Congratulations to Grounds Maintenance Technician, Jeff Hipley, who has been named the City of Haines City’s Employee of the Month for February 2022!

Jeff has been employed in the Parks & Recreation Department since April 2009, beginning as a service worker in Grounds Maintenance.

After moving into the Irrigation division as a Technician, Jeff began to move that division forward with his work ethic and attention to detail. Upon being promoted to Irrigation Lead in 2017, Jeff has continued to improve his division in all aspects. 

Solely through his efforts, all irrigation backflows, valve boxes and points of isolation are easily located by anyone using his detailed records. Jeff has recently been tasked with documenting all of this knowledge and record keeping into GPS coordinates and mapping, which would quickly aid in locating isolation and supply points in the event of extensive damage due to a natural disaster.

In addition to any new irrigation installs and renovations, Jeff and his Technician Assistant are responsible for performing maintenance check routines, and repairs on a system that is spread out over six square miles, involves approximately 90 multi-station timers/WVC controllers, 435 irrigation zones, and more than 6,500 rotor/spray heads. 

On a personal level, Jeff is one of the most humble and genuine individuals you will ever meet. In life and at work, Jeff practices what he preaches. He is an ordained minister. He is always willing to assist anyone without hesitation or complaints. 

We are all blessed to have Jeff handling such an important part of the department’s responsibilities. On a daily basis, he exemplifies what it means to be a model co-worker and friend to us all. 

Thank you, Jeff!