FROM PAGE ONE
THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022
THE OBSERVER — A7
PARKS
RESCUE
Continued from Page A1
Continued from Page A1
a lot of interest in our parks
and recreation system,
which is gratifying.”
According to Spence, the
public input lays the foun-
dation for the department’s
future plans and allows
funders to see that proposed
projects are a need in the
community.
“Funders often ask things
like ‘what does the com-
munity need?’ and ‘where
is this identifi ed in your
plan?’ when a project is
going through,” Spence
said. “With a plan and all
that community outreach,
we’re able to show that it’s
been proven through our
series and engagement with
the public that we need x, y
and z. In this one it was con-
nectivity, accessibility, more
trails, more open space,
youth and teen programs
and the recreation center.”
In addition to public rec-
ommendations, the parks
staff recommended projects
include improvements at
Max Square, Reynolds Park,
Candy Cane Park, Sunnyhill
Park, Birnie Park, Benton
Park, Morgan Lake, Riv-
erside Park, Pioneer Park,
Gangloff Park and Commu-
nity Forest.
mom and his brothers and
sister. He talked about how
much he loved his friends,
and Kaybob and me.”
“Kaybob” was their
nickname for Carter.
At one point, Watson
half-joked that it was so
cold from waterfall mist
that he wished he could
come over and snuggle.
Both men cracked up.
After the sun rose high
enough to shine into the
canyon and warm the air,
they decided to close their
eyes.
“‘Let’s just get some
sleep while we can,’”
Postma remembered
Watson saying. “I think
that was the last thing he
said.”
Planning ahead
After gaining public
input and creating a master
plan, the La Grande City
Council and Planning
Commission are now set to
host public hearings, gain
approval and move the plan
forward.
“Essentially, there’s a
series of public hearings
that will happen to get
the plan adopted into the
city’s comprehensive plan,”
Spence said.
According to Strope,
some projects are eligible
for funding through the
city’s general dollars, while
others may be more likely
aff orded through acces-
sible grants on a project-
to-project basis. Strope
noted the Pioneer Park turf
project as a good example
of the city partnering with
Eastern Oregon University,
La Grande School District
and community business
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Children take an imaginary ride on a wooden motorcycle at Riverside
Park on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The city of La Grande now has a
fi ve-year master plan for improving and upgrading parks and public
areas around the city. At the top of the list is creating an indoor
recreation space.
donations to accomplish a
parks project. Additionally,
more specifi c grant oppor-
tunities that come along
in the coming years could
shuffl e the timeline of the
projects.
One of the most noted
needs in the plan is an
indoor recreational facility,
which would provide a
multipurpose community
space open for sports such
as basketball and volley-
ball, programs for children
and teens, classrooms and
more.
Spence said an indoor
recreation center has been
a goal of the city for some
time now, with plans nearly
coming together prior to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s such a lack
of gym space and indoor
activity space in La
Grande. We really struggle
with that,” Spence said.
“We had a conceptual
project pre-COVID. The
pandemic kind of killed
those conversations, but
now with this plan it’s
clearly coming to the fore-
front that people want and
need that dedicated indoor
recreation space.”
The current timeline of
the parks master plan allots
the hiring of an architect/
engineer to provide site
analysis for a recreation
center during the 2022-23
fi scal year — the anal-
ysis is projected to cost
$25,000.
The Riverside Park
playground improvement
project highlights the
plan’s 2023-24 fi scal year
actions, in addition to uti-
lizing the walkability anal-
ysis to plan out connec-
tions to parks, exploring
partnerships to improve
youth programs and
seeking out opportunities
to purchase land near Gan-
gloff Park.
“That is the next big
thing that we will be
looking toward funding
and working with the
community, because a
lot of people have volun-
teered time into the orig-
inal project,” Spence said
of the Riverside Park play-
ground. “When we go to
replace that, it’s going to
be important to do com-
munity engagement and
outreach and make sure all
the community partners
feel good about the plans.”
The fi ve-year plan
expands through the
2026-27 fi scal year, adding
restrooms to Candy Cane
Park and planting trees
along Island Avenue past
the entrance to Interstate
84. The full timeline of the
parks master plan is avail-
able on the city’s website.
Following a joint work
session with the La Grande
City Council and Parks and
Recreation Advisory Com-
mission on Monday, March
28, public hearings are
set to take place at the La
Grande Planning Commis-
sion on May 10 and at the
City Council on June 1 and
June 6.
“It’s evolving and
fl uid,” Spence said. “The
purpose of the plan is to
have a direction for staff
every year with goals and
objectives.”
Help arrives
Midmorning July 2,
Postma heard voices above
him. His voice was hoarse
from yelling back and forth
to Watson, but he grabbed
a stick and banged it loudly
on the ground to attract
attention. About half an
hour later, Postma’s father,
Adam Otteson, appeared
along with Carter, who had
decided to return despite
his injuries because of
worry about his friends.
Otteson had rushed to the
site after learning about
the fall. Postma couldn’t
see Watson from where he
lay, but he and Carter soon
learned their friend was
gone.
“It was pretty terrible,”
Postma said.
Paramedics reached the
spot and attended to Car-
ter’s and Postma’s injuries. A
U.S. Forest Service fi re crew
from Ukiah dug trail to the
bottom and created a heli-
copter landing zone. Another
team devised a system of
ropes in case a helicopter
rescue wasn’t possible. A
National Guard Black Hawk
hoisted the two men from
the canyon bottom and fl ew
them to St. Charles Medical
Center, Bend.
Saying goodbye
Postma spent almost
two weeks in the hospital
while Carter was released
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time tromping around in
the woods together, she
said. “I’m sure they’re in a
duck blind somewhere in
heaven telling stories.”
Gratitude to
responders
Sharon Gaines/Contributed Photo
Cody Watson sports a
sharpshooter medal he won in
March 2020, while deployed in
Qatar.
to heal at home. Holli Hill
postponed her son’s memo-
rial service several weeks
until both friends could
attend.
On that day, three bus-
loads of soldiers from Wat-
son’s National Guard unit
in the Willamette Valley
arrived in their dress blues,
bringing with them a How-
itzer with the name Cody
imprinted on the barrel.
Postma, a helicopter
mechanic with the avia-
tion unit in Pendleton, said
members of his unit also
attended. Many had gotten
to know Watson, who was
planning on joining the unit
after fl ight school.
Those who knew
Watson can’t quite believe
he is gone.
“Cody was an excep-
tional young man,” said
Sharon Gaines, his grand-
mother. “Truly. He was our
cornerstone.”
It’s been a rough year
for the family. Holli’s hus-
band, Kyle Hill, died in
September 2020. The day
of Cody’s accident was
Holli and Kyle’s fi rst wed-
ding anniversary since
Kyle’s death.
“It was a beautiful hot
summer day,” she said.
“We were supposed to
be camping in the moun-
tains. All three of those
boys were supposed to be
going to my camp for the
weekend.”
Sharon Gaines’ hus-
band, Gene, died this fall.
As a boy, Cody and his
grandfather spent a lot of
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Gaines, an insurance
agent and member of the
Blue Mountain Insurance
Professionals, which recently
donated $5,000 to Umatilla
County Search and Rescue,
thanked the people who
responded to the fall.
“What most people
don’t understand is that
these people are volun-
teering their time to put
themselves in harm’s way
to help our fellow citizens
when they’re in a bad situ-
ation,” she said. “It’s a huge
county that goes from the
desert to the mountains and
everywhere in between.”
Carter and Postma also
expressed gratitude to fi rst
responders.
“Search and rescue did
a really great job,” Carter
said. “They worked as a
team. It took a while for
them to get down there, but
that’s because of how hairy
it was. They assisted us all
the way through.”
“It was very chal-
lenging,” said SAR Super-
visor Dwight Johnson,
who organized much of
the rescue operation. “It
was a narrow area, very
hazardous.”
Not being able to rescue
Watson bothers Johnson
even though he knows
responders did all they
could.
“It wasn’t the outcome I
wanted,” he said.
Carter still grapples
with guilt about not getting
to the pickup faster despite
his injuries and lost glasses.
Gaines rejected that notion.
“The fi rst time he saw
me (after the fall), he said,
‘I’m sorry I failed,’” Gaines
said. “He didn’t fail in any
way. He was heroic.”
Postma has returned to
work and recently started
running again. But even as
his body heals, his mind
often strays to Watson.
“Nothing will ever
replace him,” he said. “Part
of Kyler and I died up there
with him. That’s just how
it’ll always be.”
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