PENDLETON — The Pendleton Development Commission extended the urban renewal district at a Tuesday, Oct. 20, meeting and immediately bolstered the urban renewal district’s new focus on public projects.

The commission unanimously approved a $575,000 renovation of Til Taylor Park meant to coincide with the 101st anniversary of the namesake’s death.

Kathryn Brown, chair of the Pendleton Parks and Recreation Commission, said organizers were originally planning a celebration on the 100th anniversary of the slain Umatilla County sheriff’s death, but COVID-19 forced organizers to cancel the event. Brown is the vice president of the EO Media Group, the parent company of the East Oregonian.

The “Til Taylor 101” project is more than just a party, but also a set of upgrades to one of Pendleton’s older parks.

Comprising the entire block of 700 S.E. Dorion Ave., Brown and Parks and Recreation Director Liam Hughes ran through a slideshow focusing on the deficiencies of the park — a wading pool that was aging and costly to run, a playground that was no longer in line with child safety standards, and a set of trees in the park that constantly shed branches.

The centerpiece of the revamped park would be a splash pad, an outdoor area with various water spraying equipment. Planned to replace the footprint of the wading pool, Hughes said the splash pad would be cheaper to operate because the maintenance costs were lower and the facility wouldn’t require staffing to monitor it. Like the wading pool, the splash pad would be free and open to the public.

The splash pad will be flanked on either side by new playgrounds. Brown said the playgrounds would be geared toward different age groups, while Hughes added that the layout of the playgrounds and splash pad would have a similar footprint to the reflecting pools that originally accompanied the park’s Til Taylor statue.

Hughes said the playgrounds would replace the park’s existing structure, which has areas where a child’s head could get lodged and cause serious injury.

In a 2018 survey, Pendleton residents said a splash pad should be one of park and recreation’s top priorities. One of the other top priorities was a dog park, which the revamped park would feature on its south side. Brown said many residents have used the field at the old Lincoln School as an unofficial dog park, but the Til Taylor dog park would offer the only official gated place in town where dogs could roam unleashed.

Brown said the parks and recreation department would also collaborate with the city’s tree commission to figure out a way to deal with its fallen branches.

Some councilors were surprised at the project’s $575,000 price tag, but they didn’t balk at it.

Councilor Carole Innes said she thinks the public would be receptive to a splash pad.

“I think, in general, the population would be very supportive of doing it,” she said.

Although the commission hasn’t used urban renewal money for parks projects in recent years, City Manager Robb Corbett said the usual source for park upgrade revenue — system development charges — isn’t large enough to sustain Til Taylor 101.

“The mechanism isn’t really there,” he said.

The commission unanimously approved the Til Taylor upgrades, which would fall in line with its new focus on public projects.

Earlier in the meeting, the commission approved extending the lifespan of the urban renewal district. Instead of the prior 2023 deadline, the urban renewal district will continue to function until it reaches its $33.5 million spending limit. Including borrowing costs, the commission is planning to spend more than 70% of the money on public projects, including parks, street repair, Main Street improvements and parking.

Although the urban renewal district is being extended, Councilor Paul Chalmers, the outgoing chair of the commission, said residents’ tax bills should not rise or fall as a result.