Published: May 30, 2024
Mowing and mulching, planting and pruning have been keeping Kendal’s Grounds crew busy this spring. But don’t let the season fool you.
“Every single season is on, there is no down time,” says Rachel Duncan, who joined the Facility Services department five years ago and was recently promoted to Grounds Manager.Rachel oversees a 5-person team and they are responsible for maintaining the 110-acre campus, which includes ponds, woods, gardens and 1-mile paved trail for walking and biking.
Rachel works closely with the residents’ John Bartram Arboretum Committee, contributing as an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist and most recently worked with the committee to apply and receive a coveted Level II rating from ArbNet for the Arboretum. The Arboretum is also accredited as a Tree Campus Healthcare facility.
Along with the day-to-day tasks, which range from shoveling snow to cleaning equipment to helping new residents establish garden beds, the team has several long-term projects on the books.
This summer they are working on a new landscape for the front entrance, which includes planting 15 trees and removal of invasive plants. In the next year or so they plan to redo the median strips and plant new trees.
Kendal residents and staff recently formed an American Chestnut Tree Interest Group to help bring attention to the challenges of restoring this once prolific hardwood tree. Kendal recently planted three saplings on the grounds, which includes six chestnuts.
“And we are always looking at ways to convert lawns to more ecological landscapes, such as meadows,” Rachel says. Not only will less grass mean less maintenance, but it will reduce noise and air pollution. “This time of year on a nice day we have one to four people mowing,” she says.
Rachel’s love of nature and the outdoors goes deep. She grew up on a family farm in nearby Wellington, and moved west to work as a horticulturist at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where she met her husband Zachary, also a horticulturist. In 2019 the couple decided to move to Ohio, and the family farm. They have two children, and the oldest, 3-year-old Archer, attends the Kendal Early Learning Center.
Meet the rest of the team
Two other Grounds employees were also recently promoted.
- Nandi Cruz, Grounds Team Leader, joined Kendal during the pandemic as Facility Services Security occupying the guard house at the entrance to screen all visitors and vendors. In late 2021 as the need for this job ended, he was transferred to Grounds because of his landscaping experience.
- Pebbles Bush, full-time Groundskeeper, celebrates her first anniversary at Kendal this month. She was originally hired as PRN with her horticultural background to work with Grounds and the Arboretum’s tasks while Rachel was on maternity leave last year.
Other Grounds Team members are Will Thompson, Judy Smith and Gabe Jackson.
Other job opportunities at Kendal
Mowing and maintaining the campus grounds is just one of many diverse careers and jobs at Kendal. Along with medical-related jobs, the 240-employee force includes cooks and housekeepers, early education teachers and fitness staff.
Kendal’s benefits package is competitive and includes:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Paid: Vacations, Sick Days, Holidays, Personal Days
- Retirement Plans: Defined Benefit Plan and Defined Contribution Plan with Kendal match
- On-site Nationally Accredited Preschool with Intergenerational Programming
- Eligibility for the national Public Service Loan Forgiveness program
- College Tuition Bonus Program
- Fitness Center with Pool and Workout Equipment Room on-site
- Winter Storm Days- Employees can bring their young school- aged children when school close due to severe winter weather
- Free STNA Training Program
A Guide to Oberlin, Ohio- Dining, Shopping, and Attractions
In the past, Molly Kavanaugh frequently wrote about Kendal at Oberlin for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where she was a reporter for 16 years. Now we are happy to have her writing for the Kendal at Oberlin Community.
About Kendal at Oberlin: Kendal is a nonprofit life plan community serving older adults in northeast Ohio. Located about one mile from Oberlin College and Conservatory, and about a 40 minute drive from downtown Cleveland, Kendal offers a vibrant resident-led lifestyle with access to music, art and lifelong learning.
