09/16/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Ms. Matsushita said 96 percent of respondents had indicated that they were livery satisfiedll with the level of parks maintenance; she added that comments e received had been related more to behavioral problems than to maintenance. She said 96 percent of respondents also had agreed that parks and recreation services made positive contributions to quality of life and to the City.s livability, adding that nonusers and well as users had placed high value on quality of life. Ms, Matsushita said the survey had asked about the level of support for capital improvement projects in the Master Plan, and the top three projects had been an indoor pool, extension of the Ridgeline Trail, and (not included in the plan) improvements to Cuthbert Amphitheater. Four out of ten households had reported that at least one family member had participated in a recreation activity over the past 12 months, and more than 60 percent of those had returned. Ms. Matsushita said those results indicated that staff needed to concentrate resources on keeping customers, as well as attracting them initially. More than 40 percent of respondents 55 years or older had reported visiting a senior center, and 18 percent of respondents had participated in specialized recreation programs. Ms. Matsushita added that staff would attempt to respond to an increasingly older population by ensuring that facilities could meet the increasing demand. Ms. Matsushita said the department was at maximum capacity for serving the needs of persons with disabilities, adding that a new facility was needed and on the horizon. e The survey had indicated that cost, in addition to motivation, was a factor in use of facilities and services, with 64 percent of low-income respondents reporting that they never had visited a parks and recreation facility. Ms. Matsushita said staff had been di sheartened by those findings and was concerned about making sure that recreation was accessible to all populations. She added that the income segment least likely to use recreation facilities were households earning $50,000 or more per year. Ms. Matsushita said commitments to work and other activities were the major reported obstacles to participation, and she said convenience was becoming increasingly important, with trends moving toward providing services near work sites. Ms. Matsushita noted that one-third of respondents had reported belonging to a private or commercial recreation establishment such as the YMCA. She said she thought that figure seemed high but added that those people also appeared to be participating in City-sponsored activities. Ms. Wooten asked how those figures compared to those of other cities. Ms. Matsushita said that had not been examined. Ms. Matsushita reported that staff was examining available statistics about neighborhoods and demographics, social concerns such as youth at-risk, the increasing demand for convenience, and the increase in the pre-school-age population. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 16, 1987 Page 8