7/20 Meeting & 7/27 Workshop Recaps
Public Comments
Most of the public comments were in response to the DEI Legislation Councilwoman Schlademan brought before Council. There was one additional public comment from a resident who feels cottonwood trees should be regulated.
Discussion Items
8. A. 21-0060 Recreation Facilities Inventory
Brief Description: Based on Council discussion and direction from the May 25, 2021, Council workshop, staff has prepared an inventory of recreational facilities within and in close proximity to the city.
My Take: Members of our city staff presented an IMPRESSIVE presentation on recreational facilities and amenities in the area. They inventoried recreational amenities in the area and had some important takeaways for Council to help us shape the conversation around whether or not a rec center is needed. They also put together an interactive map, which can be found on the city’s website here.
Their inventory shows that there are 37 facilities in or near Hudson: 8 multipurpose rec centers, 2 country clubs, 6 gyms, 7 fitness clubs, 9 single use facilities (martial arts, dance, swim, indoor soccer, etc.) and 4 neighborhood pools (access is restricted to the neighborhood).
To me, the presentation showed that we are missing indoor basketball and tennis facilities that can be used all year round as well as swim facilities that the general public has access to (i.e. not a neighborhood pool or country club). Summa’s pool does not allow children, and while LifeCenter Plus is great, that alone cannot accommodate everyone in Hudson who needs access to it without expansion. I hope Council will continue this conversation in the coming months.
Consent Agenda
10. E. 21-82 A RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION 21-39 AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ADVERTISE FOR COMPETITIVE BIDS AND TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR THE 2021 SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
Brief Description: The projects include new sidewalk installations along the following roadways in Hudson as described in the 2021 Capital Budget: Herrick Park Drive (Lascala to SR 91); SR 91 (Garden Lane to the Twinsburg Twp. Line); SR 91 (Just north of Norton Road to Corporate Drive); and SR 303 (Nicholson Drive to W. Case Drive).
My Take: YAY! You asked and we delivered, while the construction phase of putting in sidewalks might be a pain, it will be well worth it when Hudson is more connected. This is also a good time to give a huge shoutout to our Engineering department who is working so incredibly hard to make these projects happen in an accelerated timeline. Truly, they rock.
Legislation
11. D. 21-75 A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE HUDSON DEI ALLIANCE AND ITS MISSION TO FACILITATE COMMUNITY DIALOG ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. (as revised 7-20-2021)
Brief Description: This Resolution provides support for the Hudson DEI Alliance and its mission.
My Take: We heard many public comments on this topic, all of which I was grateful that you shared with Council.
First, a point of clarity. DEI is not CRT. Are there similarities? Sure. Does that mean they are the same? No.
Someone I know was recently telling me that her son, who is a law professor, is teaching a class on Critical Race Theory. This is a complex theory that is taught to upper level law students and that people write doctoral theses on, not a subject that the Hudson DEI Alliance or the School District is teaching.
So, let’s focus on DEI for now. This is an initiative that many Fortune 500 Companies (and even smaller ones!) are implementing internally. Businesses value diversity, equity and inclusion. I don’t want to dive too much into this because this is a highly politicized topic right now, but a big issue I see is that Hudson has landed itself in international news for racist/racially insensitive incidents. We are also simultaneously trying to attract new businesses to Hudson to increase our income tax base. I fear that doing nothing could impact our city by making businesses reticent to move their headquarters here because we are not addressing the issues we have had.
I think there are plenty of other reasons to prioritize DEI. The most important, of course, is that I want every single person to feel safe, loved, welcomed, and valued for every aspect of who they are in their home of Hudson, OH. For me, that is at the heart of this issue.
Councilwoman Schlademan made a motion to postpone this resolution to a date certain to give Council and the Community more time to learn about the DEI Alliance as an organization. Councilman Sutton then made a motion to withdraw the resolution, which passed 4-2 (DeSaussure, Bigham, Sutton and Foster voting YES, Schaldeman and Kowalski voting NO, Wooldredge was absent). This effectively withdrew the resolution from consideration. If/when a Council member wants to initiate a new DEI initiative for Council to consider, they would need to start from scratch and go through the full 3 readings.
July 27, 2021 Council Workshop
The agenda for this meeting can be found here.
Correspondence and Council Comments
Councilwoman Schlademan shared that the city has a new video on recycling. Watch it here! It is extremely well done and informative.
Discussion Items
3. A. 21-0054 Continued discussion of the potential purchase and renovations of Georgetown Road properties for the operations of the Public Works Service Division
Brief Description: City Staff will present more extensive financial data regarding the three (3) PW facility options, which include the purchase and renovations of the Georgetown properties, remaining in the current leased space, and constructing a new facility.
My Take: What an incredible presentation! The presentation is linked in the agenda (for which a link can be found above). Check it out. Long story short, it seems that when evaluated from a cost perspective using a lens of 50 years to evaluate cost/ROI, building new is actually the most fiscally responsible option. Council asked staff to explore this more, keeping HPP separate and on it’s own property (which we already own) for now.
3. B. 21-0062 Short Term Rental Follow-Up
Brief Description: Discussion of the Short-Term Rental Ordinance and implementation to date.
My Take: Councilwoman Bigham redlined the legislation we passed this past spring. She has some good points, however, before I comment further I would like City staff to provide us with explanations for why the legislation reads the way it does. There is also a desire in the community to have more stringent regulation on short-term rentals in the historic district, so a request was made by a Council member that staff provide recommendations on this as well.
Upcoming Council Forum
Join me for a Town Hall open forum on Wednesday, August 18, 2021at 7:00 pm. This will take place in-person at Town Hall which is located at 27 E. Main St., Hudson, OH 44236. There is no set agenda, residents will determine the topics to be discussed.
Mid-Year Revenues Show Hudson in Strong Position
The City of Hudson ended 2020 in excellent financial condition. Read about it on the city’s website here!
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Have questions? Want to share your thoughts with me on any of the agenda items or issues listed above? As always, I would love to have a conversation! Email me directly at nkowalski@hudson.oh.us.
