Recreation survey to determine residents' wishes
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on September 27, 2007 1:57 PM
Citizens have a chance to let the city know what more they want from their recreation areas -- whether it be festivals, botanical gardens, walking trails, an arcade or a water splash park -- through a survey.
The parks and recreation department is issuing a future needs survey in hopes of determining the community's vision for Goldsboro's parks.
The survey lists areas from camps and special events to nature activities and water-related recreation, and the department wants residents to mark off what they want to see or see more of in the city.
"We are looking at trying to determine the future direction of the department because we are actually going to have a staff retreat next week to talk about what we need to do," Parks and Recreation director Sonya Shaw said. "The survey will assist with identifying what the citizens want and need."
More greenery? OK. What about a paintball field? It's on there. Even a BMX bike racing track is a suggestion on the survey.
Mrs. Shaw said the staff wanted to have a wide variety of activities and facilities to represent the varied interests in the area.
"We are just trying to get an understanding of what citizens are directly interested in, in terms of what parks and recreation can provide for them," she said.
This survey will also help the department with the comprehensive parks and recreation master plan as well as Stoney Creek Park.
"What we are looking at down the road is doing a comprehensive master plan," Mrs. Shaw said. "The plan is basically written from what the survey results will be, as well as an evaluation of current facilities, programs and staff reviews."
For Stoney Creek Park, the survey could mean receiving the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant that the Stoney Creek Park Alliance has been working toward.
About 14,000 surveys will be sent out next week. The survey is posted on the department's Web site at www.goldsboroparksandrec.com and it is also available at Herman Park Center, he W.A. Foster Recreation Center and the Municipal Golf Course.