PENDLETON — A dance music track performed at breakneck speed has created controversy at Pendleton’s Park & Recreation Department.

“An issue was raised around a Junior Cheer program dance to a routine that has a backing music track,” said Liam Hughes, the department’s director. “The mix was chosen from YouTube. Someone had created it specifically for cheerleading. It was an upbeat musical mix that contained clips of different songs.”

Youth in the fifth to eighth grade cheer program began rehearsing with the music track on Jan. 9, Hughes said, but it wasn’t until after close of business Jan. 30 when the department received an initial complaint challenging the appropriateness of the music.

One resident posting to the parks and recreation Facebook page commented, “Can you please explain to me how ‘Boy oh boy it’s good to know ya, is it worth it! Let me work it, put my thang down, flip it and reverse it.’ Isn’t sexual language? Out of all the lyrics in this mix, am at a loss of how this particular piece isn’t suggestive?”

“The music track to which the kids were actually dancing did not contain bad language or suggestive material,” Hughes explained. “The original songs the music was derived from did. So by taking a clip that says something in and of itself would not be considered offensive, but being part of a bigger song was.”

He said the people who complained because those clips were a part of the original song made the track Parks & Rec used offensive by association.

An audio engineering expert might have to be tapped to slow down the recording enough to a point where it would be intelligible to the average person. The recorded lyrics fly by on powerful fuel.

But the department received enough complaints that is chose to entirely cancel the Junior Cheer program and refund the fees to participate.

“Most of the feedback we got from parents was they were not troubled by the song,” Hughes said. “But we did have a couple who were. So as things progressed, we decided it really wasn’t a viable option if we changed the song this late in the program. It wouldn’t be fair to the kids. We would be setting them up for failure if they wouldn’t be able to learn a new routine in just a week and a bit. So it was our best option to just stop at this point.”

Public performances, including the controversial song, would have happened Feb. 16-17.

Some of the complaints Hughes received were hostile. Hughes said he felt compelled to address “vicious and groundless accusations” against the department’s staff.

“We have an exceptionally dedicated staff who prioritize the well-being of kids in our program,” he said, “and work long hours and many nights and weekends to deliver exceptional recreational programs to the community … I am thankful to all those who spoke up in their defense.”

Another Facebook post said, “Pendleton Parks and Recreation, thank you for sharing this song — I think it provides some background that apparently everyone else seems to be missing and making into the scandal of the century!”

Hughes said song selection is going to be the program’s biggest challenge.

“We’ve canceled the program because of this controversy, and because of the division it’s causing,” he said. “Moving forward, we have committed to looking into policy changes to see if we can come up with a policy for what music should be across all park and rec programs. For things like this, where there’s a performance element, our greatest challenge is figuring out where we draw lines around what’s offensive to one person isn’t necessarily offensive to someone else.”

No matter what, Hughes is going to support his staff.

“Ultimately, it goes up the chain,” he said, “so if someone’s going to blame someone else, they can blame me.”