The Hudson City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, featured special recognition for Senator Christina Roegner for securing substantial grant funding, proclamations for Bike Month and Public Service Recognition Week, and several important legislative items.
Senator Roegner Honored for Infrastructure Support
In a highlight of the evening, Mayor Jeffrey Anzevino and council members recognized Senator Christina Roegner for her pivotal role in securing over $15 million in funding for two critical Hudson projects. The senator helped obtain $680,000 for the Hudson Inclusive Playground and a combined $15.8 million in state and federal funding for the Hines Hill Road Bridge project.
Councilor Skylar Sutton read comments from absent Council President Christopher Foster stating, “Grants like this are a once in a-lifetime occurrence and I am immensely grateful for Hudson. It will not only have a huge impact on the convenience of access to Route 8 in Northwest Hudson but more importantly will have an incredible safety impact to the entire area.”
Senator Roegner expressed gratitude for the recognition, noting, “It’s very nostalgic for me to be back in this room because this is where I started my life in public service nearly 20 years ago.” She added that the Hines Hill crossing had been a longstanding issue in Hudson: “We’ve been talking about getting this project done… After the East Palestine derailment, you know that really hit home.”
City Manager Thomas Sheridan emphasized the safety benefits of these projects: “I want to thank Senator Rogner for her efforts in securing the crucial federal and state funding for the Hinesill Road separation project as well as the state of Ohio funding that will support the new inclusive playground in Hudson. Your work in facilitating these resources will continue significantly to the safety and accessibility of our community for our schools, safety forces, residents and children.”
Inclusive Playground Recognition
Megan Higgins, a Hudson resident, personally thanked Senator Roegner during public comment, saying, “We would not have the support we have without you helping us… The biggest takeaway from this is that accessibility should not be a privilege, it’s a human right, a basic human right, and I’m really excited for our children to have the human right to play and to play with others and play with other children in their community and adults with disabilities and grandparents and everyone can play together.”
Bike Month and Community Bike Ride
Mayor Anzevino proclaimed May 2025 as Bike Month in Hudson, recognizing that “bicycling has been shown to improve citizens’ health, well-being and quality of life and has been shown to grow the economy, attract tourism dollars and local business spending and reduce pollution congestion and parking costs.”
Ron Brewbaker from Task Force (Trail Advocates of Summit County) announced a Hudson Community Bike Ride scheduled for May 31. “We at Task Force have been busy over the last few weeks working with Emily Hernandez and Greg Hannon at the city on an event called the Hudson Community Bike Ride,” Brewbaker said. The event aims to “raise the community’s awareness of the opportunity represented by the Veterans Trail” and enhance “the city’s application for bike friendly community status from the League of American Cyclists.”
The ride will start at Life Center, with routes ranging from 5 to 20 miles. “The fee for the event is $10… and veterans will be free at this event since it’s on about the veterans trail. Also children under 12 will be free, so families are welcome, everybody’s welcome,” Brewbaker added.
Recognition of Public Service Employees
The council proclaimed May 4-10, 2025, as Public Service Recognition Week. Councilor Michael Bird emphasized the importance of public employees, stating, “I have been incredibly impressed by the dedication, the competence, the skill, the professionalism of the employees here at Hudson’s City. It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of late hours obviously police and fire are working very crazy hours but many of you are meeting late at night early in the morning working around the citizens’ schedules and helping them as much as you can.”
Mr. Griffith, accepting the proclamation on behalf of staff, noted, “The city is a great place to work and a big part of that is city council giving us the resources we need to do our jobs well.”
Legislative Actions
The council conducted public hearings on two ordinances:
- An amendment to the Land Development Code regarding architectural and historic board of review consultants
- An amendment to remove townhomes from all zoning districts except District 5 Village Core District
Both items received their second reading and will be voted on at future meetings.
The council unanimously approved Resolution 25-65, which approves an application for placement of land in a current agricultural use district for Joanne Poulton’s alpaca farm on Stow Road.
The consent agenda included eight items that were unanimously approved, including:
- Security and intercom system upgrades for the Police Department
- Fleet vehicle purchases for Police and Public Works
- Funding application for the Brandywine Creek Watershed Study Update
- The Towbridge rear yard drainage project
- Amendments to community reinvestment area agreements
Other Business
Mayor Anzevino shared a positive interaction with a resident who had contacted public works: “The resident called me back about two hours later and said the city staff was already out there at their property helping them out and the resident said the staff went above and beyond what she expected them to do.”
Following the regular meeting, council moved into executive session to discuss pending litigation matters and economic development assistance applications, with no further public business anticipated afterward.
The next regular Hudson City Council meeting is scheduled for May 20, 2025.
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