The robotic sport field line painter being testes by City of Vernon Staff (submitted photo)

By Liam Verster

Robotic Line Painter

Vernon to purchase robot line painter for sports fields

May 28, 2025 | 10:31 AM

The City of Vernon is moving well into the future with a new machine to maintain its sport fields.

At the regular meeting Monday, May 26, Vernon City Council received a report about purchasing robotic line painter to be used on sports fields at a cost of $75,000.

City staff said the machine was able to draw lines for soccer fields, but could be programmed to put lines down on ball diamonds.

It was also noted that the electric -powered machine uses GPS technology and programmable templates, which meant that designs could be uploaded so the robot could also paint things like the city’s logo on fields.

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The machine also has a short wheel base so it could navigate through thicker grass, divots and other imperfections on the fields.

Staff also told council that a cost/benefit study had been done and found that the machine, when compared to a crew doing this work, would improve efficiencies , minimize repetitive manual work, allow staff to work on other projects, and support timely and consistent preparation of fields. It was estimated that the city would recover the cost of the machine through paint and labour savings within four years.

Council voted in favour of purchasing the robotic sports field line painter, using funds from the Prior Year Uncommitted Balance, which had a balance of $3,843,342 as of Monday.

The existing ride-on line painting equipment will be retained as a backup.

Speaking with Vernon Matters following Monday’s meeting, the Mayor said this machine will not replace anyone’s job.

“All those people [who paint lines] will be used to upgrade the fields,” Victor Cumming said.

“No jobs will be lost.”

Cumming added having the machine will allow for quicker and more efficient line painting, and will allow the city to allocate labour to other sports field work.