It’s something they’ve wanted for a while … but that $40,000 price tag was always a deterrent. So when Jones & Young, a grant-writing company out of Warren, Ohio, approached Kris Myers, Bellefontaine Parks and Recreation District superintendent, about making it more affordable, he jumped at the chance.
Myers presented the opportunity to the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District (BJRD) Board of Trustees at their April meeting Tuesday night.
The item? A robotic field painter. The answer? Jones & Young offered to write up a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) matching grant, which would end up costing BJRD and the participating programs—namely softball/baseball, soccer and football—about $10,000.
“We’ve been looking at this for four years, trying to justify that much,” Myers said. “It will lessen labor on that activity and free up employees to work on other projects.”
These small, mobile robots use GPS and a tablet. The lines are programmed into a template, then one employee can paint the fields in half the time with far less paint.
According to Myers, BWC offers this grant to prevent potential wear and tear injuries from the bending and strain needed for this kind of paint job. The robot doesn’t require much maintenance and can last up to 10 years.
The board approved Myers’ request to move forward with the grant-writing.
In other board action:
- “I’m really happy with how everything is coming together,” Myers said as he started his report on current sports program numbers.
One thing he focused on was the decision to split fifth grade softball players between the Farm (third and fourth grades) and Little (fifth and sixth) non-tournament leagues. This allowed them to have three 10-person teams in each league, but it meant putting the less-skilled fifth-graders with younger players.
For the most part, participants have approved the change, though one parent chose to remove a player from the program.
- The board approved the revised codes of conduct for coaches and parents. Both were updated to make them more defined.
- New playgrounds at Myrtle and Ratliff parks are now operational. Updating the swings will be next along with field preparation for spring and summer programs.
- Two spring clean-up days will take place at Myeerah Nature Preserve, both from 8:30 a.m. to noon, one on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22; the other on Saturday, May 13.
Please RSVP by calling (937) 592-3475 or emailing parks by Wednesday, April 19, or May 10, respectively.
- More applications for lifeguards at Hoffman Municipal Pool have picked up since the weather improved, and repairs are underway. Opening day for the pool is Saturday, May 27. Summer passes are now available for purchase online.
- The Master Plan is going through final revisions. “I’m beyond excited about what’s happening,” Myers told the board. The 150-page report will be presented to the board at their May 2 meeting.
- Downtown Bellefontaine’s annual Earth Day spring cleaning will take place Friday, April 21, starting at 9:30 a.m. Participants will receive a free t-shirt and lunch. Check in at the Main Street Marketplace.
The next BJRD Board of Trustees meeting will be Tuesday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in Bellefontaine city council chambers.