Shute Park Aquatic and Recreation Center

We really like it here! Just enough machines to be able to do our favorites every time we go in. Very nice staff!

We first went to SHARC for my kids’ swim lessons. They had fun and we have no complaints. Their change rooms are tidy for the most part, we never had a problem with finding one or the cleanliness but do seem a bit run down. The pool is almost always full with members and swim lesson participants. The classes are booked months in advance, as SHARC being the only facility meeting the need of the fast growing Hillsboro area,

I’m not a resident of Hillsboro, but get a discount on membership from my work so I purchase a yearly membership because my kids like the pool. Here’s where it gets annoying. For any activity they have outside out using the pool and gym facilities, ie: booking a party, or any of their special events they plan, you are not treated to membeship prices or rules. What is the deal with that? I mean what happened to. membership has it’s rewards?
If you are already paying a fee to book a party what harm is it to charge the same fee a resident gets if I’m a member?
Not sure I will be paying for any memberhips after this year because it just isn’t worth it.

So, I’m currently a graduate student, which means two things in regard to this review of the Shute Park Aquatic and Recreation Center.
1. Membership here is included in my tuition payments, so I’m required to have a membership regardless of if I use it.
2. I’m paying too much for tuition to want to pay for this place, and another gym on top of it.
That being said, I wouldn’t ever purchase a membership here if I wasn’t forced to. This is generally for one reason… the staff.
In the year or so that I’ve been going here the front desk have been unfriendly and rude during every interaction except one. ONE TIME out of the WHOLE YEAR someone was friendly. What’s up with that?
It’s not just the front desk people either. It’s also people that work throughout the gym. They don’t smile or greet you, unless you’re violating some rule, in which case they will rudely call you out and generally make you feel like you’re a terrible person for forgetting a towel. Also, they will only look you up in the system twice if you don’t have your card before they make you pay $ 5 for a new one.
The facilities are okay, mostly clean but very outdated. The machine are old and sometimes break. I do like that they have a hot tub and sauna, although the sauna’s most popular customers seems to be very loud people that make sitting in there by yourself pretty stressful… perhaps the opposite of spending time in the sauna in the first place.
Overall it’s really the staff. Makes working out a less than positive experience and I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a membership here.

We took our 17 month daughter here for swim lessons. We really enjoyed our experience. Our instructor was a really nice young lady and was very attentive to the kids in the class. On the last day, we got to go down the big water slide, which I wasn’t sure about with our toddler, but she loved it! The facilities were clean and the water wasn’t over chlorinated.
The other facilities seemed to be very nice and well kept. However, we just went there for swim lessons.
We’ll come back next summer for lessons again.

This facility is great, and I use it several times a week, but it definitely, for sure, for surely sure, needs an upgrade.
Parking is a challenge almost every single day.
The pool is constantly full on weekday afternoons and weekends. The pools are overwhelmed and overworked… this is a good and bad thing. The good is that so many folks are enjoying this facility. The bad is that it’s badly overbooked, and often for lap swim it’s 3+ per choked lane, where they only have 3 lanes open because the pool is being used for so many other things at the same time. The outdoor pool is almost always being used for swim team during the hours that I go. What this place needs is a 5 lane dedicated lap pool for adult swimmers…
The fitness center has machines that break down on a regular basis, and almost always are in need of repair. On top of that, during peak hours you are competing for a machine. There is no waiting list, so it’s a free-​for-​all for a machine, and while people are polite, it can lead to some uncomfortable situations when folks are on a timeline for their work out.
The weight room is badly crowded during peak times, and needs the addition of a few more weight benches and a few more weight machines.
The fitness center has no dedicated stretching, warm up, or yoga area — this is one of the major drawbacks of this facility. There is a hardcourt down that hall that you can use sometimes.
The locker rooms are clean and efficient, but lack basic privacy that other higher end facilities would have.
Then, what’s up with the A&W hamburger statues out in front — truely weird.
So, the long story made short is that this facility is a huge asset to the community, but we as a community need to demand more, larger, and upgraded facility for our families because this one has reached it’s capacity.

We take our daughter here for swim lessons and we have been impressed with it. We’ve been members of some of the high end establishments and have taken swim lessons for our daughter over there but nothing beats the profesisonal atmosphere of SHARC. Their family rooms and restrooms are not as clean but you can’t expect a prime service at the price they have. It’s a city facility after all.
However finidng a parking here could be a little tricky. You need to keep some time in buffer to find a parking spot if you are here for a lesson!

This is one of the few times that a whole in the wall does really really good. They have a large full feature park right outside the doors. Rental space and indoor & out door pools. Plus the life guards and instructors are kind and easy going. My little girl took swimming session here and loves them. The gym is a bit small. They have all the basics needed for working out. He’ll the only reason I go anywhere else is b/​c of my hours at work. Oh and BTW. The parking is a nightmare. Arrive early & be prepared to walk a little ways.

Nice place. Safe area, and some really beautiful grounds. The people are helpful and nice. I shall return here soon.

NIce swimming pools! They have three of them — one being a regular pool, one being a warming pool that is shallow, and a hot tub. NIce, big, clean locker rooms… good parking. We had a great time with the 7 kids!

The SHARC is a great recreation center for both swimming and exercise. I’ve been a member for two years and have used my Hillsboro residency to purchase a yearly family membership for $ 342. This includes myself, husband, and our son.
I’ve been going to several group land exercise classes that are included in my gym membership while my son stays in their Kid Fit room for the maximum two hours.
I really love going to the Boot Camp class that’s on Mon/​Wed/​Fri at 11am-​12pm when my schedule allows it. I also attend the Cardio Jam class which is pretty much a hip hop dance exercise class on Mon/​Wed 6:45pm-7:45pm. Cardio Jam is now offered Friday mornings from 8:15am-9am.
Zumba has just started and is offered Tues/​Thurs 6:45pm-7:45pm. I’m really happy this class has started since I’ve been wanting to try Zumba but didn’t want to pay for this exercise class that was available at a local elementary school without a daycare room for my son.
I like how this rec center is pretty much a short 10 minute drive from my home, so convenient. Since it is a small gym facility there is limited parking during peak hours. I’ve had to park all near the entrance to the Hillsboro Public Library several times, that’s why I knocked off one star.
Also, since the Cardio Jam and Zumba classes have become really popular the center has implemented a rule the first 40 participants with a wristband given from the front desk 15 minutes prior to the class can participate. The classes don’t start until 6:45pm but the line seriously starts forming at 6pm.
To not lose a spot in the class I make sure I’m there way ahead of time, but this wastes the time while I could be warming up in the gym.
I’ve had memberships with other local gyms but never felt that personable feeling that I encounter at the SHARC. Don’t think we’ll be cancelling our membership here anytime soon.