FROM PAGE ONE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2021
CASES
Continued from Page A1
last week for COVID-19
were in quarantine after
testing positive and the
other four were absent
because of close contacts.
The week before, two of
the six staff members out
because of COVID-19 had
tested positive for the virus.
Of the the fi ve staff
out because of positive
COVID-19 tests last week,
four were from La Grande
Middle School and one was
a staff member not based at
a specifi c school.
Fifteen of the 21 stu-
dents out after testing pos-
itive for COVID-19 were
at the secondary school
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza delivers opening remarks at the school board
meeting held on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
THE OBSERVER — A5
level. Nine were La Grande
Middle School students and
six were La Grande High
School students. Elemen-
tary school statistics show
six students out because of
positive COVID-19 tests —
three from Central Elemen-
tary, two from Island City
Elementary and one from
Greenwood Elementary.
La Grande Middle
School had the highest
number of students out due
to close contacts with 22.
LMS was followed by Cen-
tral, which had 11 students
out due to close contacts.
Island City had fi ve stu-
dents out, and Greenwood
had four students out.
The school district has
also released its September
COVID-19 report, which
TURF
Continued from Page A1
Following the renova-
tions in La Grande, that
vision will exist for the
local baseball and softball
teams that frequent Pio-
neer Park.
“Everything went really
smoothly,” Starwalt said.
According to Spence,
there are several small
projects that still need
completion following the
turf installation. The city
will conduct irrigation
and layout procedures on
the outfi eld of Trice Com-
munity fi eld and perform
hydroseeding where there
is currently dirt from the
renovations. At Optimist
Field, some areas will need
additional seeding in order
to level out the surface
of the playing area near
fi rst base.
“Our goal is to get seed
down ASAP,” Spence said.
According to Starwalt,
the turf fi elds typically last
approximately 10 years
before needing an upgrade
or replacement. He noted
that one of the biggest
advantages of having a turf
fi eld is the decrease in rain
delays and cancellations.
The parks and recreation
department will main-
tain brushing the turf and
replenishing the rubber on
a regular basis.
Another positive factor
of a turf fi eld is expanded
availability in the winter
months, when most base-
ball fi elds in Oregon are
unplayable.
“For the kids who are
driven and want to work
on their game in the off -
season, nothing really
holds them back,” Starwalt
said.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Brandon Starwalt, an employee with Northwest Sports Turf Solutions and brother of the company’s owner, Ryan Starwalt, works on the ren-
ovation of Optimist Field on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in La Grande.
in between games is prac-
tically eliminated with
turf. Teams will be able
to switch onto the fi eld
after the conclusion of the
previous game with little
wait time.
New opportunities
Upon completion, the
two new fi elds will be
accessible to the public by
reservation with certain
permissions through the
La Grande Parks and Rec-
CHARGES
Continued from Page A1
Law enforcement seized
two handguns, a pipe bomb
and other items of evi-
dence. Offi cers also found
what appeared to be meth-
amphetamine, marijuana
and alcohol in Burns’ bag
along with the fi rearms and
explosive device.
Both O’Quinn and
Burns were lodged into the
Union County Jail.
“Law enforcement acted
immediately,” Lt. Jason
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Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Keaton Weaver, an employee with Northwest Sports Turf Solutions, measures and cuts brown turf
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, as part of Optimist Field’s new makeover at La Grande’s Pioneer Park.
ously had to wait to begin
on-fi eld training until the
rain decreased, while some
teams with turf in other
areas of the state would be
able to get a head start.
Prior to the turf instal-
lation, the outfi eld at Trice
Community Field had a
severe drainage problem
that often cause unplayable
conditions. The project
fi xed these drainage issues,
which were a result of
the fi eld being built on
what was originally a
wetland area.
“The fi eld never drained
properly, so it was like
playing on a wet sponge
year-round,” Bowen said.
“Now, we have less chance
of injuries, and a proper
fi eld surface will improve
the kids’ abilities to react
and respond to the ball.”
The high-quality
playing surface is expected
to draw in visiting teams
and tournaments, and the
quick turnaround between
games is another added
bonus of a turf fi eld.
According to Starwalt, the
time that would be spent
preparing the dirt infi elds
Hays, of the
La Grande
Police Depart-
ment, said.
“Thank-
fully, nobody
Hays
was hurt and
thankfully
we had a witness who
became a victim that was
able to give us a very good
description of the suspects
involved.”
According to Hays, pre-
vious unrelated crimes
by O’Quinn could point
toward a crime spree.
The investigation is still
ongoing and additional
charges could be fi led.
State court records show
that O’Quinn’s criminal
history in Union County
extends to 2016, with con-
victions for unlawful entry
into a vehicle, metham-
phetamine possession,
misdemeanor theft and
trespassing. O’Quinn also
has pending criminal cases
in Union County since
2020, including felony
criminal mischief and pos-
session of a burglary tool
in one case and felony bur-
glary, altering or removing
identifi cation informa-
tion on an AR-15 short
barreled rifl e and felon in
possession of a fi rearm in
another case.
Burns has a pending
case from September in
Union County regarding a
misdemeanor theft charge.
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reation Department. The
fi elds’ primary usage will
be La Grande baseball and
softball, Eastern Oregon
University baseball and
Little League.
Spence noted that the
opportunity for tourna-
ments at both fi elds will
be a positive thing for both
the local sports programs
and the city’s infrastruc-
ture. The new pitching
mound on Optimist Field
is removable, which will
allow for two softball
games to be played at once
during tournaments.
“I think it will be a big
draw for folks that want
to come here and play
on them,” he said. “We
plan on off ering several
tournaments throughout
the year.”
Spence emphasized
that the project came
together through commu-
nity involvement and out-
reach. With the new turf
being placed, the city of
La Grande secured a major
upgrade in its facilities
that will benefi t the local
sports programs and the
community as a whole.
“Seeing the project
come together with all
the community sup-
porters has been very
rewarding,” Spence said.
“We couldn’t have done it
without them. It’s just the
way we do things in La
Grande. People are very
generous and have been
willing to give to improve
our facilities.”
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Enhanced
performance
The turf fi elds will
be a major draw for
hosting teams from all
across the region, as well
as improving the home
teams’ ability to train and
perform.
According to Cody
Bowen, co-head coach of
the La Grande High School
softball team, the turf will
allow the team to train
much earlier in the off -
season than in years past.
The softball team previ-
indicates that 323 students
and staff were out at some
point during the month
after testing positive or due
to close contacts. Mendoza
said this is an refl ection of
what the school district is
facing as it continues func-
tioning during a pandemic.
“Even though there is a
lot of COVID out there, our
school district is still oper-
ating. We are still fi ghting
to give students the best
education we can,” he
said. “We want to make it
happen.”
Mendoza noted that in
doing so the school dis-
trict’s staff also is receiving
an education.
“We are learning how to
operate during a pandemic,”
the superintendent said.
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