HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.2 PC&S Needs Assmt
CITY CLERK
File # D~~~-[3][ll]
AGENDA STATEMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: October 2, 2007
SUBJECT:
Parks and Community Services Needs Assessment Survey
Report by Paul McCreary, Parks & Community Services Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
Draft Survey
RECOMMENDATION: ~ Receive report, provide input on questions and direct Staff to begin
~. \ distribution of the survey
FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None
DESCRIPTION: The Fiscal Year 2007-2008 City Council Goals includes a high
priority objective to conduct an in-depth community needs assessment and opinion survey of Parks and
Community Services Department programs, services and facilities, and develop a Strategic Plan for
Department programs and services. The primary purpose of the project is to provide a community-based
assessment of the programs currently offered by the Department, and recommendations for future
programs that should be designed and implemented. By engaging residents in focus groups and I
conducting a statistically valid survey, the City will gain a comprehensive community-based description of
program issues, needs and recommendations. The expected outcomes of the assessment are to:
· Assess satisfaction levels with the quality, quantity, and management of existing programs,
services, parks and facilities.
· Determine current resident usage levels of programs and facilities and appropriateness of when
and where these services are offered.
· Identify the community's interest in the addition of future facilities.
· Identify future interests regarding the implementation of new programs and services that meet
the needs of the community and respond to new trends in the leisure services industry.
· Determine how effective the City of Dublin is at communicating its products and services and
disseminating relevant information to current and potential customers.
· Obtain general demographic characteristics of both users and non-users, and identify perceptions
of the various market segments and cultural/ethnic groups of Dublin's programs, parks and
facilities.
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co PY TO: The National Research Center
Page 1 of2
ITEM NO.
7.2.
G:\COUNCIL\Agenda Statements\2007\IO-2 Survey Questions.doc
(2"
· Identify what prohibits non-users from taking advantage of the City of Dublin's services, and if
they participate in other similar activities not sponsored by the City of Dublin.
· Investigate how citizens wish to use their discretionary time and how the City may provide
recreational opportunities that takes into account the economic and time constraints of the
community.
The City has contracted with The National Research Center to conduct the Needs Assessment. The
Consultant will be using several methods to collect data for the project including key informant
interviews, a statistically-valid mail-in survey, focus groups, an online forum and a public workshop. This
will allow the Consultant to collect statistically valid data, and provide opportunities for residents to offer
suggestions, comments, and concerns about the opportunities provided to them by the City of Dublin.
Key Informant Interviews
As part of the Dublin Parks and Community Services Needs Assessment, 30 in-depth interviews were
conducted with a range of community stakeholders including the Mayor, City Council Members, youth,
older adults, City of Dublin employees, Dublin employers and citizens. The script was designed to elicit
community stakeholders' perspectives on the current and future needs of the city, as well as feedback on
current programs, services and facilities provided by the Parks and Community Services department. The
Consultant indicated that overall they received many diverse comments and suggestions from the
stakeholders about the Parks and Community Services Department, but a consensus on any particular
issue was not evident. The information from the interviews was used to help craft the mail-in survey.
Mail-In Survey
The second step in the process is a statistically valid mail-in survey of 3,000 randomly selected Dublin
households. The survey will be a five-page questionnaire focusing on the Parks and Community Services
Department. It will also be used to gather general demographic information as well as ask a few broad
based questions about City services. This will help gauge the relative importance of parks and recreation
to other City services, and provide some feedback about how other City services are valued by residents.
The surveys will be mailed in mid-October and will be collected through mid-November. Based on the
Consultant's experience with surveys of similar length, they expect to receive approximately 800 to 1,000
responses out of the 3,000 surveys that are mailed. In order to increase the response rate the survey will
be mailed twice in a bright lime green envelope, with an additional reminder postcard. The survey will
include a postage-paid envelope to return the survey. A marketing campaign will be implemented by Staff
to increase awareness of the importance of the survey in the community. The campaign will focus on
reminding residents to look for the bright green envelope in the mail.
Attachment 1 is the draft survey prepared by the Consultant. The Consultant will be at the meeting to
review the survey and consider input from the Council for development ofthe final survey tool.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the City Council receive the report, provide input
on the questions and direct Staff to begin distribution of the survey.
Page 2 of2
l~lD
City of Dublin
100 Civic Plaza, Dublin, California 94568
Website: http://www.ci.dublin.ca.us
October 2007
Dear Resident:
I invite you to playa vital role in helping shape the
future of parks and recreation in Dublin! The City
of Dublin is evaluating the City's parks and
recreation needs and determining how to address
them in the future.
The City Council and I want to know what
residents think about local parks and recreation opportunities in Dublin. That is why your household
has been randomly selected to participate in the 2007 City of Dublin Parks and Recreation Survey.
To GET A SCIENTIFICALLY RELIABLE SAMPLE OF DUBLIN RESIDENTS, THE ADULT (ANYONE 18
YEARS OR OLDER) IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD WHO MOST RECENTLY HAD A BIRTHDAY SHOULD COMPLETE
THIS SURVEY. YEAR OF BIRTH OF THE ADULT DOES NOT MATTER.
Please have the appropriate member of the household take about 10-minutes to complete the
enclosed survey. Your answers will help the City make decisions that affect you and your
community. You should find the questions interesting and we will definitely find your answers
useful. Please participate!
The questionnaire can be returned in the enclosed postage-paid envelope to National Research
Center, Inc., the independent research organization conducting and analyzing this survey. Your
responses will remain completely anonymous.
Your participation in this survey is very important - especially since your household is one of only
3,000 households being surveyed. If you have any questions about this surveyor about the parks and
recreation planning process, please contact Paul McCreary at 556-4500 or via e-mail at
paul.mccrearv@ci.dublin.ca.us.
Please help the City Council, Staff, and me to continue to improve the quality of life in Dublin by
completing this survey and letting us know your thoughts and opinions. Thank you for your help and
participation.
Sincerely,
Janet Lockhart
Mayor, City of Dublin
Area Code (925) . City Manager 833-6650 . City Council 833-6650 . Personnel 833-6605 . Economic Development 833-6650
Finance 833-6640 . Public Works/Engineering 833-6630 . Parks & Community Services 833-6645 . Police 833-6670
Planning/Code Enforcement 833-6610 . Building Inspection 833-6620 . Fire Prevention Bureau 833-6606 7
/(J -2 -07 f~
A-tW.L!-h~.nT
Printed on Recycled Paper
City of Dublin Parks and Recreation Survey t<~
Please complete this questionnaire if you are the adult (age 18 or older) in the household who most recently had a
birthday. The adult's age does not matter. Your responses are anonymous and will be reported in group form only.
1. Please rate each of the following aspects of living in Dublin:
a. Quality of life in Dublin .....
b. Quality of parks in Dublin.................................................. 1
d. Quality of City of Dublin sports fields................................... 1
e. Quality of Dublin Swim Center....... 1
f. Quality of Dublin Senior Center.......................................... 1
g. Quality of Stager Community Gymnasium
h. Quality of City of Dublin recreation programs/classes ............... 1
1. Quality of City of Dublin cultural arts programs/classes............
j. Quality of customer service provided by the City of Dublin......... 1
k. Variety of recreation programs offered by City of Dublin 1
l. Effectiveness of communicating recreation and cultural arts
information to citizens...... .................. ....... ...................... 1
Good
2
2
Fair
3
3
Poor
4
4
Don't know
o
o
2
3
4
o
a
o
o
2. Currently, the City spends tax dollars to provide each of these services. For each service, indicate if you
believe the City should spend more, continue the current level of spending or spend less.
Spend Continue Spend Don't
more current less know
a. Recreation and sports programs... . .. . .. .. ... .. ... . . .. .. . .. .. 1 3
b. Cultural and performing arts programs........................................... 1 3 0
c. Historical preservation and education. ........... 3
d. Special events and festivals......................................................... 1 3 0
e. Public art 3
f. Community recreation facility development..................................... 1 2 3
g. Public park acquisition and development ...... .. ... 1
h. Open space preservation ............................................................ 1
maintenance.. ... . . . .. .. 1
j. Library services. . . .. . . .. ... . . . . . . .... . .... .... . . ........ ... . ....... . . . . . .. . .... .. . . .... 1 2 0
k. Street landscape maintenance ........... 2
l. Police services ...... ........................ .......... .......... .............. ......... 1 2 0
m.Fire
n. Transportation improvements ...................................................... 1 2 3 0
o. Pub
2 3
2 3
2 3
2
2 3 4
o
o
o
3. Please rate how likely or unlikely you are to get.information about parks, recreation and cultural arts activities
provided by the City from each of the following sources:
Very
likely
a. Dublin Web site (www.d.dublin.ca.us) .......................... 1
b. Quarterly Activity Guide that you receive in the mail.................. 1
c. Dublin's online recreation guide (www.dublinrecguide.com).........1
d. Direct mail flyers or postcards.............................................. 1
e. Flyers from schools... . .. .. . . . . ... .... 1
f. Email notification messages................................................. 1
h. Newspapers. . ............... . . .. .... .... . . ... . . . ...... . . .. . . . . . . .. ..... . . . . . .... 1
i. Radio stations....................... ..........
j. Television.......................................................................
k. Community Television (TV 30) . ....
l. SFGate.com, Baylnsider.com or other "what to do" Web sites....... 1
City of Dublin Parks and Recreation Surve '
Somewhat Somewhat Very
likely unlikely unlikely
2 3 4
2 3 4
2 3 4
2 3 4
2 3
2 3 4
2 3 4 0
2 3 4
2 3 4 0
2 3 4
2 3 4 0
1
4. Please rate how important you think it is for the City of Dublin to beRin providinR or provide more Of~~~Wing
types of park amenities listed below. Then rank which THREE you think should be the highest priority, with a "1"
indicating most important, "2" for the second most important and "3" for the third most important.
Somewhat Not at all Don't
important important know
3 4 Cl
3 4 Cl
3 4 Cl
3 4 Cl
34 Cl
3 4 Cl
5. In the past year, have you or any member of your household participated in any of the following activities at a
City of Dublin facility, another public facility or private facility? (For each please check all locations that apply)
City of Dublin Parks and Recreation Survc r
2
6. Please rate how Important you think It Is for the City of Dublin to begin ~rovidln. or Drovide more of~!b IJ
following facilities listed below. Then rank which THREE you think should be given the highest priority, with a
"1" indicating most important, "2" for the second most important and "3" for the third most important.
Somewhat Not at all Don't
important important know
3 4 Q
3 4 0
3 4 q
340
3 4 [J
3 4 0
7. Please rate how important to you and your household it would be to have each of the following classes and
activities in Dublin.
City of Dublin Parks and Recreation Surve '
3
8. Below is a list of activities and facilities operated by the City of Dublin. Please indicate whether yo~~~ne
in your household have participated in a City of Dublin activity or used a City of Dublin facility in the last 12
months. If you have participated in an activity or used a facility at least one time, please rate the quality of the
activity or facility.
FreQuencv of Use
(During last 12 months)
1-4 5-14 15 times
times times or more
2
2
Qualitv
(If used at least one time)
2
3
3
3
3
3
Fair Poor
3 4
3 4
4
4
Never
a. 'After School Recreation Program ......................... 1
b. Summer Camps.... ........ .......... .......... ............ ... 1
c. Shamrock Preschool .. . . . .. .
d. Junior Warriors Youth Basketball League................ 1
e. Youth Sports Programs ..... ...... 1
f. Teen Special Events ......................................... 1
g. Student Union Middle School Recreation Program
h. Stager Community Gymnasium ........................... 1
i. Cultural Arts Classes.....
j. Leisure Classes ............................................... 1
k. Dublin Heritage Center Museum........................... 1
l. Dublin Heritage Center Event, Program or Class ....... 1
m. Dublin Senior Center Lunch Program ..................
n. Dublin Senior Center Activities or Trips.................. 1
o. Summer Concert Series ...................
p. Winter Concert Series....................................... 1
q. Dublin Public Library . .. . . . . .. .. . 1
r. Dublin Swim Center Swimming Lessons................... 1
2
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
3 4
3
2 3 4
2
2
3
2
2
2
3
9. If you selected "never" for every item in question 8 (above), which one of the following best describes your
household's reasons? (check all that apply)
l:I Neverparticipate in any activities/use any facilities, even outside of Dublin
l:I Lack of transportation to get to activities/facilities
l:I Too busy working or not enough time to participate in any activities/use any facilities
l:I Fees too high for activities/facilities
l:I Location(s) of activities/facilities are inconvenient
l:I Physically unable to participate in any activities/use any facilities
l:I Activities are scheduled on days or times that are not convenient
l:I Other (please specify)
10. Please rate how important each of the following characteristics is to your decision to enroll or participate in
recreation classes and activities.
Somewhat Not at all Don't
important important
3 4
3 4
3 4
3 4
2 3 4
2 3
2 3 4
2 4
2 3 4
3 4
2 3 4
Essential
a. Ease of registration.... ... 1
b. Competitive price................................................. 1
c. Quality of instruction / teachi ng. ... ... .. ... .. . .. . .. .. .. . . . . .. ... 1
d. Individualized attention from instructor/coach ............. 1
e. Cleanliness of fad Iity ....................
f. Appearance of staff............................................... 1
g. Safety........ .................................... 1
h. Having fun.......................................................... 1
1. Flexible scheduling/ability to drop.in........ . 1
j. Distance from my home.......................................... 1
k. Responsive customer service............
l. Scheduled as one time workshop versus ongoing classes.. 1
City of Dublin Parks and Recreation Surve '
4
11. What is the likelihood that members of your household would participate in classes or activities a~~ ~es?
Very
likely
a. Weekday mornings...................................... ........... ............. 1
b. Weekdays at lunchtime around the noon hour............................ 1
Somewhat
likely
.2
2
Somewhat
unlikely
3
3
Very
unlikely
4
4
Don't
know
Cl
o
d . Weekday eveni ngs .............................................................. 1
e. Saturday mornings..... ......... 1
f. Saturday afternoons............................................................ 1
g. Saturday evenings ... 1
h. Sunday mornings................................................................ 1
i. Sunday afternoons......... .. 1
j. Sunday evenings................................................................. 1
Demographics
12. About how long have you lived in Dublin?
o Less than 1 year
o 1 to 5 years
o 6 to 10 years
o 11 or more years
13. In which type of housing unit do you live?
o Detached single family home
o Condominium or townhouse
o Apartment
14. Do you own or rent your residence?
DOwn 0 Rent
15. What is your gender?
o Female 0 Male
16. Which of the following best describes your age?
o 18 - 24 0 45 - 54
o 25 - 34 0 55 - 64
o 35 - 44 0 65 years or older
17. Which of the following age groups of residents live
in your household? yes no
Children under age 6 0
Children ages 6 to 12...............0 0
Teenagers ages 13 to 17 ........... Cl Cl
Adults 18 to 64....................... 0 0
Adults ages 65 or older... 0
18. About how much was your household's total
income before taxes in 2006? (Please include in your
total income money from aU sources for aU persons
living in your household.)
o Less than $24,999
o $25,000 to $49,999
o $50,000 to $99,999
o $100,000 to $149,999
o $150,000 or more
2
2
2
3
4
2
3
3
3
o
o
o
2
4
19. What is your race? (Mark one or more races to
indicate what race you consider yourself to be.)
o White/European American/Caucasian
o Black or African American
o Asian or Pacific Islander
o American Indian, Eskimo or Aleut
o Other
20. Are you Hispanic/Spanish/Latino?
DYes 0 No
21. What is the primary language spoken in your
home?
o English 0 Farsi
o Spanish 0 Vietnamese
o Tagalog 0 Russian
o Mandarin 0 Cantonese
o Other (please specify)
22. What is your employment status?
o Working, full-time
o Working, part-time
o Unemployed, looking for work
o Unemployed, but not looking for work
o Reti red
o Student
o Homemaker
o Other
23. If you work, where is your primary work location?
o Do not work
o Work from home
o In Dublin, but not from home
o Within 15 minutes of Dublin
o Between 15 to 30 minutes from Dublin
o More than 30 minutes away from Dublin
..,mII'QI;J!
The City of Dublin greatly appreciates your responses! Please return the survey in the enclosed business
reply envelope to the independent organization analyzing the results at:
National Research Center, Inc., 3005 30th Street, Boulder, CO 80301
City of Dublin Parks and Recreation Survey
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