Hudson becomes a player on the court, in the park

Nathan Key

Sep. 2, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- It's been almost a year since the McCreary Family Recreation and Fitness Center opened in Hudson, and the facility already has transformed the recreation offerings of the town.

For a number of years, Redwood Park was the premier recreation site in Hudson. The opening of the Hudson Uptown Building several years ago merely enhanced what the town could offer through recreation. But it was the construction and opening of the McCreary Family Center that supplanted both of them, earning it the title as Hudson's crown jewel where recreation is concerned.

"What it has done is given our citizens something to call their own," Hudson Recreation Director Chuck Raby said of the new facility, opened in November 2007. "We're seeing kids and adults get to utilize this facility, either shooting basketball or using the weight rooms. That's something other generations never had the opportunity to do."

In years past, Hudson residents had to travel to nearby Granite Falls or Lenoir to take advantage of their recreation centers. Not any longer. Now, Hudson is able to offer recreational opportunities at one location.

The use of the facility has come from people of all ages, from children to senior citizens. They use the weight room, the gymnasium, the fitness facilities â€" all that the McCreary Center has to offer.

"Senior citizens are using it more because of the easier access," said Raby, who has been with the Town of Hudson for eight years. "The community has been so supportive of (the center). We're always hearing positive things about it like, 'We're glad we have it. We're glad it's here,' and that comes from people who don't even use it on a regular basis. This may be a small town, but people here have been behind (the center) 100 percent."

The use of the weight and fitness rooms has taken off, Raby said, with some 7,000 people using them since the center opened, and a number of school groups make use of the facility. There's still plenty of groups who book the HUB for events and the Redwood pool and/or park for parties, reunions or other social gatherings, but the McCreary Center has provided yet another option.

"People don't want to go home when it's time to shut the doors at night," Raby said.

That's a good thing for a community starved for its own rec center for so many years,

Having the new recreation center has allowed Raby to start working on expanding programs offered in Hudson. Baseball, softball, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics and karate are just a few of the programs offered for children. Aerobics, weight and fitness programs have been established for older users of the center.

And those offerings keep growing as they have for the last five years, back to the days when John Wilson was directing recreation in Hudson.

"It's a tremendous jump from what we've had the last five years," Raby said of programming now offered through the recreation department. "It almost seems like anytime you come, there's something new. If you're going to keep the public coming, you have to add new things. We offer a variety of things, but there's always more to add."

An example of that would be a volleyball program offered for girls ages 8-15 and plans to enhance the fitness programs offered at the McCreary Center.

Raby said the town has formed a recreation advisory committee to determine recreational needs and even wants of the community. The committee will look at programming but also things that need to be enhanced, either at the McCreary Center, Redwood Park/pool or even the HUB.

Some of the plans for the committee include renovating some of the current features. Raby said plans are in the works to refurbish the pool and tennis courts, upgrade the playground areas and offer more trails for walkers and runners to use. There also has been talk of possibly building a skatepark, and Raby has expressed a desire to start a recreation program for handicapped people.

"We'd like to see something new every year or two," he said. "We want to make what we have more family-oriented and offer a variety of things to do. We want to give all people different ways to participate."

Raby, like many others in Hudson, is glad that the McCreary Center has had such a positive impact on recreation in the town during its short tenure thus far. He also welcomes feedback from community members about how they would like to see it used or what they would like to have offered through the town's recreation department.

"It's been a treat to have it available, and the public seems really pleased with it. We're here to give people a place to come and enjoy themselves," he said. "We're open to public input because it's always positive to see what activities people want. We are a community service. We do a lot on our own, but we welcome input that might benefit our community."

It was that kind of input that led to the building of the McCreary Family Center, and it definitely has made its mark on the Hudson community.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0404-27825668