By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – Athletic fields in Port Angeles are ready for action a little quicker this fall thanks to a robot named Wally.

The City of Port Angeles has partnered with the Port Angeles School District to lease a Turf Tank Robotic Field Painter to paint fields quickly and efficiently using GPS technology to measure and map fields to paint perfect lines.

According to Parks and Rec Director Corey Delikat, once you get him going, he’s virtually hands-free.

“Yeah, once you set him he is hands-free, and it’s just kind of amazing to watch. Because it takes a couple days when you initially put in a football field, like for Civic Field, and Wally can do it within, like, six to eight hours, depending on what you want to do. And so, it’s pretty fun. The crews enjoy it, and it allows them to let him work and go do other stuff.”

The Turf Tank is designed to paint all sports layouts, and can be used on synthetic fields, natural grass, and dirt surfaces.

In addition to a significant reduction in time and labor, Wally the Robot also reduces paint consumption by 50%. Delikat says it’s a huge cost-savings to the City, which has spent $25,000-$30,000 a year on labor and field marking materials in the past.

“Since I started with the City in 1991, the Parks and Recreation Department has added 16 major parks and facilities without adding any additional full-time employees. So, as we dive into projects, we have to start being creative on how to make things maintenance-free and find out ways to help our employees manage their workload. So, it’s just a really good partnership between the school district. And it’s just a really good thing for our crews, and Wally is pretty cool. If you drive by Civic Field before a big game, you’ll probably see Wally out there painting our fields.”

The City and PASD have committed to a 72-month lease for a shared total cost of $10,000. The lease agreement includes the robot, GPS system, and line marking materials.