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Need proof that recreational facilities can change the lives of everyday citizens? Mayor Stan Hogeland’s first job in Gardendale, Alabama, was keeping score for basketball games at the local civic center. As a 14-year-old, he earned $1.33 per hour, but putting a price tag on the experience is nearly impossible.
You see, Hogeland would meet his future wife there a few years later. In 2025, they celebrated their 45th anniversary. It is also where Hogeland fell in love with the many aspects of operating sports, recreation, and cultural venues.
Hogeland is fortunate in that he achieved his dream job—no, not the mayor of his hometown, but rather the Director of Gardendale’s Parks and Recreation Department. In 2012, he retired from that dream job and went into politics. A fixture of Gardendale, Hogeland is now in his third term as mayor, having won each race unopposed.
Given that background, it’s hardly surprising that the crowning achievement of his time in office is the construction and spring 2023 opening of Bill Noble Park, a $32 million project meant to bring the community together. Bill Noble Park includes 10 turf diamonds, one turf multi-purpose field, 8 tennis courts, 12 pickleball courts, a basketball court, sand volleyball court, walking path, and a first-class playground.
“I felt like the kids in our community deserved to play in a nice facility, and not on the same fields that I played on when he was a little boy,” Hogeland says.
“The dream has come true,” adds the mayor, referring to the facility that Gardendale affectionately calls “America’s Community Park.”
Community parks have long been places to congregate for children’s playdates on the playground, youth sports games, holiday festivities, or to take a walk (with or without a furry friend). Now, though, they are also the front lines against a growing health crisis, particularly among children.
According to a 2025 study by the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities, the health of children in the United States has significantly deteriorated across nearly every major indicator over the past 17 years.
Among the findings is that diagnoses of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders more than tripled in some cases, while childhood obesity increased from 17.0 to 20.9 percent. Generally, children reported trouble sleeping, physical symptoms like fatigue and pain, and feelings of loneliness and sadness.
Regardless of age, parks and recreation centers are places meant to bring joy and encourage physical activity. Exercise not only triggers muscle growth but also releases endorphins, which the Mayo Clinic refers to as “the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters.” These chemicals can increase feelings of happiness and reduce feelings of pain, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Given the benefits associated with a day of shooting hoops and kicking the ball around, it’s only natural that communities like Gardendale and Wheeling, West Virginia, have turned their sports facilities into hubs to promote better health for their citizens.
Image Credit: Bill Noble Park
According to the most recent statistics available, Alabama’s rate of adult obesity is 39.2 percent, fifth-highest in the nation, and youth (ages 10-17) obesity rate is 22.1 percent. Meanwhile, West Virginia is the state most affected by obesity, according to the American Diabetes Association. Approximately 582,000 adults in West Virginia, or 41 percent of the population, have obesity, and the rate is expected to increase to 58 percent by 2030. The National Survey of Children’s Health reports that West Virginia has a 24.1 percent obesity rate among children, second-highest behind Mississippi.
Nationally, roughly 42 percent (110 million) of American adults and 15 million children and adolescents are affected by obesity. Almost 500,000 annual deaths are attributable to excess weight.
Highlands Sports Complex in Wheeling, West Virginia has been a unifying force in Ohio County since opening five years ago, says Harvey Greenidge, the facility’s general manager throughout its existence. The complex includes six basketball/volleyball courts, a full-size indoor turf, a full-size outdoor rectangular field, four batting cages, a play-climb area, arcade, on-site cafe, and meeting space.
Of note, Highlands Sports Complex in 2021 became the first U.S. sports facility to achieve WELL Building Certification from the International WELL Building Institute. The recognition centers on building design that promotes the physical, mental, and social health of those who use the building. Ten criteria include air, water, nourishment, light, sound, materials, movement, thermal comfort, mind, and community.
Local recreation teams and travel tournaments come to play at the facility. But it is also a valuable asset for the community at large. Residents can walk the track for free, and out-of-town guests can enjoy the amenities for $5.00.
“We’re making a difference in everyone’s lives,” says Greenidge. “There are opportunities for local kids that they frankly would not have had without this sports complex.”
Wheeling, about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh and 90 minutes from Columbus, Ohio, was in need of a boost when the facility opened, notes Greenidge. The town of 26,000 lost steam as factories, once the key drivers of the local economy, closed. Greenidge says Highlands is bringing business back to the community.
The sports facility is a bright spot that has triggered spending at hotels and restaurants, as well as spurred the opening of new businesses for locals and travelers to enjoy and build up tax revenue. Meanwhile, a healthier economy encourages new residents. Greenidge, for instance, moved to town to run the facility. He and his family are thriving in their adopted hometown, he says. All told, the facility’s estimated economic impact over the past five years is $167 million.
While Highlands Sports Complex and Bill Noble Park can be considered economic drivers in their communities, their overall impact is greater. The natural gravitational pull of these sites makes them natural venues for community gatherings and fundraisers that are often related to combating health challenges.
Highlands has held a health expo for seniors for two consecutive years, reaching an age group that is at risk of the country’s epidemic of loneliness and isolation, as diagnosed by Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the two-time U.S. Surgeon General.
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The event includes an educational component as well as activities like pickleball, bingo, and chair massages that promote social, mental, and physical health.
And in late 2024, Highlands hosted a Holiday Pickleball Tournament that drew 100 players from the mid-Atlantic region. The event supported the Robert Sonneborn Family WVU Medicine Northern Region Outpatient Center.
Such benefits are difficult to measure, and why Mayor Hogeland refused to pursue an economic impact report prior to the development of Bill Noble Park.
“I didn’t want the city council and others to buy in based solely on money,” he says. “I wanted to build a nice park for our community to enjoy. And then on weekends, we flip a switch and turn it into an economic development engine.”
Economics aside, there are some encouraging measurements that Jesse Newsom, general manager of Bill Noble Park, points to for success:
In reflecting on the venue’s impact, Newsom said, “Bill Noble Park is more than a sports complex—it’s the heartbeat of Gardendale. It’s a place where families gather, neighbors connect, and our community thrives through both athletics and recreation. From world-class fields and facilities to innovative programs, events, and activities for all ages, the park provides something for everyone. We’re proud to be recognized not only as the premier destination for sports in the Southeast, but also as a true community hub where recreation, programming, and family experiences come together to create lasting memories.”
The direct and indirect economic impact for 2025 is $7,283,607.
Hogeland’s passion comes from his childhood spent playing on the same site where the new park now sits. He recalls the joy and the areas for improvement. For instance, girls played at different fields a few miles away during his youth. His marching orders for the new Bill Noble Park were for it “not to be a boys’ park or a girls’ park, but a kids’ park.”
As a pleasant surprise, the age range covers the gamut in Gardendale. Late teens and early 20-year-olds are patrolling the pickleball courts as often as their elders.
Each holiday season, Bill Noble Park is everybody’s park, as it hosts Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and July 4 celebrations. The park also honors First Responders through its National Night Out celebrations.
And, per the mayor’s orders, the gates at Bill Noble Park are never locked. All are always welcome to play.
While it may seem like all fun and games to kids, the playtime builds a foundation for long-term success on many fronts. According to data from The Aspen Institute’s Project Play Summit, active kids are six times more likely to become active adults.
Related effects include reduced chance of obesity, or engaging in smoking, drinking, and other bad habits; increased rates of higher grades and going to college; better chance of higher salaries and greater productivity at work, plus lower healthcare costs.
An article from the Mayo Clinic spells out the benefits:
“The benefits of activity are universal, including for children with disabilities or different abilities. Participation in sports and activities can promote overall wellness and help kids with disabilities maintain a healthy weight, which is a common problem. Participation, especially in team sports, can also promote a sense of belonging.”
