Landscape Architect Articles

LSMP The Pulse March 200403-01-04 | News

So, You Want to be a
Landscape Superintendent for the City?

A recent city search for a landscape superintendent asked for the following requirements:

Definition: ?EUR??,,????'??Under general direction, plans, organizes and manages the activities of the landscape division; manages the development, maintenance and servicing of city parks, grounds, parkways, street trees, recreational trails, medians, irrigation systems, weed abatement to include pesticide and herbicide applications, rights-of-way and recreation facilities; develops division objectives; administers the tree trimming contract; establishes and evaluates work standards and performance and performs related work as required.

Education: A bachelor?EUR??,,????'???s degree in business administration, public administration, operations management, landscape architecture, horticulture, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university, supplemented by coursework in horticulture.

Experience: Four years of progressively responsible experience
in the development, maintenance and servicing of parks, medians, irrigation systems and landscaped areas, to include two years of supervisory experience.

Other Requirements: Pest control advisors license and qualified applicator license issued by the state of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation is desirable.

Certification by the International Society of Arborculture is desirable.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Plans, organizes, manages and evaluates the functions of the landscape division.
Manages the selection, training, supervision and evaluation of division employees.
Establishes and reviews division objectives, standards and procedures.
Develops work schedules and plans crew assignments.
Initiates field inspections of work areas and inspects work areas as needed.
Investigates service requests and public complaints.
Conducts safety and public meetings with city staff and represents the city and department/division at staff, public and professional meetings/ conferences and makes oral presentations.
Coordinates work projects with other divisions and departments.
Reviews and modifies work standards and procedures in accordance with performance.
Reviews and analyzes a variety of records, contracts, reports and other data.
Prepares, monitors and manages the Landscape Division budget and recommends and evaluates capital, personnel and operating budget outlays.
Approves requisitions for materials, supplies and equipment.
Plans and oversees street tree and other contract work.
Prepares bid specifications and cost estimates.
Prepares and analyzes division activity, performance and safety reports.
Prepares written correspondence and monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
Drives a vehicle on city business

Baseball and Softball Fields
Design, Construction, Renovation, and Maintenance

Authors: Jim Puhalla, Jeff Krans, Mike Goatley
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New Jersey

It wasn?EUR??,,????'???t that long ago that the secondary schools fielded no organized female sport teams. Today, it?EUR??,,????'???s great to see the increasing participation of girls and women in sports. It?EUR??,,????'???s particularly evident in soccer and softball, with tens of thousands of new softball diamonds constructed to meet this need.

Creating these ?EUR??,,????'??Fields of Dreams?EUR??,,????'?? has become more demanding, as construction and maintenance costs have increased.

This book focuses on practical information needed to maintain and manage baseball and softball diamonds, but is also a resource for those sometimes involved in constructing a diamond or reconstructing one. It is not the comprehensive, scientific, technical reference of the authors?EUR??,,????'??? first collaborative effort, Sports Fields:
A Manual for Design, Construction and Maintenance.

The authors consider the critical design elements, review the problem areas most often encountered (and provide solutions), describe construction and renovation, and give practical guidelines for maintenance programs.

Among the common design errors is an incorrect field contour. The authors explain that sports field contours are expressed as percentage of a slope. The optimal slope for baseball/softball fields is between 0.5 and 1.75.

?EUR??,,????'??We believe that following the principles outlined on these pages will result in fields that are safe, usable in a wide variety of conditions, easy and inexpensive to maintain, visually pleasing, and free of the kind of problems that can compromise athletic performance,?EUR??,,????'?? state the authors.

The book stays with the established custom of dividing North American into three general growing zones: warm, transitional, and cool. The book begins with field design; irrigation and drainage are next up; in the third spot is soil; batting cleanup is turfgrass selection; Chapter 5 is construction and reconstruction; Chapter 6 is renovation; Chapter 7 focuses on the maintenance of management of the skinned area; Chapter 8 is turfgrass maintenance and management; Chapter 9 is field aesthetics; Chapter 10 considers the auxiliary structures (fences, backstops, dugouts and bullpens); and Chapter 11 finishes the game with the rules and regulations.

The authors conclude the preface with these words: ?EUR??,,????'??We take great satisfaction in the thought that this book may play a role in providing a new generation of safe, competitive, and easy-to-maintain fields on which people of all ages can have fun, become more fit, and pursue the dream of athletic excellence.?EUR??,,????'??

Nearly ever page of this book has either a table, a graphic or a photograph to bring home its points.