Great Parks, Great Work!

From the Field

Summer is just getting started, but the Great Parks of Hamilton County’s Operations team has been in high speed for months. You may have your favorite trail to hike, park to visit or golf course to play – but there are 17 parks, 4 nature preserves and 7 golf courses to get ready for you! Besides mowing grass, there are so many other things that we’ve been doing this spring.

The bulk of our seasonal staff comes on board in spring (nearly 150 in Operations), and interviews, orientations and trainings are a constant part of the routine. Wet play areas opened Memorial Day weekend, and there was a lot of work to be done beforehand: repairing features and surfaces, replacing chemical controllers and starting up pumps and systems. Sharon Woods is celebrating 75 years this year and played host to the USGA Amateur Public Links Championship Qualifier, so the course and clubhouse received a facelift with help from the Projects crew and extra hands from all of the parks. Golf course maintenance is at full steam, monitoring weather and turf conditions and repairing irrigation and cart paths to create the best possible golf experience. Culverts were also replaced throughout the parks.
wet play_Jackie

SW golf course_Jackie

All these activities are done in addition to the normal daily routines of golf course maintenance, trash pickup and recycling, shelter and lodge rental preparations, grass mowing, fence repair and tree trimming. Oh, and the special projects, equipment breakdowns, guest assistance, restroom cleaning, emergency repairs, special events, volunteer and community service projects, emerald ash borer (EAB) inventory and tree work, trail work, playground and culvert inspections, meetings, paperwork, reports and more!

So the next time you go out to the parks, please take a moment to look around and appreciate how hard our team works to make your visit enjoyable. We are all very proud of our Great Parks, and we hope you are, too.

harbor_Jackie

Jackie O’Connell, Operations Superintendent