Consultant Gives Warsaw Parks Board Survey Results
Consultant Gives Warsaw Parks Board Survey Results
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Consultant Gives Warsaw Parks Board Survey ResultsResults of the survey for the Warsaw Parks and Recreation five-year master plan were recapped at the Parks Board meeting Tuesday afternoon by Deb Schmucker, president and landscape architect with Cornerstone PDS.
The main survey was closed June 1 after almost six weeks with 430 responses, which included the online survey and 60 to 70 done by hand, she said. A focus group survey also was sent out, and staff and Parks Board members were questioned. Input was asked for from the Pike Lake campers, and an effort to reach out to the Rarick Park neighborhood was made.
“There was nothing that really surprised us,” Schmucker said.
The public survey relates to the parks system as a whole, she said.
Under the first question, “How do you feel about adding the following facilities in the city park system?” Schmucker said kayak and paddleboard rentals had high interest. Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer already has pursued kayak rental kiosks for this year.
Of the 427 people who answered the question, 376 said yes to kayak rentals; 358 said yes to paddleboard rentals; and 307 said yes to greenhouse education center. The lowest “yes” votes was 223 to additional pickleball courts, with 165 saying no to them.
When asked about improving park facilities, 420 people answered the question. The highest yes was 368 to improving the swimming beach; followed by 347 for picnic shelters; and 279 for the basketball courts. Improvements to disc golf and skate park came in with the highest “no’s” at 159 and 158 respectively.
Schmucker said under the open comments, “We heard a lot about improving the skateboard park or moving it. Adding disc golf opportunities and, again, picnic shelters, courts.”
The third question was open-ended and asked, “Are there any areas of our community that are lacking parks and recreation facilities or opportunities?” Schmucker said there were a handful of people that talked about “trails and community, dog parks” and were “overwhelmingly positive about the Parks Department.”
Of the 427 people who responded to the question of, “Do you support using public funds for connecting communities, parks, etc. with trails?,” 406 (95.08%) said yes and only 21 said no.
The main purpose people use the Warsaw trail system is for fitness/wellness at 60.28%, followed by leisure recreation at 34.52%.
The next question asked about the Parks Department’s programs and what age and type of programs should be a focus. By age, elementary kids (6-12) was highest at 91.07%, followed by junior high kids (12-15) at 81.15% and preschoolers (3-5) at 71.39%. Voters also said family programs were important at 90.72%, as were special events/concerts/festivals at 78.73%.
Schmucker said that the wide range of ways the Parks Department gets the word out about its offerings was working. Later in the meeting, Recreation Director Sheila Wieringa said she uses all those ways – social media, online websites, newspapers and radio – to publicize the Parks Department’s activities.
The survey asked people to check the programs and activities that were of interest/importance to their family. The highest response was walking/biking trails at 83.02%, followed by special events/festivals at 65.12% and small concerts at various park locations at 54.42%.
Asked how are you willing to pay for improvements in Warsaw parks, 63.12% said “depends on the investment,” while 34.99% said “increase in shelter reservations and building rentals” and 31.91% said “increase in program fees.” Less than 12% said “unwilling to pay anything for parks” or “can’t afford to pay anything for parks.”
The next question asked the public to rank how park funds should be spent. Renovation of existing facilities was the highest, followed by development of new programs.
Question 11 asked if you had the ability to change just one thing about Warsaw parks, what would it be? Dog friendly and trails were part of answers.
Under a question about upgrading current maintenance practices, Schmucker said, “Just about everybody across the board was exceptionally positive.”
As far as safety, a majority felt “very safe” or “safe” at Warsaw parks.
High marks were also given to the park administration and park maintenance.
About 208 of the people who filled out the survey lived within the city limits, 64 lived in Wayne Township (not in city limits) and 148 lived outside city limits.
The last question was, “Overall, does Warsaw Parks & Recreation Department meet your expectations based on your experience?” Of 418 people who answered the question, 387 (92.58%) said yes.
Given an opportunity to share additional comments, Schmucker said some people reiterated dog parks, pickleball courts or whatever their specific area of interest was. About 30 to 40% said what a great job the Parks Department staff does.
From here, Schmucker said they’ll take all the public input and dovetail that with what she and staff already looked at. A priority list will be presented at the August Parks Board meeting.
Board Vice President Larry Ladd asked if anyone really talked about winter activities. Schmucker said there were one or two comments from the focus group and staff comments, but she didn’t really hear about that.
“There really weren’t many comments about it,” she said.
