The Hudson Park Board and Department of Public Works is drafting an updated Parks Master Plan and is seeking public input. Hudson is partnering with the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana University to comprehensively update the Hudson Parks Master Plan created in 2000 and modified in 2005 and 2012. A master plan is a guiding document that assesses current conditions, identifies community needs and interests, and goals and action items to meet the needs of Hudson residents.
The development and implementation of the Parks Master Plan presents Hudson with a distinctive opportunity to integrate several different plans, analyses, community interests, and approaches into a single focused strategy for long term sustainability of the many recreational facilities under the City’s stewardship. The plan, when finalized, will represent the needs and interests of the Hudson community, guide future operations and development of the Hudson parks system.
The process began in 2019 with a community survey to assess opinions of the parks system. The Eppley Institute was contracted to complete the process which included key stakeholder focus group interviews, site visits to assess park facilities and conditions, benchmarking comparisons to similar communities, and measuring Hudson facilities against nationally recognized standards. The data collected informed a needs analysis which identified areas of success and opportunities to improve and grow the parks system.
The draft plan will be available for public review and comment from December 3 - December 13, 2020 and is available for download at the project website - https://hudsonparks.eppley.org/. This website includes complete information about the planning process including the plan objectives, timeline, and results of the citywide parks survey. Any comments about the draft plan may be offered through the “Contact Us” link on the website.
For more information about the Parks Master Plan, contact Trent Wash, Assistant Superintendent of Public Works at TWash@hudson.oh.us or Project Manager Kellie Seaton at the Eppley Institute at kwaksmun@iu.edu.
The Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands is Indiana University’s unique outreach program for the park, active living, and protected lands management profession. Since 1993, the Institute has provided comprehensive planning services for parks and recreation agencies that balance the needs and desires of a community with practical, real-world constraints, and economic realities. The Eppley Institute is committed to designing plans that strategically align with industry planning and design standards, policies, and practices. Using a variety of public engagement strategies and prioritizing partnerships, the project team designs comprehensive plans that are uniquely built on a community’s identity, values, health, vitality, economics, and culture.