Dundas Driving Park’s four of six full-time summer staff consolidated in Ancaster

Four of the six City of Hamilton parks employees based out of Dundas Driving Park will be relocated to Ancaster as of April 17, in a move the city says will provide more consistent service to parks across Dundas and Ancaster.

City spokesperson Norm Miller said the six Driving Park-based full-time summer staffers previously maintained all municipal parks in Dundas.

One full-time staff and six students will be operating out of the Dundas Driving Park to look after the park and a few other close park locations like Kaga Parkette (at York Road)," Miller said. One other staff member will report out of Dundas Driving Park to operate our wide area mower to cut all other parks and sports fields within Dundas."

Miller said the other four full-time summer season staff will work full time out of Ancaster public works yard and be assigned daily work in Ancaster and Dundas.

He said the previous complement of four full-time winter staff will remain based out of the Dundas Driving Park this winter.

No full-time staff is being let go or reduced to part time," he said. The council approved service level at Dundas Driving Park will remain at the same level the city has always provided."

He said parks maintenance buildings in the Driving Park will still be used for staff and equipment.

The consolidation of some district parks staff at one location follows last year's relocation of road operations staff from the Dundas public works yard at King Street East to works yards in Ancaster and Flamborough.

Dundas resident Judy Newitt heard about the relocation of staff from the Driving Park to Ancaster and was originally concerned about potential impacts on snow removal in the park during the winter for walkers and joggers that use the road and path.

But Miller said winter staffing will not change, with the existing complement of four full-time employees expected to remain next winter.

It is such a beautiful and well-used park and I wouldn't want that to change," Newitt said.

Miller said during the summer, Driving Park grass is cut every seven working days, baseball diamonds are cut and maintained three days a week, and garbage is collected three days a week.

In the winter, snow is cleared within 24 hours from when it stops, paved paths and walkways are salted as needed and garbage cans are emptied two days a week."

According to the 2023 operating budget, Parks and Cemeteries has the largest staff complement of the environmental services department, with 265 full-time equivalents.

Forestry and Horticulture has 107 and Landscape Architectural Services has 14.

A June 2022 update on staffing problems indicated environmental services had 28 vacant positions, but did not state how many vacancies were in parks and cemeteries.

It wasn't clear at deadline whether public works staff consolidation would have any new impacts on staff that maintain Parkside Cemetery, abutting the driving park to the west, and Grove Cemetery, abutting the park on the east.

The 2023 operating budget also shows public works vehicle expenses up by 11 per cent, or $4,032,576, from 2022. It wasn't clear what, if any, impact consolidation of staff at centralized locations and travelling more might have had on the vehicle budget.