This past weekend, Eco Chemical donated the natural grass turf paint and labor to prepare 12 soccer fields at the Special Olympics Washington Summer Games 2014 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington.
Soccer was just one event of several Special Olympics events, and took place on the military parade grounds, called Watkins Field.
This is the first year Eco Chemical has donated their paint, but it certainly won’t be the last. The paint of choice to lay down the lines was the natural grass ultra-concentrated box paint in white. Eco Chemical also sent staff to help mix and apply the paint.
Long time Special Olympics volunteer Peter Davison assists in painting the soccer field lines every year, and says he couldn’t be happier with the product.
“We used to use spray cans, but we wanted more professional looking lines,” said Davison.
That’s when he looked to the Seattle Sounders for inspiration. Davison was told that Eco
Chemical was responsible for the paint at the Sounders field, and he immediately made the switch.
“There was an immediate difference. It’s been a great improvement for the referees in particular,” Davison said. “They can see the lines so much more clearly, which is especially important when you have a slightly uneven surface like we do at JBLM, since these are parade grounds and not a professional soccer field.”
Davison, who has painted the fields for this event for many years, says Eco Chemical’s product is the highest quality option for the best price.
Davison listed other benefits as well, saying, “It’s easy to mix, and very economical. It’s got a great shelf life, which is helpful in case we have any leftover, and it’s easy to put through the equipment – we never get any clogs.”
The concentrated box paint is an ideal option for a situation such as the Summer Games where a large quantity of paint will be transported to the location. Each 26 lb. box comes with two “kits,” and each kit makes from 5-7 gallons of paint depending on coverage quality requirements.
Additionally, removing the paint is simply a matter of mowing the grass. Because the paint is harmless to the grass and does not contain UV inhibitors, the grass continues to grow as normal.
When the paint is no longer needed, it gets mowed off with the grass.
The paint was applied using a manual striper and a Graco sprayer, but can be applied using a variety of other equipment. The team painted all 12 fields in one day, and the soccer event alone saw over 900 players and families.