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Brandon Patsel, who serves as maintenance crew leader for the Dare County Parks & Recreation Department’s Northern Beach Division in Kill Devil Hills, has been named Dare County Employee of the Month for November 2024. The award was presented to Patsel by Dare County public services director Spencer Gregory during the December Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting due to the recipient being unable to attend the board’s November 2024 meeting.

Patsel began his service to Dare County on August 9, 2021, when he was initially hired to serve as a parks maintenance worker for the Dare County Parks & Recreation Department’s Roanoke Island/Mainland Division in Manteo. On April 17, 2023, Patsel was promoted to his current position as parks maintenance crew leader for the department’s Northern Beach Division in Kill Devil Hills.

“He started as a parks maintenance worker in 2021 at the Roanoke Island Division, and it wasn’t long before we realized he was a keeper,” said Gregory as he began his presentation. “The supervisory role came up in the Kill Devil Hills division in April 2023, and we knew Brandon was a perfect fit for the position.”

As a parks maintenance crew leader, Patsel and the two crew members he supervises play a crucial role in preparing and maintaining the Northern Beach Division’s ball fields, grounds and recreational facilities to ensure they are clean and well-kept, safe and ready for use by residents and visitors taking part in the Dare County Parks & Recreation Department’s assortment of programs and activities.

“The maintenance crews in Parks & Recreation are like the linemen in football: they do all the dirty work, and they don’t get the credit that they deserve,” said Gregory. “They’re out there in the extreme cold, like today, and the extreme heat, and some days all of their work is washed away in one hour with a heavy rainfall, so that can be frustrating. Brandon leads a crew of three, and they’re responsible for a lot.”

Among the many fields and facilities Patsel and his crew are responsible for maintaining throughout the year are those at Family Recreation Park in Kill Devil Hills, as well as First Flight Middle School, Kitty Hawk Park, Kitty Hawk Elementary School and the Nags Head Soccer Complex.

“That includes six baseball and softball fields, which are dragged daily, four—soon to be five—soccer fields at the Nags Head Soccer Complex, 10 acres of Bermuda fields at First Flight Middle School, three playgrounds and one dog park,” said Gregory, who went on to share that, during peak cutting season in the spring and summer, Patsel and his team are tasked with cutting 25 acres of grass approximately three times each week, as well as cleaning nine bathrooms on a daily basis, removing trash and maintaining all of the parks’ common grounds, including the parking lots, dugouts and walking paths year-round.

“And we haven’t even gotten to the painting of the fields yet,” Gregory continued. “During peak painting season, they are painting two football fields, eight soccer fields of various sizes, and we also have them come in on the weekends in the spring and summer for tournaments. Needless to say, we couldn’t do it without Brandon and his crew. If I had to describe Brandon, I would first describe him as a tireless worker who takes tremendous pride in our Parks & Recreation fields that our citizens play on. He has great ideas all the time to improve our fields.”

As he continued his presentation, Gregory read a few remarks from a nomination form submitted by one of Patsel’s colleagues in the Dare County Parks & Recreation Department praising his strong work ethic and dedication to his duties and recommending that he be recognized as Dare County Employee of the Month.

“Brandon not only does exceptional work for Parks & Rec, but he’s also the rare individual who possesses an overabundance of passion for his work,” the nomination form stated. “Brandon takes pride in the appearances of our fields and grounds. His dedication is constantly on display when you see how much our fields have improved and turned a brighter green since he first started here. He’s friendly, accommodating and always in good spirits while covered head to toe in dirt and grass. He’s undeniably our resident green thumb, and we are lucky to have him. He definitely deserves the Employee of the Month award.”

As he concluded his remarks and presented Patsel with his Dare County Employee of the Month certificate, Gregory commented, “Needless to say, Brandon, you are much deserving of this award—and keep up the great work!”

For more information about the Dare County Parks & Recreation Department, go to DareNC.gov/Parks.

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