By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
On a regular basis, the Great Bend Recreation Commission maintains 16 baseball and softball fields, three full soccer fields and numerous baseball outfields that are painted for flag football. Marking and painting the lines for the three soccer fields can take staff approximately three days to complete. A machine will now be able to paint one soccer field in 27 minutes.
Great Bend Rec Executive Director Chris Umphres described the need for a TinyMobile Robot.
"One benefit comes from man hours and staffing with stringing the lines and putting down those in the same spot every time," said Umphres. "We save money on the staff cost and materials. I do like staff going out, getting used to their field, doing some of that stuff, but man hours are man hours. We can put that savings to something else."
The Great Bend Rec Board approved the purchase of the $62,589 robot painter. The expense will be split with the Great Bend school district covering half of the cost.
Umphres said in paint alone, the Rec was spending between $6,000 and $9,000 per year. Rec Board member Colleen Newman said the machine will help both parties save money as USD 428 was spending an average of $13,000 on paint and labor annually to paint fields.
"It would be helpful to have this when we're hosting tournaments, and you have all those fields to get ready," said Newman. "You can have workers doing other stuff while the robot is working. It'll just save a whole lot of time."
Using GPS, the robot will be able to paint Great Bend Panther logos on the fields as well.