Many tasks, seasonal

One could say that the master of horticulture, Björn Bögeskov Hilmarsson, wears his surname well, as it is the Danish version of the word for beech forest. Björn, or Böddi as he is known, who has worked for the City of Hafnarfjörður for almost 30 years, is the manager of the Hafnarfjörður Service Centre at Norðurhellu. Nineteen people work there on average, and the list of tasks is long and seasonal. A Hafnarfjörður resident paid a visit. 

Björn started working for the town on a contract in 1990 after studying horticulture, and succeeded Kristján Ingi Gunnarsson, the town's head gardener, four years later. „It was then called the tool shed and around 50 people worked here. The service was originally at Flatahraun, then moved to Hringhæll in 2001 and to Norðurhæll in 2008. Today, the planning and building department, the utilities, the environment and operations department, and the property company, which manages all the town's properties, are all based here in one location. As a result, the service to residents is improved.“

Start the day with morning meetings

The staff of the Service Centre handle a variety of tasks relating to the service of the town's residents and institutions, such as maintenance and operational projects, new developments, and the supervision of all aspects of the road network, footpaths, open spaces, public playgrounds and the town's hinterland. „Most of the jobs are seasonal. Since we moved to the Helluhverfið area, we always start the day with a 15-20 minute morning meeting with the foremen, about the day's tasks, where we review what was completed the day before and plan the day. At the moment, the weather forecast is reviewed, along with the potential de-icing measures, salting and gritting. The Christmas decorations are also going up now, mainly in the town centre, but also Christmas lights on pine trees throughout the town. We're also getting the Christmas houses ready for the Christmas Village,“ says Björn.

Two people are responsible for all the rubbish bins and bus shelters.

In Hafnarfjörður, there are nearly 70 play and football pitches that need to be maintained, and we assist play and primary schools, as well as the town's institutions, with various tasks, such as moving furniture and equipment between buildings, etc. „We also handle road maintenance, such as broken kerbs, filling potholes and tidying up after utility works. Two men look after all the rubbish bins in town; emptying and cleaning them, as well as the bus shelters. Then we have 2-3 in the horticulture department, which is a very wide-ranging job. In the summer, we also have close to 1000 young people in the work experience scheme. If the winters are harsh, then more or less the entire workforce, along with additional contractors, is deployed to keep the main roads, streets and footpaths clear. The ideal would be 22-23 full-time equivalent permanent staff at the service centre, but it's very good to be able to call on specialised contractors and professionals to solve the various projects that need to be carried out. It's never a dull moment here, the atmosphere is great, the projects never end, they just bring new ones, and I look forward to every day.“ says Björn and smiles. 

This article was first published in Hafnfirðinginn on 21 November.