2025 Parks Department Annual Report

PARKS DEPARTMENT

END OF YEAR REPORT 2025

CITY OF O’FALLON

100 NORTH MAIN STEET O’FALLON, MO 63366

INTRODUCTION

Parks Department Mission Statement

To enrich the quality of life through People, Parks and Recreation and remain one of the premier parks and recreation destinations within the greater St. Louis area and the State of Missouri.

Department Overview

The O’Fallon Parks Department is composed of three divisions that work together to provide vital services to O’Fallon’s residents and businesses.

The Landscape Division is responsible for the year-round appearance of key properties within the City. This division designs, plants, and maintains the floral beds, container plantings, flowering shrubs, trees, lawns, interior plants, and all other horticultural highlights at municipal parks and grounds, highway overpasses, and some right-of-ways. Landscape staff also produces plants in the City’s greenhouse and operates a small nursery.

The Landscape Division handles Tree City USA recognition status and the Commemorative Tree & Bench Program. Community education is provided by Landscape staff members through numerous telephone and e-mail inquiries throughout the year.

The Parks Division is responsible for the year-round appearance of eight park properties within the City. This Division maintains athletic fields, recreational courts, CarShield Field, playgrounds, Lake Whetsel, trails, and other park amenities.

The Parks Division handles construction projects that take place in the Parks with its Special Projects Team. They install many of the park amenities such as playgrounds, recreational courts, pavilions, custom fabrication, and concrete work.

The Parks Division also supports the Tourism and Festivals Division by providing all setup and maintenance of park grounds during special events, such as food truck events, Celebration of Lights, Jammin’ Concerts, Tree Lighting Ceremony, and Heritage & Freedom Fest.

The Facilities Maintenance Division encompasses a range of tasks aimed at ensuring the smooth operation and upkeep of buildings, equipment, and systems within a facility. These services typically include routine inspections, repairs, and replacements of essential components such as HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical systems, structural elements, and janitorial services. Additionally, Facilities Maintenance also supports the Tourism and Festivals Division by providing set-up and maintenance during events.

Organization By Department

Landscape Division

• Landscape Superintendent

• Landscape Supervisor

• Horticulture Specialist (3)

• Maintenance Worker I (2)

Parks Division

• Parks Superintendent

• Construction Supervisor

• Parks Maintenance Supervisor (2)

• Construction Crew Leader

• Parks Maintenance Crew Leader (6)

• Construction Worker I (3)

• Maintenance Worker I (11)

• Small Engine Technician

• Office Manager

• Administrative & Budget Coordinator

Facilities Maintenance

• Facilities Maintenance Superintendent

• Facilities Maintenance Manager

• Facilities Maintenance Worker II (2)

• Facilities Maintenance Worker I (4)

• Custodian II (7)

• Custodian I

Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board consists of eight members appointed by the Mayor with City Council approval. This board offers the Mayor and City Council both a user's special focus and a citizen's perspective on matters dealing with parks and recreation activities. Board members work alongside City staff to advise the Mayor and Council as they allocate funds and set City priorities.

Jim Elder, Kathy Wilson, Scott Hester, Theresa Williams and Keith Koester

Committee Members

• Council Member Liaison Lisa Thompson

• Council Member Liaison John Roth

• Scott Hester, President (Ward 2)

• Amanda Paul, Vice President (Ward 3)

• Kathy Wilson, Secretary (Ward 1)

• Jim Elder (At Large/Ward 2)

• Nicole Snyder (At Large/Ward 4)

• Theresa Williams (At Large/Ward 4)

• Dawn Hawbaker (Ward 5)

• Keith Koester (Ward 4)

Landscape Division

Scope of Responsibility

The Landscape Division is responsible for the year-round appearance of key properties within the City. This division designs, plants, and maintains the floral beds, container plantings, flowering shrubs, trees, lawns, interior plants, and all other horticultural highlights at municipal parks and grounds, highway overpasses, and some right-of-ways. Landscape staff also produces plants in the City’s greenhouse and operates a small nursery.

The Landscape Division handles Tree City USA recognition status and the Commemorative Tree & Bench Program. Community education is provided by Landscape staff members through numerous telephone and e-mail inquiries throughout the year.

Organization

The Landscape Division adds eleven seasonal employees as spring and summer arrive. Seasonal staff work alongside full-time staff for mowing, landscape bed maintenance, and watering.

Services

Landscape Mowing

The Landscape Division has a dedicated mowing team to mow landscape lawns throughout the city on a weekly basis. The landscape lawns are at City Hall & Senior Center, CarShield Field Stadium, Renaud Center, Justice Center, K & DD clip sites, Veterans Memorial Walk, and various small assignments. Mowing at traffic roundabouts will be added for the 2026 season. The landscape mowing team makes thirty-six mowings per year beginning in the month of March through early December. The months of November and December also involve extensive leaf cleanup on the mowed properties. The weekly mowing involves thirty-five acres per week of mowing straight lines, checkerboard patterns, string trimming, and litter picks. By the end of the season, the mowing team will have mowed and detailed 1,292 acres of landscape lawns, equaling just over two square miles of continuous mowing. In 2025, the Landscape Mowing Team needed eight grinding wheel stones to keep their blades razor sharp.

(Decorative mowing at the Renaud Center)

Right-of-Way Mowing

The Landscape Division also has a mowing team dedicated to mowing various city properties and designated right-of-ways. The two-man right-of-way mowing team makes 87 stops on a two-week rotation. The list includes Water and Sewer properties such as the clean water and wastewater treatment plants, water towers, wells, and lift stations. The rotation list also includes the Streets Department’s facilities, Environmental Services Headquarters, highway overpasses such as K & I-70, Woodlawn, and Sonderen, lengthy stretches of arterial roadways such as Bryan, Mexico, and Feise roads, and various small stretches through O’Fallon’s roadways. By the end of the eight-month season, the right-ofway mowing team will have mowed 867 acres and 454 miles of roadside grass areas throughout O'Fallon. In 2025, the ROW Team never stopped to repair a flat tire; the reason being is that the ROW mowers were fitted with Michelin Tweel tires. The Tweel is an airless tire that can never go flat which proved their value by eliminating down time in 2025.

In 2025 the Landscape Division took the time to redraw the right of way mowing reference map. The updated map is on O’Fallon's GIS mapping system which shows the original 2015 map layer in red and the 2025 map in green. When both map layers are open quick comparisons can be made between red and green but also the overlaid colors create a brownish green color which shows areas from 2015 that are still being mowed in 2025.

(Revised Right-of-Way Mowing Map)

Greenhouse Operation and Annual Flower Production

The Landscape Division staff produces 16,000 annual flowers in the greenhouse for spring planting. These annual flowers provide colorful flower displays through the summer at City Hall and the 9/11 Memorial, CarShield Field, Renaud Center, Justice Center, Highway K and DD clip sites, Veterans Memorial Walk, Civic Park, the planters on Legacy Point, and for the hanging baskets on Main Street.

The landscape staff began to propagate new landscape plants in 2024 using existing plants in the City landscapes as mother stock. We were successful with the propagation program and in 2025 we planted 312 new plants in the landscapes at O’Day Park, the wastewater treatment plant, the clean water plant, Environmental Services entrance, Sports Park entrance, Civic Park entrance, Sonderen overpass, K & 70 overpass, Renaud Center, Justice Center, and Ozzie Smith Sports Complex.

Although small in 2025, the new plants in the landscape at Environmental Services will fill the bed by 2028. These new plants were propagated in house by the Landscape Team.

Trees

The Landscape Division staff cares for trees in parks, trees on municipal properties, and trees planted along Sonderen, Woodlawn, Bryan, Mexico, and Feise roads. The tree care program consists of planting new trees, treating specific trees with insecticides, trimming and dead-wooding trees, and removing dead trees. Less than ten trees were removed city wide in 2025 as the overall tree population is healthy. The horned gall infestation on the pin oak population seems to be our only threat. In 2025 the Landscape Team began treating numerous pin oak trees with fertilizer injections to give the trees a fighting chance for the future.

Derelict Property Mowing

The Landscape Division provides support for O’Fallon’s Code Enforcement Team. When Code Enforcement secures a warrant, the Landscape mowing team arrives at the address to mow, trim, and clean up the property to bring the property up to the standard of the surrounding area. These remediation assignments are mainly through the growing season but occasionally there are assignments in winter months to correct tree problems.

Tree City USA

Tree City USA is a nationwide program sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation that recognizes municipalities across the United States, as having a dedicated program for the management and cultivation of trees in the community. The Landscape Division successfully established O'Fallon in the Tree City USA program for the first year in 2004. O'Fallon has remained committed to being successfully recognized as a Tree City USA every year since 2004. O'Fallon now has 2 consecutive years with Tree City USA status.

Commemorative Tree & Bench Program

The Landscape Division administers the Commemorative Tree & Bench Program. The program allows individuals to plant a tree or install a bench at various parks and municipal properties to commemorate an individual’s memory, birth, anniversary, or significant event.

Landscape Beds

The Landscape Division Horticulture Specialist staff of three cares for landscape beds on every municipal property. A simple way to identify what is under the Landscape Division’s care is, “If it has mulch then the Landscape Division takes care of it.” Landscape beds, covering nearly ten acres total, are areas of mulch filled with flowering shrubs, ornamental grass, perennial flowers, and annual flowers and can be found in every park, along highways, in parking lots, and at every municipal property throughout O'Fallon.

Our team of three Horticulture Specialists are each assigned to certain properties throughout the city which we refer to as a section. Each Horticulture Specialist applies their knowledge to care for the landscape beds in their section. Understanding the needs of the flowering shrubs and ornamental grasses, such as pruning and shearing, and scouting for pest problems is a large portion of landscape bed care.

A significant component of caring for perennial flower landscape beds includes understanding the needs of perennial flowering plants as it coincides with their life cycle through the changing seasons. Prime examples of perennial beds would be the Krekel Civic Center and Alligators Creek Aquatic Center landscapes at Civic Park as well as the landscape beds at O’Day Park.

Each Horticulture Specialist is attentive to the needs of our annual flower beds which are planted in late April and provide colorful displays until the first frost of late October or early November. The annual flower displays require a good deal of horticultural “green thumb” skill in understanding fertilization and particular irrigation needs, and occasionally some disease and insect control.

Irrigation

Irrigation systems are an important piece of equipment in caring for the landscapes across O'Fallon. The Landscape Division cares for sixteen irrigation systems that keep flower displays and lawns looking their best. The irrigation systems are pressurized in April before spring flower planting, and the systems are shut down and winterized in November before Thanksgiving. During the months of operation, the Horticultural Specialist team monitors irrigation needs and regularly adjusts irrigation run times and active days to maintain the proper balance of root zone (Checking sprinkler performance) moisture for landscape beds and lawns. The irrigation systems are regularly monitored for sprinkler performance and the mowing team always has a watchful eye for system leaks.

Weed Control

Controlling weed growth is an ongoing activity for grooming the landscape beds. The Horticulture Specialists use multiple means of controlling weeds, but mulch is the first defense in the weed battle. The Landscape Division uses twenty tractor trailer loads of mulch throughout the season. When the summer seasonal staff members arrive, a crew of four to six depart every morning to work through every O'Fallon property applying a fresh coat of mulch to landscape beds and tree rings.

The second strategy for controlling weeds in landscape beds is making an application of pre-emergent herbicide in mid-spring. A pre-emergent herbicide uses chemistry to kill the germinating weed seed. This prevention of allowing a seed to establish itself gives the Landscape Division a competitive edge against the monthly reoccurring weed crop.

The third strategy for weed control includes using a postemergent herbicide. Staff members use backpack sprayers to apply a chemical application directly to the foliage of the weed growth. This method always carries some risk in that (Spray applications for weeds) some of our plants get hit with “friendly fire” from these spray applications.

The fourth strategy for weed control is old-fashioned hand pulling and digging. There are occasions when we are not able to keep up with the rate of weed growth and a strategic team armed with shovels is dispatched. It's not a surprise that the battle for controlling weeds reaches such a high level because as we are creating ideal conditions for plant growth for our favored plants, we are simultaneously creating ideal conditions for weed growth.

Volunteers

The Landscape Division provides an annual opportunity for volunteers to make their contribution to the community.

The Earth Day flower planting in the spring provides a platform for 75 volunteers to plant around 7,000 flowers on a Saturday.

Veritas High School volunteers are used for large mulching projects using about 100 or more people in mid-April, which is not too early to begin preparation for the Heritage and Freedom Festival.

Volunteers remove flowers in late October for Make a Difference Day, when we nearly fill two trash trucks in one morning.

Many thanks to the Volunteer Services Division for bringing these groups to work with us!

2025 Landscape Division Highlights & Accomplishments

New Hanging Baskets

The Landscape Division decided it was time to retire the old-style hanging baskets on chains with a modern new design to coincide with the new improvements to Main Street for 2025.

The new basket displays were designed to have shallow trays stacked one on top of the other to create a large encircling ball of flowers on the pole. The engineered design of these trays was quite sophisticated, and the only uncertainty was how frequently these new displays would need to be watered through the hot summer. But by the 4th of July the landscape staff knew that the new baskets could be cared for exactly in the same schedule and manner that the hanging baskets were cared for, and this success brought relief and enthusiasm for just how special this new landscape element would be to the City of O'Fallon. The new basket concept was also installed on four light poles and connected to the irrigation system at the Veterans Memorial Walk.

Tom Ginnever Fence Project

In the mid-1970s, the City of O'Fallon installed a chain link fence down the South side of Tom Ginnever Avenue as part of the improvements to what has become one of O’Fallon’s main thoroughfares. Over the years some residents decided to add a wood or vinyl fence parallel to the chain link fence which led to a hodgepodge appearance of various fencing. In addition, a considerable amount of unkept woody growth began to conquer the chain link fence and therefore reached a low standard that needed to be addressed.

The decision was made by the O'Fallon City Council to work closely with the residents to remove the chain link fence from the lots with double fences and to strip the entangled chain link fabric and replace it with new material for a fresh clean appearance.

During the month of May 2025, landscape staff removed the double fencing and stripped the old chain link fabric from the post and top rail and in the process eliminated all of the vegetation growing up through the chain link fencing, all the while working with residents to notify them of the activity and preventing disturbance of their residential property and ensuring that no dogs escaped from their backyards. These efforts allowed the contractor to install new fence fabric smoothly and quickly resulting in complete success.

When the work was complete, the improved appearance was immediate and confirmed the importance of this project.

Traffic Roundabout at Crusher and Weldon Spring Roads

The Landscape staff participated in placing some of the final touches on O’Fallon’s first official traffic roundabout, a committed new program to smooth traffic flow and upgrade the image of the O'Fallon community.

The landscape team gave recommendations to the concept and when the time arrived, installed the irrigation system, the landscape lighting system, added decorative slabs of rock and landscape gravel, and added concrete edging to contain the gravel. As the Parks Department installed an art piece secured by the Tourism and Festivals Division, the Landscape staff installed the sod and flowering landscape shrubs to finish the project.

The Landscape and Parks installation team members on October 16th, 2025, the day the art piece was placed at the Crusher Road traffic roundabout. The artists, Fred Napoli and his wife Ceilia (front left) participated with the crew that day.

Parks Division

Scope of Responsibility

The Parks Division is responsible for the year-round maintenance of eight park properties within the City of O’Fallon. This division maintains athletic fields, recreational courts, CarShield Field, playgrounds, Lake Whetsel, trails, and other park amenities. The Parks Division handles construction projects that take place in the parks with its construction team. The construction team installs many of the park amenities such as playgrounds, recreational courts, pavilions, custom fabrication, and concrete work. The division also supports the Tourism and Festivals Division by providing all setup and maintenance of park grounds during special events.

Areas of Responsibility

• CarShield Field

• Civic Park

• Dames Park

• Fort Zumwalt Park

• Knaust Park

• O’Day Park

• Ozzie Smith Sports Complex

• Sports Park

• Westhoff Park

• Small Engine & Equipment Repair

• Construction Team – Special Projects

• Irrigation/Backflow Preventer Equipment & Repair

• Snow Removal – Parks & Admin Facilities

Certificates and Licenses

• The parks staff hold 3 licenses and certifications across the division.

• 2 Playground Safety Inspector Certifications

• 1 Missouri Backflow Prevention Tester

• 1 Certified Parks and Recreation Professional

Passive Parks

The department maintains the City’s four passive parks, Civic Park, Fort Zumwalt Park, Knaust Park and O’Day Park. The team maintains amenities such as Lake Whetsel, playgrounds, water features, splash pads, trails, camping, fishing, a disc golf course and roller hockey and basketball courts. Our passive parks have some of our more serene settings with five rentable pavilions. The passive parks are host to many special events such as the O’Fallon Jammin’ Concert Series at Civic Park, Celebration of Lights at Fort Zumwalt Park, and various special events at O’Day Park.

Athletic Parks

The department maintains four athletic parks, Dames Park, Ozzie Smith Sports Complex, Westhoff Park and Sports Park consisting of baseball/softball fields, soccer fields, cricket and lacrosse. Other amenities you will find in these parks are volleyball, horseshoes, tennis, basketball, roller hockey, basketball, pickleball and six rentable pavilions. These parks are host to many tournaments and recreational programs. Ozzie Smith Sports Complex hosts the most notable special event, the annual Heritage & Freedom Festival. The teams in these parks perform a high volume of field maintenance to keep up with the demand for recreational activities.

Performance Measures

Labor Hours Explained

Overall, the 2025 totals are consistent with past years. Some categories are up or down over 2024 totals. The weather each year has an influence on where the hours are spent.

• Labor for snow removal was up due to an increased number of snow events experienced in 2024.

• Concrete labor hours were down. This was due to the late start in the City selecting a concrete vendor as well as the focus being on hail damage repairs and asphalt parking lot repairs for the construction team.

• Field maintenance was down in 2025 due to no field maintenance being conducted in November and staff backing off maintenance in the fall due to the synthetic turf project kicking off.

• Both routine cleaning and mowing/trimming were up in 2025. We experienced a wet spring and early summer that took a lot of labor to keep up with mowing.

• Playground maintenance was up due to the installation of a new playground at Dames Park.

• Tournament preparation was up more than double. Some of this was due to a weeklong softball tournament where staff performed field maintenance between each game from 8am-6pm daily.

Parks Personnel & Locations

Donna Pinkston – Office Manager

Abby Rose – Administrative & Budget Coordinator

Jeremy Wolfmeyer – Parks Superintendent

Tim Snyders – Parks Construction Supervisor

Jeff Boerding – Parks Maintenance Supervisor

Brian Krafft – Parks Maintenance Supervisor

Construction Team

This team is responsible for the majority of the construction projects in our parks. The work you will find them performing includes concrete slabs, curbs, sidewalks, parking lots, playground install/repair, roofing, siding, and any metal fabrication needed. To sum it up, they take care of the infrastructure projects in the parks.

Small Engine Technician

Bobby Meyers, our Small Engine Technician, keeps the department rolling. This position performs all preventative maintenance and repairs on the equipment the department operates. Responsibilities that fall under this position include weed eaters, blowers, mowers, trailers, tractors, tires, tune-ups, rebuild of equipment, electrical repairs, maintenance software, and the monitoring of the department’s fuel pumps.

Fort Zumwalt Park, Civic Park, and Knaust Park

Fort Zumwalt Park

Fort Zumwalt Park is one of the most scenic parks and the most historic in the City. This park features the Heald Home and Zumwalt’s Fort, two historic sites dating as far back as 1812. This is the only O’Fallon park that offers catch and release fishing at the beautiful Lake Whetsel. Residents can enjoy the playground and picnic areas, as well as The Fort disc golf course. This 48acre park includes scenic trails and is home to the Celebration of Lights display in the winter.

Civic Park

Civic Park is a 20-acre park best known for hosting weekly Jammin’ Concerts in the summer months. This park features two pavilions and a playground. Recent additions include a gaga ball pit. Civic Park is home to the Krekel Civic Center and Alligator’s Creek Aquatic Center.

Knaust Park

Knaust Park is a neighborhood park of six acres. It includes a multi-use court, playground, and quarter-mile walking path.

O’Day Park

Brian Hawkins and Landon Johnson

O’Day Park is the newest park to join O’Fallon’s park system. This 57-acre park is home to O’Day Lodge, a banquet center that has hosted countless weddings and events. The Lodge is accompanied by an outdoor amphitheater and nearby campsite. The park features the area’s first adventure playground which has become a popular destination for residents and visitors alike. The adventure playground includes unique climbing elements and water features for an engaging experience. Those who visit the park can enjoy two pavilions and paved walking trails through a scenic setting. The team at O’Day Park assists with the set up for special events as well as the daily maintenance of the park’s dynamic features.

Ozzie Smith Sports Complex

This 76-acre park caters to baseball and softball programs for the area’s residents. The complex boasts seven baseball diamonds for league play and rentals. There are two concession stands to cater to the needs of players and spectators alike. The park is also home to CarShield Field, a modern baseball stadium. In the summer, Ozzie Smith Sports Complex is transformed into the exciting carnival grounds for the Heritage and Freedom Festival.

Westhoff Park

Westhoff Park is 65-acres of abundant recreational opportunities. The park’s amenities include two lighted baseball diamonds, two lighted softball fields, two pee wee fields, multi-use courts for roller hockey, basketball and pickleball, horseshoe pits, sand volleyball, tennis courts, the Westhoff Plaza skate and BMX park, a splash pad, two playgrounds, and a pavilion.

Sports Park

Sports Park is a 12-field soccer complex on 95-acres of parkland. The park features a playground, two pavilions and the Children’s Garden, where plants have names and shapes that appeal to kids. Sports Park is also home to the Renaud Center, O’Fallon’s 66,000-square-foot recreation center. Parks staff maintain the grounds for the park and provide all the field maintenance and set up for games and programs. Sports Park has hosted several food truck events, including Food Truck Frenzy in the summer.

Dames Park

Dames Park is a 59-acre park that features fields for football, soccer, and lacrosse. This athletic park brings together tournaments and programming as well as special events such as Food Truck Fright. Visitors enjoy a one-mile asphalt walking and biking path, three pavilions, and two playgrounds. The pickleball courts have been very popular for use.

2025 Notable Accomplishments

Dames Park

• Installed new replacement playground in the back loop.

• Summer maintenance on athletic fields.

• Updated pavilions with new BBQ grills.

• Converted fields 2 and 3 to Bluemuda. This is a mix of Kentucky bluegrass and Bermuda grass.

• Installed new drinking fountain near the back pavilion.

Westhoff Park

• Installed sidewalk from Brendan’s Playground down to the tennis courts.

• All athletic fields and multi-use courts were relamped.

• All new shades at Brendan’s Playground and the splash pad.

• The metal roofs were all replaced on the pavilions due to damage from the hailstorm. This was completed by our construction team, saving thousands of dollars.

• Added bench seating to the pickleball courts.

Sports Park

• Rewired phase 1 irrigation system with all new wiring.

• Upgraded the cricket field by adding a second cricket field to better accommodate user groups.

• Converted fields 4 and 8 to Bluemuda. This is a mix of Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermuda grass.

• Completed summer athletic field maintenance and repairs.

• Prepped the fields for over 554 soccer games.

• Continued design efforts to bring the Great Rivers Greenway through Sports Park.

• Replaced some deteriorated sidewalks in the park.

• Removed and replaced a section of sidewalk at the Renaud Center.

• Purchased new replacement soccer goals for fields 2, 4, and 6. This kicks off a 6year plan to replace all the soccer goals in the park.

• Completed our first year with robotic paint striper. The data shows this resulted in a 65% reduction in paint usage, 88 gallons of fuel savings, and 9 hours a week during soccer season that a staff member completes other tasks while the robotic paint striper stripes the fields.

Ozzie Smith Sports Complex

• Hosted Heritage & Freedom Fest.

• Prepped the fields for over 2,500 softball/baseball games.

• Hosted 21 tournaments including the USA Nationals Triple Crown Women’s Softball Tournament

• Installed top of the line LED athletic field lighting.

• Rewired the 3-Plex Irrigation system with all new wiring and smart irrigation clocks.

• Began conversion of the ball fields to synthetic turf.

Fort Zumwalt Park

• Installation and removal of the Celebration of Lights display.

• Dead tree removal.

• Hosted the DAR historical marker dedication.

• Updated disc golf course baskets with fresh paint and new labeling.

Civic Park

• Removed several dead trees with stump grinding.

• Renovated the Bandstand Pavillion.

• Hosted another successful summer Jammin’ Concert series.

O’Day

Park

• Installed new epoxy flooring at the playground restrooms.

• Installed updated HVAC.

CarShield Field

• Installed top of the line LED Athletic field lighting.

• Installed new scoreboard.

• Asphalt overlay completed on 2 of 4 of the west parking lots at the stadium.

Facilities Maintenance

Scope of Responsibility

The City of O’Fallon Facilities Maintenance department has undergone a significant transformation to optimize service delivery. Before 2007, dedicated teams managed maintenance for the Renaud Center, City Hall, and all park facilities. Recognizing the potential for a more efficient approach, the city took a bold step by consolidating these groups into a single, city-wide maintenance department.

This strategic move aimed to leverage the collective knowledge and experience of our talented staff. By fostering collaboration and cross-training, the department could ensure consistent, high-quality maintenance throughout all city buildings. The results have been good, with the department effectively managing a vast portfolio encompassing:

• 420,582 square feet of building space including facilities like City Hall, the Senior Center, Justice Center, Renaud Center, and departmental offices (Parks, Streets, Water & Sewer, Fleet, and Environmental Services) averaging approximately 60,190 square feet per maintenance staff.

o We provide minor electrical and HVAC services for wastewater and water treatment plants, encompassing an additional 60,941 square feet.

• The department's commitment extends beyond buildings. They meticulously maintain staggering acres of city property. Maintaining and servicing amenities such as:

o Lighting on roads, parking lots, and ball fields

o Plumbing fixtures, drinking fountains, splash pads, and water features

The City's Facilities Maintenance department exemplifies a proactive approach to ensuring the well-being of our city's infrastructure. Through consolidation and collaboration, they deliver efficient and comprehensive services, fostering a well-maintained environment for our entire community.

Organizational Chart

Services

The City's Facilities Maintenance department boasts a team of seventeen dedicated professionals, ensuring the smooth operation and upkeep of our buildings. Leading the charge is a seasoned manager, supported by two experienced working supervisors.

Our core team of six maintenance staff members are highly skilled craftsmen. Each boasts a well-rounded background in:

• HVAC

• Electrical

• Plumbing

• Locksmithing

• Painting

• Carpentr y

This diverse skill set allows them to tackle a wide range of maintenance challenges effectively. One staff member is dedicated to each of the following buildings: City Hall, the Senior Center, the Renaud Center, and the Justice Center. The remaining three members provide comprehensive maintenance services for all other city buildings.

Complementing the maintenance crew are eight dedicated custodians. They provide essential day-to-day cleaning services, ensuring a clean and inviting environment across our facilities. Their expertise extends beyond routine cleaning, encompassing:

• Bio -hazard cleaning

• Stripping and waxing floors

• Carpet extraction

By combining a highly skilled maintenance team with a dedicated custodial staff, the Facilities Maintenance department fosters a well-maintained environment for our entire community.

2025 Notable Accomplishments

City Hall Tuckpointing

Tuckpointing work continued on the brick exterior of City Hall. This is a necessary maintenance process to preserve structural integrity and prevent water infiltration. While this process can take some time, this restorative masonry work helps protect historic brickwork for years to come. The west wing’s west and south walls have been completed so far, improving both appearance and longevity.

Renaud Center Domestic Boiler Replacement

The Renaud Center boiler was replaced in 2025. The old boiler was original to the building and had reached the end of its serviceable life. The Facilities Maintenance team installed a new Lochinvar highefficiency boiler, designed for reliable, energyefficient performance. Lochinvar boilers are known for durability, reduced fuel consumption, and quieter operation benefits that will serve both patrons and staff for many years.