FEATURE
Case Study:
Robotic Field Painting By Brendon Connor, Superintendent of Grounds, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
Introduction Holy Cross is a D1 liberal arts school in Worcester, Massachusetts. Our athletic field crew is expected to deliver high quality fields that are safe and top quality for all game, practice, and intramural activities. With increased field use, budget constraints, a reduced skilled labor pool, and increased responsibility on our campus property, demands on our daily maintenance tasks have grown steadily. We invested in a robotic field painter as a means to both save on labor costs and improve the quality of our lines. We now use the robot on all our fields and have seen a massive time and labor cost savings.
Site Conditions • Seven- and one-half acres of varsity game fields. • Seven acres of practice fields.
Problems • Continual increase in the costs of labor and materials to maintain the athletic fields. • Steady expansion of responsibilities; employees’ time is limited. • Prior to painting a field, the time dedicated for the initial layout on any of our game or practice fields has been one of our biggest labor costs, requiring 2–3 employees. Expectations for perfectly painted lines are very high; it takes time to make sure we get it right.
Goals • Reduce labor related to lining out and painting fields. • Increase time available for other maintenance tasks. • Achieve consistent precision in field quality and appearance.
Steps Taken
The robotic field painter at work at College of the Holy Cross.
16 • New England BLADE • Spring 2024
• First, I completed an audit of total inputs for the layout and painting of a field. This analysis helped us prove to administration that a robotic painter was worth the investment. We considered several autonomous-type paint machines and selected the model that best met our needs. • We have a four-year lease, which costs about $10,000. Buying the machine was cost-prohibitive (about $40,000), and we expect the technology to improve over time, so it was more practical to lease. The lease comes with an excellent service program. • Once we received the machine, we spent some time on each field becoming familiar with programming and completed the initial set ups. The program is very user-friendly and easy to use. Once the machine is programmed with the correct dimensions, the same set up can be reused in subsequent years. • While the robot is painting, one person is required to be onsite to oversee the machine. Although the employee cannot walk away from the machine while it is in operation, it is possible to multi-task small jobs in and around the field.
