HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 Park Survey Results2013 Park Survey Results/Trends
August 2013
Introduction
A park survey was mailed to 3,203 homes in Lake Elmo
on June 14, 2013.
432 surveys were completed and returned.
Demographics
•The most common (39%, 170 responses) age group was 51-65.
•60 % of those responses were female.
NA (26) 18-25 (0)
26-35 (15)
36-50
(127)
51-65
(170)
65+ (94)
No. of Responses by Age
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
Gender by Age Group
NA
F
M
Both
Fifty-nine percent (59%) of overall park users visit city parks on a weekly or monthly basis. Park
users between the ages of 26 to 50 use parks more frequently than users aged 51+. The primary
reason that taxpayers do not use city parks lack of interest or time. Other reasons are cited
below.
Current Park Use
Reasons for Not Using City Parks No. of Responses Reasons for Not Using City Parks No. of Responses
No Interest/Time 10 Don’t know where they are 5
Only use Park Reserve 8 Other 5
Kids Outgrew 6
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Daily Weekly Monthly Annually Never
Avg. Park Visits by Age Group
26-35
36-50
51-65
65+
Daily,
30
Weekly,
108
Monthly,
115
Annually ,
78
Never, 46
Average Park Visits
Current Park Use
Summer is the most popular season to visit parks. The majority of park users have no preference
when they visit the parks, and users frequent the parks most in the afternoon.
Spring
12%
Summer
45%
Fall
15%
Winter
7%
Doesn't
Matter
21%
Visits by Season
Weekday
27%
Weekends
23% Every Day
11%
No
Preference
39%
Visits by Day
Morning
19% Lunchtime
3%
Afternoon
30% Evening
21%
No
Preferenc
e
27%
Visits by Time
Current Park Use
Overall, 73% of park users spend between one to three hours per park visit. Visitors between age
36 to 65 typically spend 3 or more hours per visit, where users between the ages of 26 to 35 and
age 65+ typically spend 1 to 3 hours per park visit.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
<1 Hr 1-3 Hr 3+ Hr
Time Spent by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
<1 Hr
23%
1-3 Hr
73%
3+ Hr
4%
Time per Park Visit
Current Park Use
Proximity to home is the most important factor for taxpayers choosing which park to visit. Trails,
playground facilities, trails, and wooded lands are also important factors. The ranking of
importance varies by age group, as noted in the chart to the lower right.
26-35
Proximity to home 16%
Playground Facilities 15%
Hiking Trails/Restroom 8%
36-50
Proximity to Home 18%
Hiking Trails 12%
Playground Facilities 10%
51-65
Proximity to Home 18%
Hiking Trails 16%
Wooded Lands 10%
65+
Proximity to Home 18%
Hiking Trails 16%
Wooded Lands 11%
308
18
147
49 31
252
69 67
145
98
66
138
33 25
130
45 62 56
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Important Park Factors
Current Park Use
Overall, walking and hiking is the most popular park activity engaged in by taxpayers. Biking,
nature observation, and monitoring children are also frequent activities, which vary in priority
slightly among age groups.
26-35
Monitoring Children 16%
Walking/Hiking 15%
Biking 13%
36-50
Walking/Hiking 18%
Biking 10%
Monitoring Children 9%
51-65
Walking/Hiking 25%
Nature Observation 12%
Biking 10%
65+
Walking/Hiking 24%
Nature Observation 17%
Monitoring Children 13%
302
58 79 75
140
84 107
38 45 65
147 144
42 54
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Park Activities
Current Park Use
Residents were asked to rank their preferred/most commonly used city parks from 1 to 3, with 1
being the most frequently visited. Sunfish Lake Park is the most popular park overall, followed by
Lions Park. When broken down by age, Tablyn Park ranks in popularity for 26 to 36 year olds.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Primary Park Use by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
0
40
80
120
160
200
Primary Park Use
1 2 3
Current Park Use
The leading factor for park choice is location and proximity to home. The importance of location
decreases slightly as the age of park user increases.
196
43 61 75
3 9 20 9
0
50
100
150
200
250
Factors in Favor of Parks
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Factors in Favor of Parks by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
Current Park Use
Poor maintenance ranked as the primary reason discouraging
taxpayers from using city parks. Safety concerns and lack of
restrooms were also leading factors. Other factors include
unleashed dogs, and lack of time.
Overall, taxpayers consider the safety of city parks to be high, and
signage and maintenance mediocre.
140
46
94 85
127
175
31
65
12
48
0
40
80
120
160
200
Factors Discouraging Use of City Parks
0
50
100
150
200
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Park Safety
0
20
40
60
80
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Park Signage
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Park Maintenance
Park Conditions
Loitering or gang activity is the primary factor that would make taxpayers feel unsafe using city
parks. Factors in the other category include after hours activities, high-speed vehicles, and use of
parks by non-residents.
10 11
92
16 22
4
31
4
18
7
34
17
28
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Park Safety Concerns
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Park Safety Concerns by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
Future Park Needs
Hiking trails are high priority for all age groups, when considering future
addition of park amenities. The top three amenity needs per age group are
listed at right.
63
240
90
149
31 22
104
35
76
110
23
60 53 37
69
45
93
21
46 47
70
103
18
45
20
40
19
68 72
44
93
61
23
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Band ShellHiking TrailsAquatic Center or SwimmingFull BathroomsArcheryHorseback RidingBenchesBaseball FieldsSkating RinksPicnic SheltersBasketball CourtsWarming HousesGrillsDisc GolfOn-Road BikingMore LightingSki TrailsVolleyballMore ParkingMountain BikingNature CenterPlayground Equip.Soccer FieldsSenior/Civic CenterCamp GroundsTennis CourtsHandicapped Access.ShowshoeingNature HikesGeocachingDog ParksBirdingOtherFuture Needs
26-35
Playground Equipment 11%
Hiking Trails 10%
Aquatic Center/Swimming 9%
36-50
Hiking Trails 9%
Aquatic Center/Swimming 8%
Full Bathrooms 8%
51-65
Hiking Trails 13%
Full Bathrooms 6%
Benches/Shelters 6%
65+
Hiking Trails 13%
Full Bathrooms 7%
Birding 7%
Future Park Needs
When asked about desired park improvements, maintenance
was the number one request. This was followed by restrooms
and additional amenities (ie. Picnic tables, and shelters).
When discussing the future development of parks, there is a
strong taxpayer desire to develop trails for nature
observation. Picnic areas and open space also rank high as
desired park land use.
237
411
249 288
230
289 248 240
0
100
200
300
400
500
Future Park Land Development
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Park Land Development by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
12
35
15 14 18
56
18
37
13 19
5
29
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Desired Park Improvements
City Lake Use
Out of the taxpayers who responded to the lake
use question, most use city lakes a couple times
per year, if at all. Taxpayers between the ages 26
to 35 are more likely to use the lakes more
frequently.
Lake Elmo is the most heavily used lakes, as
indicated by a 54% response rate.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Daily Weekly Monthly Couple x/yr Never
City Lake Use by Age
26-35
36-50
51-65
65+
40 49 48
149
133
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Daily Weekly Monthly Couple x/yr Never
City Lake Use
160
20
49
68
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Lake Elmo Olson Lake Demontreville Lake Jane
Lake Preference
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Lake Elmo Olson Lake Demontreville Lake Jane
Lake Preference by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
City Lake Use
The primary activities enjoyed by taxpayers on city lakes are swimming and fishing. Kayaking and
canoeing follow as other popular lake activities.
143
53
15
53
67
6
51
29
67
37
4
38
128
40
22 16 20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
SwimmingWater SkiingWater raft funIce FishingKayakingSnorkelingTubingSnow SkiingCanoeingSpeed BoatingWindsurfingSkatingFishingPontooningPaddle BoardingSnowmobilingOtherLake Activities
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Lake Activities by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
City Lake Use
Out of 432 Surveys received, the breakdown for answers to “When do you think that users should
be allowed to use watercraft on the lakes on weekdays?” is:
•No answer given: 117 (27%)
•Don’t care: 19 (4%)
•Before Noon (less restrictive): 176 (41%)
•After Noon (more restrictive): 120 (28%)
This includes ‘yes’ answers as less restrictive (before noon)
and ‘no’ answers as more restrictive (after noon)
•Of the 176 that answered wake before noon:
•144 (82%) cited wake hours beginning at 9 am or earlier
•32 (18%) cited wake hours beginning between 9 am to noon
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
No Answer Don't Care Less
Restrictive
More
Restrictive
Wake Restrictions
Trails & Connectivity
Eighty percent (80%) of taxpayers are in favor of the city developing a trail system that connects
neighborhoods, parks, downtown and schools. This desire is shared evenly among age groups,
with slightly more interest among 26 to 35 year olds.
Yes
80%
No
20%
Favor of Trail
System
92% 80% 80% 77%
8% 20% 20% 23%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
Favor of Trail System by Age
No
Yes
Trails & Connectivity
The majority of respondents are interested in a trail system for exercise and recreation purposes.
Taxpayers between ages 26 to 35 are more likely to use trails for recreation, while residents age
65+ are more likely to use trails to get exercise.
136
300
235
28
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Trail Use
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Transportation Exercise Recreation Other
Trail Use by Age
26-35
36-50
51-65
65+
Trails & Connectivity
Respondents were asked to rate important trail factors from 1-10 (10 being most important). The
results indicate that multi-use trails and good maintenance are the most commonly indicated
concerns and most frequently ranked most important as well.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Close to home Connection to Key
Locations
Connections Between
City and HOA
Connection Between
Parks
Good Maintenance Multi-Use
Important Trail Factors
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Trails & Connectivity
The most popular uses for city trails are walking/hiking, and biking. Trail users between the ages
of 26 to 35 are more likely to engage in more vigorous activity like running and rollerblading,
whereas the primary activity choice for users age 65+ is walking and hiking.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Trail Activities
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Trail Activities by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
Trails & Connectivity
Respondents were asked to rate destinations for trail connections from 1 to 5, with 5 being the
most important. As indicated by the results below, the Lake Elmo Park Reserve, Gateway Trail,
and the Old Village/Downtown area were most frequently indicated. The Park Reserve and
Gateway Trail received the highest rankings in terms of importance.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Trail Connections
1 2 3 4 5
Trails & Connectivity
Survey respondents indicated that they would like to see more
paved trails. The most common factors discouraging the use of
trails include safety and poor maintenance.
0
100
200
300
400
Paved Non-Paved Wider Trail Well Lit Clear
Signage
Trail Feature Preference
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Paved Non-Paved Wider Trail Well Lit Clear
Signage
Trail Feature Preference by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+
21
174
138
167
91
40
135
56
14
0
40
80
120
160
200
Factors Discouraging Trail Use
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Factors Discouraging Trail Use by Age
26-35 36-50 51-65 65+