The days of slow, manual field lining are over! The East Greenbush Central School District Grounds Department added a state-of-the-art Turf Tank Two robot to the team in August, allowing for automated painting of grass athletic fields and parking lot lines.
The robot, affectionately named Mike (because of his green color; an eye and horns were added to resemble Mike from the movie Monsters, Inc.), is already delivering major savings in both time and materials while keeping our athletic fields looking sharp.
Faster Painting, Less Paint
Mike uses about 1.5 to 2 gallons of paint for a field that previously needed 5 gallons with a traditional walk-behind sprayer. This roughly 60% reduction in paint use translates directly into cost savings.
The robot can paint as many fields as needed in a day or week, depending on how quickly grass grows or how much wear-and-tear the fields sustain.
The initial painting of the fields for each sport each season is where the biggest time and money savings comes from with the Turf Tank. Once the field location, size and orientation is placed using the Turf Tank’s tablet, it is saved for future years. This saves the Grounds Department hours, even days, of locating the field corners and laying out the fields in the traditional fashion, with a measuring tape and walk-behind spray machine.
For the fall sports season, this includes:
- Columbia
- Upper Boys Varsity Soccer
- Lower Girls Varsity Soccer
- Back Practice Soccer
- Back Practice Football
- Goff
- Boys Modified Football
- Boys Modified Soccer
- Girls Modified Soccer
- Boys Modified 9 Soccer
- Genet
- Girls JV Field Hockey
- Girls Modified Field Hockey
“Once I was made aware that the Turf Tank was now configured to paint parking lot lines, and then adding the 50-60% savings in paint required for fields and parking lots on top of that, it quickly became apparent that it was time to lease one,” said Director of Facilities Paul Bickel.
Ready to Go at the Push of a Button
Mike paints each field using GPS based on coordinates that are saved for each field on a tablet.
Once a field is saved, the painting process becomes incredibly simple:
- Mike the robot is unloaded at the field
- The GPS base station is set at the designated location
- The field is selected from a list of options on the tablet
- Press ‘Start’
Parking Lots
In addition to athletic fields, Mike will be used to paint parking lot lines. Green Meadow became the first parking lot to be repainted during the school closing last week.
Adding Field Details
While painting a basic field takes about 30 minutes, Mike is capable of much more. The system allows for elaborate details like hash marks, 10-yard football numbers, and even team logos, though adding these features increases the painting time.
Cost-Effective Technology
The robot is leased at a cost of $16,000 per year and includes a significant amount of paint, replacement parts, the GPS base station, batteries, chargers, and various spray nozzles. If the unit ever breaks down, the company provides a replacement, ensuring our fields and lots stay lined with minimal downtime.
Welcome to the team, Mike!
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