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Tuesday, October 18, 2022 • Redmond, Oregon • $1
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Staff and submitted photos
Nick Rosenberger/Spokesman
A coach for Redmond Youth Football coordinates
plays during a game on Oct. 15 at the grand open-
ing of the Redmond Rotary Community Fields across
from Hugh Hartman Elementary School.
Athletes
christen
new fields
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
Youth football, a cornhole competition, shaved
ice and tacos were spread across the turf Oct. 15
as the Redmond School District officially opened
the Redmond Rotary Community Fields at the
David M. Jaqua Sports Complex.
The approximately 161,000 square-foot fields,
the largest continuous turf in the state, are fully
adaptable and will allow a multitude of sports to
practice and play at the same time — from foot-
ball to soccer to lacrosse and baseball.
According to Charan Cline, the superintendent
of the Redmond School District, the turf will last
10-15 years and, since there is no need to water
them, will save the district $17,000 a year.
“We are immensely proud of this multi-sport
field we have developed for the use of children in
our community,” said Cline. “It’s amazing to have
a field that we can use in four seasons for youth of
all ages.”
“They were just dirt fields,” said Holly Brown,
spokesperson for RSD. “They’re really something
now.”
Redmond Youth Football had first dibs on the
fields after the grand opening and played third-,
fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade games of tackle
football.
According to Meagan May, a parent and mem-
ber of Redmond Youth Football, the field is an op-
portunity to build excitement for families and to
get kids involved again.
“It’s just an awesome place for them to come
together as a community and get that support,”
May said.
“Our goal is to build a culture here to have foot-
ball be very popular (and) bring the love of the
game back,” said Brian Marcum, president of Red-
mond Youth Football. “And this allows everything
to happen in one spot every Saturday.”
See Rotary / A6
BUSINESS
Ed Fitch
Ben Schimmoller
Charles Baer
Four candidates vie for mayor
Editor’s note: All candidates for Redmond mayor were given the
same questions at the same time and asked to keep their answers to 150
words for each. Their answers are included here with minimal editing.
The order was drawn randomly.
Ed Fitch
Age: 71
Time in Red-
mond: 43 years
Political expe-
rience: Redmond
city attorney,
mayor, Redmond
economic develop-
ment commission,
South Highway 97
committee and city
councilor
Work experi-
ence: Attorney, 44
years
Education: Marquette University: bachelors and masters degrees in
history. Juris Doctor from Willamette University
Family: Married to Susan for 39 years. Two sons: Andrew, 36, and
Alex, 32.
Why did you choose to run for mayor?
I chose to run for mayor to have more transparency and open dis-
cussion with the community on all issues that impact the community.
What in your background gives
you the skills to succeed in this
position?
Going abroad
Local company part of international trade
visit, A3
Jay Patrick
I have more than 40 years of experience representing both public
entities as well as private individuals and businesses here in Central
Oregon. That experience not only provides a depth of knowledge but
also a better understanding of the needs and objectives of both the
government and its citizens. It also makes it easier to “think outside of
the box” to explore solutions. I have also had experience in leading a
council and collaborating with the members to best achieve the best
results for the community.
What is the city of Redmond
doing well and what does it need to
improve?
The city provides its basic services — streets, sewer, water and parks
very well. We also have an excellent police department. Overall we
have an outstanding city staff who are dedicated to providing those
services as best they can.
Besides public safety, which is always any community’s number
one priority, there are two areas in particular the council needs to ad-
dress. The first is catching up in planning because of our rapid rate of
growth. This is particularly important in the areas of transportation
and providing new commercial centers in areas removed from the
center of town. Addressing traffic congestion and safety will be a key
topic for the new council along with better planning and eventual im-
plementation for an eastside alternative to Highway 97 and better con-
nectivity between the east and west sides of Redmond.
The second is housing which encompasses a number of challenging
factors: affordable housing, homelessness, child care, etc.
There are other discussions the council should address with the
community as well such as whether or not to allow a couple of mari-
juana dispensaries in Redmond, whether or not open carry of loaded
firearms should be permitted in public parks and buildings and how
we can best achieve a family activity center downtown.
Other issues will come up that are now not on our immediate ra-
dar. The key, however, will be the willingness of the Council to address
these more challenging issues openly with public involvement with the
goal of achieving an overall community consensus on the way to best
move forward.
How will you measure the success
of the council during your term?
The best metrics for measuring the success of the next council will
be feedback from the community that a more transparent council with
community input on all issues is making a difference and what did we
get done.
See Q&A / A6
WEATHER FORECAST
INSIDE
Calendar .......................................................A2
Sports ...........................................................A8
Coffee Break ............................................. A10
Classifieds ................................................. A12
THIS WEEK’S FORECAST SPONSORED BY
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a s y o n t i m e . . .
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TUESDAY
Partly cloudy
WEDNESDAY
Sunny
THURSDAY
Sunny
FRIDAY
Sunny
SATURDAY
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MONDAY
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