The City of Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation Department has added Turf Tank, a field-painting robot, to enhance the efficiency of its field crew. The robotic field painter uses GPS technology to reduce paint consumption and physical labor.

The Turf Tank is a 132-pound machine designed to precisely paint sports fields. “The City of Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation Department purchased and implemented Turf Tank to enhance the maintenance of our more than 30 lighted athletic fields,” said Mike Kendrick, Deputy Director – Parks and Recreation.

The Department implemented the robot this summer and has recognized significant increases in efficiency. Each field uses about 2.5 gallons of field marking paint and takes about 22 minutes to line a regulation soccer field.

The Department is saving, on average, 8-10 hours of staff time per week, enabling staff to continue other maintenance projects while Turf Tank is painting the fields.

A team of 2-4 individuals typically requires 2-3 working days to mark a field with all lines. However, when using the robot, the time is cut to about 4.5 hours.

In other news, the City recently held its first International Fest. The MIDFLORIDA Event Center Village Square was transformed into a world showcase, with nearly a dozen countries represented at the family-friendly event. The Fest included international cuisine, an international marketplace, photo opportunities from various countries, a passport adventure for children and live performances. Grammy award-winning musician Tomasito Cruz closed out the event.