It is hard to argue with Lisbon (and Mount Vernon before) opting to lease or purchase TurfTank paint robots.
As was outlined well by Brandon Horman at the June 10 council meeting, the amount of time having an automated robot following a GPS coordinate and utilizing less paint is a no-brainer from a cost savings portion, as well as freeing up workers to tackle more projects at the schools or city’s.
We have to commend that the city administrator and Horman followed up on concerns from the council after that meeting and got answers to questions people might have about that lease and making sure the city wasn’t purchasing more of a lease then they need to. Looking at the numbers when it came to the gallons of paint expected to be used in multiple fields.
It is a lease that probably comes close for both entities to being a budget neutral to an actual cost savings for certain groups when you really start digging deep into those numbers as well. From the labor standpoint alone based on the number of fields for Lisbon schools and Lisbon parks and recreation, it probably pays for itself in less than a few seasons of operating.
It is also one of the ways that cities, colleges and others have looked at automation and said “this makes a good deal of sense for us to invest in.”
That it has also usually involved more than one entity in either the purchase or lease for many of these machines is also a highlight of the continued sharing and being good stewards of resources in all communities.
Freeing up employees to tackle other projects, especially during the busy summer months for both the school and city is also something worth praising.