Paint truck's new name not just a happy accident
Turtle power is welcoming a happy little paint truck as Arapahoe County Public Works and Development (PWD) unveiled a name for its newest vehicle to join the fleet.
Emmari Gashler, 11, won a Countywide contest in naming Road and Bridge’s paint truck “Bob Ross the Paint Boss.” The contest was open to any elementary-aged student within the County.
Gashler, who just completed fifth grade at Byers Elementary, was awarded a gift card, certificate and a sign for the winning entry voted on by PWD staff. Gashler was recognized at PWD’s annual Play Date, which was held June 9 at Dove Valley Regional Park.
“I was shocked and excited,” Gashler said when she found out she won the contest for the truck that paints roadways. “When thinking up of the name, I immediately thought of Bob Ross. But I also needed something to go with it, so I figured Bob Ross the paint boss.”
Gashler said she learned of Ross by watching videos on the Internet of him painting. The painter and art instructor hosted the popular television show, The Joy of Painting, on PBS from 1983 to 1994. Ross, who died in 1995, used to sign off from his show wishing “happy painting” and instilled memorable phrases such as, “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents” and “Find freedom on this canvas.”
Bob Ross the Pain Boss will join four asphalt patch trucks that are named after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael.
The County purchased the paint truck in 2021 for $520,000. The truck is used seven months out of the year and can hold 250 gallons of white or yellow paint in two steel compartments.
During painting operations, the truck has a “paint heater” so paint is kept warm and circulated as it is being sprayed on pavement. Reflective beads fall onto the paint as it is being sprayed to help motorists see the lines at night.
So far, the truck has logged more than 4,000 miles, spraying more than 8,000 gallons of paint on to County roads.
Image caption: Public Works and Development Director Bryan Weimer presents Emmari Gashler with a certificate and sign for naming the department’s paint truck Bob Ross the Paint Boss during PWD’s annual Play Date, which was held June 9 at Dove Valley Regional Park.
