscape architecture/maintenance
- Previous ground and/or horticulture maintenance experience
- Experience providing customer service
- Experience with and knowledge of garden tools and small equipment
- Experience working independently or unsupervised, an asset

Additional Horticulture Maintenance qualifications:

- Experience with/knowledge of (including identifying and caring of) annual and perennial plants, weeds, shrubs

Additional Parks Maintenance qualifications:

- Previous experience driving farm tractors
- Previous experience working with community and special events, an asset

Additional Cemeteries Maintenance qualifications:

- Previous cemetery experience
- Experience with/knowledge of (including identifying and caring of) annual and perennial plants, weeds, shrubs

**Certifications, memberships, licenses**
- First Aid/CPR, an asset

**Work environment/hours of work**
- This position works outdoors
- This position works weekday and weekend hours

**COVID-19 Vaccination**

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent no longer requires a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment. Although it is not mandatory to be vaccinated, it is highly encouraged.

**Driver’s license/vehicle requirements**

**Essential physical and/or safety requirements**

Parks Maintenance essential physical and/or safety requirements:

- Because of the responsibilities of this position, students are required to be physically fit and enjoy working outdoors
- Walking: frequent walking on level surface, rough surface (up to 22.73 kgs or 50 lbs) (walking in parks; facilities; lining of sport fields, debris pick up, horticultural work, special events, trimming and grass cutting, parks and equipment checks)
- Sitting: frequent sitting in chair, vehicle seat (driving from park to pa