Ohio School District Leases Field-Painting Robot, Cuts Labor Time

Otsego Local Schools in Ohio has leased a Turf Tank 2 field-painting robot, a move that has sharply reduced the labor needed to line athletic fields ahead of the upcoming school year, according to grounds crew head Scott Alexander.

Alexander told WTVG that school administration approved leasing the machine, which paints sidelines, hash marks, yard lines and school logos with automated precision. "It's pretty cool. We can design it do about anything we want," Alexander said, as reported by WTVG.

From four workers to one

Before the robot, lining a football field required four workers spending six to eight hours on outlines, yard lines and other markings, Alexander said. With the leased Turf Tank 2, he said he can now complete a football field alone in roughly four hours.

Alexander said the robot's use extends beyond football, having also been applied to baseball lines, soccer fields and parking lots at the district.

Planned uses this fall

The leased robot will also be used for Senior Night activities this football season, painting senior numbers on the sidelines for graduating players. "It just kind of showcases them a little bit more, too," Alexander said.

The article noted that the Turf Tank 2 has been used at professional and college levels, including for NFL games, Major League Soccer and the MLB All-Star Game, lending context to the technology now available to smaller school districts through leasing arrangements.

Advice for other districts

Alexander encouraged other schools considering similar equipment to pursue approval from their administrations. "If you can get it through your administration, do it," he said, adding that officials from other districts are welcome to observe the robot's use firsthand.

The decision by Otsego Local Schools to lease rather than purchase the equipment outright reflects a growing option for school athletic departments to access advanced field-marking technology without a full capital purchase, according to the details shared in the report. The leasing arrangement allowed the district to deploy the Turf Tank 2 in time for the new school year while significantly cutting down on the manual labor previously required from grounds crew staff.

Sources: WTVG — original article.