Hudson has practically every store, restaurant and boutique shop that comes to mind. This can range from ethnic restaurants, fine-dining restaurants, casual dining restaurants, breweries, pubs, clothing boutiques, home decor stores, grocery stores, ice cream shops and even more.
Even though surrounding towns don’t have as much variety in stores as Hudson, there is one thing that all of these towns have that Hudson doesn’t: a recreation center.
Some of the neighboring towns that have a recreation center include Twinsburg (The Township Recreation Center Program), Aurora (The Aurora Comet Center), Macedonia (The Macedonia Family Recreation Centers), Streetsboro (Streetsboro Parks and Recreations), Kent (Kent Recreation Center), Tallmadge (Tallmadge Recreation Center) and Cuyahoga Falls. According to the City of Cuyahoga Falls, the city has not only one but three recreation centers. These include The Natatorium, Downview Sports Center and Waterworks Family Aquatic Center.
Even Reminderville, a very small town wedged between Twinsburg and Aurora, has a recreation center for its locals (Reminderville Athletic Club).
According to the United States Census Bureau, Reminderville has a population of only 5,415 people, while Hudson has a population of about 22,938 people.
Hudson has over four times the population of Reminderville and still doesn’t have a recreation center.
What’s even more shocking is how much the facility cost Reminderville and how they still pursued the project despite the price being so high for their underpopulated city.
“The facility itself is estimated to cost about $5.1 million. Total cost of the project is $7.1 million, which includes land purchased in February 2014 for $1.23 million,” states Kent Weeklies, a staff writer for the Akron Beacon Journal.
Although the Development Finance Authority of Summit County helped fund this program, Reminderville still had to use most of its revenue to help build the center. Ken Lahmers, an author for the Akron Beacon Journal, also explains in his article how Reminderville only earned and continues to earn around $7.29 million in revenue per year.
However, the city of Hudson has around 13 times the amount of revenue in 2024, which totals $94.6 million.
How come the city board of Hudson still hasn’t brought up a project idea related to building a recreation center if they have $94.6 million in profit?
Well, there are many reasons for that question, but the main one concerns the town’s already large number of fitness centers. These include Orangetheory Fitness, Fitness Works, Lifecenter Plus, Evolve Fitness and CrossFit Cadre. Even though a fitness center isn’t the same as a recreation center, the city of Hudson seems to believe these fitness centers will make locals satisfied either way.
However, many Hudson High School students and other local adults yearn for a recreation center in the town. They want more than free weights and exercise machines.
Most recreation centers have indoor swimming pools, table tennis centers, health studios, yoga rooms, bowling alleys, indoor tracks, basketball courts and, occasionally, ice rinks.
With more extracurricular activities available inside a facility for the public (especially during the winter), more benefits arise for Hudson’s economy and people’s health.
According to the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA), children who live close to multiple recreation centers are more physically active and less likely to be obese than children who do not have access to recreation centers. The benefit of a recreation center with multiple sports complexes not only helps the body, but also reduces stress significantly to create a more positive mind.
A study in the Journal of Happiness Studies examined the results of 23 studies dating back to 1980. The studies included over 500,000 people and found that there were correlations between happiness and exercise.
Recreation centers are also a huge boost to the local economy. According to Trainerize, these facilities provide jobs in administration and fitness leadership, and many trainers get their start by supporting clients in community centers. Plus, recreation centers increase property values for local homeowners.
All in all, Hudson would benefit significantly from a recreation center in their community. It would open up more job opportunities, increase mental and physical health for individuals and boost the overall economy of our town.
