City planner presents outdoor recreation survey; top priorities are trails, splash pad/pool and lakefront improvements

Tiffany, the city planner for Hudson, presented the results of an online outdoor recreation survey that drew 174 responses collected between March 2 and April 3. "The key takeaways were that there was a prominent desire...they wanted a more well connected walking and biking trail network," she said, listing a community pool or splash pad, revitalizing Lakefront Park, modern accessible playgrounds and expanded pickleball and water access among the top public requests.

Why it matters: staff said the survey will inform a combined parks/trails plan and a parks and trails capital improvement program (CIP) covering 20272032 to align with the Master Bike/Ped plan expiration. Tiffany said next steps include a systemwide infrastructure audit, a parkland and trail classification framework, an outdoor recreation needs assessment and level-of-service mapping to produce goals and implementable recommendations.

Board members raised several immediate, low-cost ideas in response. Chair S1 described common recurring requests gathered from park users: "They want more picnic tables. They want more grills, and they'd like fast growing shade trees planted strategically," and suggested sponsorships or smaller investments to deliver visible improvements. Other board members urged better outreach and publicity for parks (updating website photos, targeted mailers or news flashes, and coordinated social media), and recommended partnering with the Hudson Chamber, schools and volunteer groups to promote parks and events.

The board and staff discussed Lakefront Park specifically. Board members said public perception of water safety (complaints about swimmer's itch and late‑season algae) affects park use even though the park draws large early‑season crowds. Staff noted operational constraints and proposed communications and small remediation steps rather than immediate large capital works.

Staff also reviewed event-related outreach: the concerts-in-the-parks series runs Tuesday and Thursday through August, with flyers distributed to senior centers and other community outlets. For the recently opened White Camp Park splash pad, staff proposed a modest board photo opportunity or a limited ribbon cutting given parking and size constraints.

Next steps: staff will conduct the infrastructure audit and needs assessment, draft classification systems and prepare a parks/trails CIP and prioritized recommendations for board review. The full survey responses remain in the park board packet for members who want to examine individual comments.

Sources: presentation and Q&A with Tiffany (city planner, S6) and remarks from board members during the Hudson Park Board meeting. The transcript excerpts used to prepare this article come from the meeting presentation and follow-up discussion.