Parks & Recreation Master Plan: Chap5

City of Canby Park and Recreation Master Plan

Chapter 5
Community Survey Results
1997

Background

In 1997 CPW surveyed a random sample of Canby area residents to identify their attitudes and opinions regarding existing and potential park and recreation facilities. More specifically, the survey was meant to identify attitudes about residents’ use of area park and recreation facilities, what improvements they would like to see, their ideas for the future, and funding priorities.

The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the ideas and opinions of area residents as indicated by the results of the Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey.

Our survey analysis is organized to reflect the order of the survey. The survey was divided into the following topic areas:

Current use of parks and recreation facilities and programs

Improvements to parks and recreation opportunities

Expansion or development of future parks and recreation facilities

Funding priorities

Demographics

Methodology

To measure resident opinions regarding existing and potential park and recreation facilities in Canby, Community Planning Workshop distributed a newsletter and survey to area residents. The four-page informational newsletter, Park and Recreation Outlook, was included with the survey in order to explain Canby’s Park and Recreation Master Plan process and encourage residents to return the survey. The newsletter explained the purpose of a master plan, why the Park and Recreation Master Plan was being updated, and gave additional background information, such as a map of Canby’s park and recreation facilities. A survey pretest was held with ten participants from the City of Canby , the Park and Recreation Advisory Board, the Blue Heron Recreation District and Canby Kids. Suggestions from the meeting were incorporated into the final survey instrument.

On March 31, approximately 1,000 surveys were distributed via first-class mail to residents living in the 97013 zip code area. The mailing contained a cover letter, the four-page newsletter, eight-page survey, and a postage-paid business reply envelope. We developed a randomly-selected mailing list by using records from the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Two weeks following the initial mailing, we sent a second mailing to those residents who had not yet returned a survey.

As part of our efforts to receive the highest number of completed surveys possible, CPW offered eight different incentives for returning completed surveys. All incentives were donated by local area businesses and recreation providers. In addition, a letter to the editor was placed in the Canby Herald to encourage residents to return their surveys. We received 225 completed surveys. This represents an overall response rate of approximately 22.5 percent.

Free response answers and a copy of the survey instrument and the newsletter can be found in Appendix A. Appendix D contains a list of survey respondents who are interested in volunteering to help improve parks and recreation in Canby.

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Current Use of Parks and Recreation Facilities and Programs

PW began the survey with questions regarding residents use of park and recreation facilities and activities. The questions focused on how often residents used area parks and recreation facilities, what activities they valued, and their satisfaction with recreation programming.

As illustrated in Table 5-1, over 92 percent of survey respondents indicate that parks and recreation are either “very important” or “somewhat important” to them. Conversely, only 7 percent feel that parks and recreation are “very unimportant” or “somewhat unimportant.”

Table 5-1
Importance of Parks and Recreation

Importance	Number of Responses	Percentage of Total
Very Important	121	56.0%
Somewhat Important	78	36.1%
Somewhat Unimportant	13	6.0%
Very Unimportant	4	1.9%
Total	216	100.0%

Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW, 1997

Exercise is also important to survey respondents, as shown in Figure 5-1. A majority of respondents (57 percent) indicate they exercise 2 or more times per week. Over 71 percent of survey respondents exercise at least once a week.

Source: Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW, 1997

Park and Recreation Facility Usage

CPW asked respondents which park and recreation facilities they, or members of their household, use, and how often. We included both City-owned park and recreation facilities as well as other public recreation in the immediate area, such as school facilities and Molalla River State Park.

Table 5-2 shows Canby’s park and recreation facilities ranked in order of their mean (or average) usage. School facilities receive the most use overall, as well as the most daily and weekly usage, probably due to families with school-age children. Wait Park , Canby Swim Center and Maple Street Park are used, on average, the next most often. The Canby Adult Center and Locust Street Park are used least often, as both facilities meet the needs of specific populations. Only 16 percent of respondents never use Wait Park , probably due to its central location and the community-wide events held there.

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Table 5-2
Park and Recreation Facility Usage

Park/Recreation Facility	Number of Responses	Not at All	2 to 3 Times/Yr.	Once per Month	Once per Week	Daily	Do Not Know	Mean[1]
School Facilities	190	32.1%	23.2%	9.5%	14.7%	18.4%	2.1%	2.7
Canby Swim Center	197	38.1%	27.9%	12.7%	10.7%	8.6%	2%	2.3
Maple Street Park	189	33.3%	30.2%	17.5%	12.7%	4.8%	1.6%	2.3
Wait Park	205	16.1%	46.8%	23.9%	12.7%	0%	0.5%	2.3
Molalla State Park	196	30.1%	42.3%	18.9%	6.6%	0%	2%	2.1
Canby Community	188	47.3%	34.6%	11.2%	4.8%	0.5%	1.6%	1.8
Canby Adult Center	185	70.3%	17.8%	5.4%	4.3%	1.1%	1.1%	1.5
Locust Street Park	178	87.1%	7.9%	2.8%	0%	0.6%	1.7%	1.2

Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW, 1997
Note: the higher the mean score the more often respondents use that facility
[1] The mean is calculated by giving a numeric value to how often respondents use park and recreation facilities (“not at all” = 1 … “daily = 5”), then taking the average of all responses. Here, the higher the mean score the more often respondents use that facility.

Importance of Recreational Activities

CPW asked Canby area residents how important it is for them, or members of their household, to have access to certain recreational activities. Table 5-3 shows that nature enjoyment, walking & jogging, special events & festivals, and picnicking & barbecuing are the activities respondents are most interested in having access to. In comparison, respondents are least interested in skateboarding, horseshoes and in-line skating. It should be noted that as survey respondents are generally adults, it is those adult-oriented activities (such as watching sports) which rank significantly higher than youth-oriented activities (such as skateboarding). The table is organized by the mean, or average, response for each category, with the most popular activities listed first.

Table 5-3
Importance of Access to Recreational Activities

Recreational Activity	Number of Responses	Very Important	Somewhat Important	Somewhat Unimportant	Very Unimportant	Mean
Nature Enjoyment	204	56.4%	31.4%	7.8%	4.4%	3.4
Walking/Jogging	208	54.3%	35.1%	4.8%	5.8%	3.4
Special Events	211	43.1%	44.1%	10.4%	2.4%	3.3
Picnicking/BBQ	198	44.4%	35.4%	12.6%	7.6%	3.2
Playground Use	200	43.0%	28.5%	14.5%	14.0%	3.0
Swimming	207	44.0%	29.5%	12.6%	14.0%	3.0
Watching Sports	199	34.7%	34.2%	20.1%	11.1%	2.9
Bicycling	199	32.7%	40.2%	15.6%	11.6%	2.9
Bench Sitting	200	24.5%	37.5%	20.5%	17.5%	2.7
Fishing	191	26.7%	26.7%	25.1%	21.5%	2.6
Baseball/Softball	198	24.7%	28.3%	25.3%	21.7%	2.6
Basketball	194	21.1%	32.5%	24.2%	22.2%	2.5
Tennis	193	18.7%	36.3%	22.3%	22.8%	2.5
Boating	195	20.5%	27.2%	24.6%	27.7%	2.4
Soccer	192	24.0%	26.6%	16.1%	33.3%	2.4
Dog Walking	198	22.2%	24.2%	17.7%	35.9%	2.3
Football	192	15.1%	26.6%	27.1%	31.3%	2.3
Volleyball	190	8.9%	35.3%	31.1%	24.7%	2.3
In-Line Skating	191	9.9%	26.2%	25.7%	38.2%	2.1
Horseshoes	192	6.3%	20.3%	33.3%	40.1%	1.9
Skateboarding	191	7.9%	14.1%	25.1%	52.9%	1.8

Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW, 1997
Note: the higher the mean score the more important the recreational activity

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Organized Recreation

Approximately 73 percent of survey respondents are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the amount and type of organized recreation or community education activities offered in Canby. (See Table 5-4) At the same time, only 41 percent of survey respondents indicate they, or members of their household, participate in these activities. Fifty-six percent of respondents do not participate in organized recreation or community education activities, and four percent are not sure.

Table 5-4
Satisfaction with Organized Recreation and Education Activities

Satisfaction	Number of Responses	Percentage of Total
Very Satisfied	44	20.6%
Satisfied	113	52.8%
Not Very Satisfied	17	7.9%
Don't Know	40	18.7%
Total	214	100%

Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW, 1997

Canby Adult Center

CPW found that of the 36 percent of survey respondents who use or are familiar with the services offered by the Canby Adult Center, over 93 percent are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied.” Figure 5-3 shows the different reasons given by respondents who do not use the AdultCenter. The two most common reasons for not using the Adult Center are “do not have the need” (41 percent) and “do not know what is available” (36 percent).

Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW. 1997

Canby Swim Center

Similarly, CPW found that of the 67 percent of survey respondents who use or are familiar with the Canby Swim Center, over 93 percent are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with its activities and services. Figure 5-4 shows the reasons respondents do not use the Swim Center: “Do not have the time” and “Other”are the main reasons. “Do Not Swim” is the most popular response listed in the “Other” category (49 percent). Fifteen percent of respondents do not know what is available at the Swim Center.

Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW, 1997

Molalla River

As Canby is bordered on three sides by rivers, CPW wanted to find out if residents swam or recreated near water, beyond the Canby Swim Center. We were most interested in seeing whether residents recreate in or near the Molalla River, which runs along Canby’s east and south sides, and has only one public access point, at Canby Community Park. Approximately 61 percent of respondents indicate they do. Of those respondents, nearly 44 percent frequent the Knight’s Bridge Road swimming hole, and about 18 percent use the Elisha Road swimming hole, both of which are undeveloped sites. Another 38 percent of respondents indicate they recreate in other locations along the Molalla, primarily Molalla River State Park .

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Canby Public Library

As the Department of Recreation Services has recently combined parks, recreation, and the library under one roof, CPW also asked residents about their use of the Canby Public Library. Over 80 percent of survey respondents use the Canby Public Library. Table 5-5 shows that among Canby Public Library users, 76 percent are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the services offered.

Table 5-5
Level of Satisfaction with Canby Public Library

Satisfaction	Number of Responses	Percentage of Total
Very Satisfied	56	29.9%
Satisfied	86	46.0%
Not Very Satisfied	34	18.2%
Don't Know	11	5.9%
Total	187	100%

Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW, 1997

As shown in Table 5-6, respondents who do not use the library give reasons such as “do not have the time” and “do not know what is available.” Nearly 32 percent of respondents also indicated some “other” reason for not using the Canby Public Library. Among these respondents, reasons included not having the need, and the poor book selection.

Table 5-6
Reasons For Not Using Canby Public Library

Reasons	Number of Responses	Percentage of Total
Do not have the time	13	30.2%
Do not know what is available	11	25.6%
Facilities/activities offered are not important to me	5	11.6%
Other	14	32.6%
Total	43	100%

Source: Canby Park and Recreation Community Survey, CPW, 1997

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Improving Park and Recreation Opportunities

The second section of the survey focused on exploring ways to improve Canby’s current park and recreation opportunities. As shown in Table 5-7, 81 percent of respondents rate the quality of park and recreation opportunities in Canby as either “good” or “excellent.”

Table 5-7
Quality of Park and Recreation Opportunities in Canby

Quality	Number of Responses	Percent of Total
Excellent	28	13.0%
Good	147	68.4%