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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2019)
OFF PAGE ONE Saturday, August 10, 2019 East Oregonian A7 Recreation: Splash pad and dog park part of parks plan Continued from Page A1 Staff photo by Ben Lonergan A child performs as a part of the Fun at the Fair Camp at the Les Schwab Stage at the Umatilla County Fair on Friday afternoon. Camp: Kids take the stage at Umatilla County Fair Continued from Page A1 lively group of 45 kids, who shared their performance with the fair to mark the end of the Fun at the Fair Day Camp. All week, they’d been rehearsing a dance to the con- tagiously well-known song “Baby Shark” by Pinkfong. As the song began, some of the participants seemed a lit- tle shy about the dance. But by the end, everyone sport- ing a blue campers’ shirt had joined in. And while the performance was short, the days leading up to it were action-packed for campers. This week, they got a closer look at 4-H show ani- mals, and received up-close performances from Leapin’ Louie and Mz. Pearl of Mz. Pearl’s Variety Show. They also participated in arts and crafts projects. “We got to see the ani- mals,” said Elaina Jewett, 7, who attended the camp with her little sister, Taylor. “And we got a bracelet.” This year, the camp was open for children ages 6 through 11, and was spon- sored by Family Health Associates. “We had a good group of different ages,” said Tammy Wagner, the camp’s director. Wagner, whose husband is on the fair board, started the camp in 2012. Originally, it was meant as a place for the children of vendors and other workers at the fair to have fun while their parents were working. But it has since been opened up to all members of the community. Registration for camp, which accepts 45 kids every year, opened in April and filled up fast, according to Wagner. She hopes to amp up activities in the kid’s tent at the fair next year. “This is kind of my thing; it’s my way of contributing to the fair,” Wagner said. change what they offer. If the plan becomes real- ity, Pendleton residents could see old parks get new amenities like a splash pad or dog park. Before the strategic plan was finalized, Parks and Rec wasn’t just following an out- dated plan. The plan was nonexistent. With Hughes hired as the director in early 2018 and the Pendleton Parks and Rec- reation Commission bring- ing in some new members, Kathryn Brown, the chair of the commission, said it was the right time to create a plan for the department. Brown is a former pub- lisher for the East Oregonian and is vice president of the EO Media Group, the news- paper’s parent company. Rather than hire a con- sultant to help develop a master plan, Hughes advo- cated to have the plan cre- ated in-house. Hughes said the resulting document has most of what a master plan would, just without as much data or his- torical context. “We focused on the future,” he said. “Not so much the past.” Brown said the commis- sion reviewed several drafts of the plan before approving the final version. “It was a big job and a pretty in-depth process,” she said. Pendleton’s park system is expansive for a town its size. According to the stra- tegic plan, Pendleton aver- ages one park for every 833 people, more than twice the national average. Maintaining and man- aging all those parks has a cost, and unlike the depart- ment’s recreation, aquat- ics and cemetery programs, parks don’t take in a signifi- cant amount of revenue from user fees. Ninety-eight percent of parks’ funding comes from property tax funding, a source of revenue it must share with police, fire and ambulance, and other public services. But rather than seek out a property tax levy, Hughes wants to target people’s dis- posable income to help sus- tain parks and expand the city’s recreation programs. He pointed to the Wild West Beerfest, a department event started this year to assist in funding a scholar- ship program for a new after- school program the city is helping start this fall, as the type of event the city could use to bolster its coffers. And there’s no short- age of parks and recreation projects that could use some money. Included in the strategic plan is a capital improve- ment plan that acts as a laun- dry list of potential proj- ects and purchases for the department. The projects range from run-of-the-mill maintenance projects like chip resurfac- ing at various playgrounds to more ambitious ideas like a series of riverfront parks with access to the water. Parks commission and staff prioritized the projects that were most important, and a few them could lead to some big changes in the park system. Destination parks The department has already gotten a good start on one of its goals by fin- ishing up the installation of three new playgrounds at Aldrich, May, and Sher- wood parks by the end of August. Although May Park is getting a new play structure, its hardtop section — a bas- ketball court and some skate ramps — has seen better days. But rather than restoring that section of May Park, the plan calls for the department to repurpose it into a dog park. The city already has the Let’er Bark Dog Park at 1170 N.W. Carden Ave., but the park has some drawbacks. The park is sandwiched between the north bank of the Umatilla River and a Round-Up owned property, meaning there’s no dedi- cated parking. Additionally, the park’s presence in the floodplain makes a fenced area where dogs can run around in all but impossible. Hughes thinks there’s demand for a second dog park with more ameni- ties, referencing a 2018 sur- vey commissioned by the department that shows about half of Pendleton’s residents own a dog, a share that increases to two-thirds if those dog owners also have children. The addition of a dog park could make Pendle- ton a “destination park” that brings people from all over town, Hughes said, a role that’s currently filled by other parks like Community Park and Pioneer Park. Til Taylor Park’s wad- ing pool has long acted as a hook for families during the summer, but like May Park’s hardtop, it’s starting to show its age. Besides the grow- ing maintenance costs, Hughes said the Pendleton Aquatic Center must send one of its lifeguard staff to act as a supervisor and groundskeeper during the pool’s operating hours. Converting the pool to a splash pad, an area with water-spraying nozzles and pipes but no standing water, would be cheaper to operate while still offer- ing the public a place to cool down in the summer, Hughes said. The parks department would also want to target the playground at Til Taylor Park. Although the mid-20th century equipment is sturdy, Hughes said it’s out of com- pliance with modern safety standards. None of these changes would come cheaply. The department esti- mates it would take $200,000 for the Til Taylor splash pad and and another $40,000 for the May dog park. And although the depart- ment didn’t provide esti- mates for everything on its capital improvement plan, paying for it all would likely dip into a seven-figure price range. Similar to the three new playgrounds, Hughes said the parks department would need to hunt for grants to get some of the bigger projects off the ground. Shooting: Ryan Newsome’s condition unknown following self-inflicted gunshot wound Continued from Page A1 before 4:30 p.m. According to Roberts, he was behind Newsome at Southeast Nye Avenue when the vehi- cle went the wrong way at Exit 210 and began travel- ing eastbound on I-84 from the westbound lanes. Police pursued the vehicle from the eastbound lanes until witnesses said the chase ended less than a mile east of the exit. Newsome’s vehicle eventually left the roadway and was boxed in by law enforcement. Offi- cers reported hearing a single gunshot from the vehicle. State authorities then shut down the interstate while police assessed New- some’s condition. Police broke the vehicle’s win- dow, found and secured a gun and began to adminis- ter first aid while awaiting arrival from Life Flight. Roberts said when police made contact with New- some he was gasping for air and still had a pulse. Newsome was convicted in 2011 of 11 felony sex crimes for having a sex- ual relationship with a then 13-year-old girl for three months in late 2009 and early 2010 while he was 19. He was recently released from prison after serv- ing seven years for sexual abuse and rape. We Hear You! You deserve total audiological care. Professional. Experienced. Local. Renata Anderson, MA Pam Wagenaar, Administrative Assistant 2237 SW Court, Pendleton 541-276-5053 www.renataanderson.com 3234 S.W. Nye Pendleton, OR Join us at 5 August 29th for our Annual ROUND-UP BBQ! • Round-Up Queen & Court • Happy Canyon Princesses • Main Street Cowboys • Side Saddlers • Good Food • Great Entertainment With VENUES INSIDE AND OUT.
