City of Morton staff are currently looking for a new caretaker to oversee RV camping operations and clean and maintain Gust Backstrom City Park and the RV camp sites and hookups on the grounds.
At the Morton City Council meeting on Monday, March 24, Morton Mayor Rick Mead explained that, so far, the city has only had one applicant — who they had to turn down.
“He is not what we are looking for. He has several warrants out for his arrest. So I had to tell him today that he was not eligible to run our park,” Mead said. “I do have two other people who are supposed to turn a couple (applications) into me, but have not done so yet.”
The Gust Backstrom Park caretaker’s job is to be a host at the park living in their own RV. The position is considered full time. The applicant selected will be required to sign a one-year contract with the city.
Water, sewer, electricity and garbage utilities for the caretaker are all provided by the City of Morton, along with a $1,000 monthly stipend.
According to the job description provided by Morton City Clerk LuAnn Ward, applicants must be, “a people person who can remain positive and calm in stressful situations, must have a positive attitude and maintain good rapport with guests, (and) must be self-motivated, trustworthy and dependable.”
They must also be able to work outdoors in all weather conditions and be able to lift, pull and push up to 20 pounds of weight.
Gust Backstrom Park has 29 RV campsites, according to a map on the city’s website, along with water, power and sewer hookups and a tent camping section, all located just south of the Tilton River.
Park caretaker duties include, but are not limited to:
• Taking payments and making receipts for RV campsites, tent campsites, vehicle spaces and covered picnic area reservations seven days a week, along with turning in all money and receipts to Morton City Hall every Thursday by noon
• Keeping all campgrounds free of litter and keeping the park’s restrooms clean and stocked
• Ensuring the park’s contractor premises is kept neat and clean
• Mowing the grass and using the weed eater throughout all areas in the park
• Keeping the covered picnic area clean, turning on electricity to it when it is rented and turning it off when not in use
• Keeping the campsite fire pits cleaned out and the park’s flowerbeds clean and free of weeds
• Making minor repairs around the park as needed
• Ensuring arrangements and costs for a substitute park caretaker are in place if leaving for any period of time
For those interested in becoming the new Gust Backstrom City Park caretaker, applications can be picked up and submitted at Morton City Hall, which is located at 192 Adams Ave. and open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To learn more about the park caretaker position, email Ward at cclerk@visitmorton.com.
Gust Backstrom Park is located at 750 Main Ave. in Morton. To learn more about the park, including rates for campsites and more, visit the city’s website at https://tinyurl.com/57fpvnb6.
