NEW JACKSON PARK SUPERINTENDENT LOVES THE OUTDOORS

JACKSON -- The new park superintendent for the city of Jackson loves to be outdoors, which is a pretty good prerequisite for the job.

"I enjoy being outdoors," said David Bierer, 24. "I don't like being cramped up in some back office and not knowing if the sun is shining."

Bierer was appointed park superintendent earlier this month by the Jackson Park Board. His first day on the job was June 3. "It's been pretty hectic, coming in just as all of the mowing and maintenance is getting started," Bierer said. "I really haven't had much time to figure out a routine yet."

Bierer was born in Murphysboro, Ill., but moved to Jackson with his mother when he was 12. He was educated in the Jackson school system.

While in high school, Bierer worked four years as a nurseryman for Pioneer Orchards Nursery. When he passed the state nurseryman's examination, Bierer was the youngest certified nurseryman in Missouri.

After graduation, Bierer enlisted in the National Guard, and attended Southeast Missouri State University for one year. In 1987, he enlisted in the regular Army and was sent to Fort Stewart, Ga., where he worked as a heavy equipment operator.

He returned home in April of this year after spending six months in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Storm.

"When I decided to get out of the Army, I started looking for a job," Bierer said. "I applied for a position as firefighter on the Jackson fire department, but the fire chief said with my qualifications, I ought to apply for the park superintendent's job, which was open at the time. So I applied and was hired two to three days later."

In addition to his experience as a nurseryman, Bierer has two years of training in landscaping and horticulture through the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School.

He lacks one class of completing his requirements for a two-year associated degree in liberal arts from a Florida junior college.

As park superintendent, Bierer is responsible for supervising eight employees, three of them full-time. He is also called upon to give estimates for park construction projects.

Bierer said he is looking forward to a busy summer and working with the park board as it continues to plan for the development of the four city parks.

"The thing I like about my work is that you never do the same thing every day. Each day is different," he said.

Bierer lives in Jackson with his wife, the former Melissa Thurman, and their daughter, Elizabeth Ann.