Blog: City Blog

Sustainability Champion: John Bailey

In celebration of Earth Month 2022, the City's Office of Sustainability is showcasing three exceptional employees who have been integral to our sustainability focus areas: energy, transportation, and waste.

John Bailey
Skilled Trade Craftsman, Facility Services
20 years in current role, 27 years in City
John Bailey, Facilities

John Bailey maintains mechanical systems and equipment across the City’s 100-plus facilities, ranging from HVAC systems and building automation systems to refrigerators and laundry machines found in our fire halls and community centers. He’s one of five mechanic technicians out of a crew of approximately 25 that service all facilities.

TECHNICIAN AND TEACHER

John's is a familiar face to City staff across many departments. He’s often the first to respond to equipment emergencies, providing relief when an air conditioner stops working on the hottest day of summer. But he also knows our buildings in and out: how energy is used, what problems there are, and what solutions make the most sense. Although his work is often behind the scenes, he keeps our facilities running at peak efficiency. This minimizes our energy use, utility expense, and climate impact while keeping occupants comfortable.

John Bailey is trained specifically in mechanical systems, but he jokes that “if it’s in the building, we work on it.” He has to be flexible and service-oriented – for example, being asked to replace a lightbulb while onsite to repair a faulty generator. During our interview, he and teammate Doug Simmons were preparing to take a ladder to a project at Chilhowee Park before heading to a fire station to fix an exhaust fan.

It’s a challenging job, physically and mentally. Maintenance has to be done even in the hottest, coldest, and rainiest times of year – all while minimizing building downtime. John has to work with a huge range of facilities and users, from part-time staff leading summer camps at a rec center or firefighters living full-time in stations.

A big part of John’s job is teaching people how to use these systems properly. He laughs when he says it’s “like speaking another language,” but he’s great at explaining technical concepts in simple, practical ways. He acknowledges that users can feel intimidated or limited by building technologies, so he makes sure to demonstrate how equipment works and how much control staff actually have. “We want people to be comfortable. and we want to keep this equipment in good shape,” he says. “It’s not good if a thermostat is getting turned up by one person and then turned down again 10 minutes later.”

John Bailey

‘BOOTS ON THE GROUND’ ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Over his 27 years with Public Service, John says he’s seen a huge shift towards energy efficiency across the City. He’s noticed staff taking closer looks at utility bills and investing in higher-efficiency technologies like LED lightbulbs, Energy Star HVAC units, and controls. Practically, John likes the higher-efficiency equipment because it tends to break down less often and is easier to repair when breakdowns occur. He likes learning about the newest efficiency innovations and signs up for every training he can find.

He’s watched some of the City’s biggest sustainability projects from beginning to end, and thinks the LED streetlight retrofit and the Public Works complex’s geothermal heating system were really exciting. He’s looking forward to seeing solar arrays installed on more City facilities this year.

While John doesn’t consider himself an environmentalist, he was profoundly affected by a mission trip to Haiti that highlighted just how much we have.

“Just because we can use all the energy we want, doesn’t mean we should. I like being responsible with what we have. I believe we should be good stewards of the Earth,” he says.

Posted by ptravis On 31 March, 2022 at 11:02 PM