Columbia residents are giving the city’s parks and recreation services a thumbs-up, according to a recent community survey conducted by the ETC Institute. The survey, which wrapped up this fall, asked residents how they feel about city services — and parks and recreation scored high marks.
Among the highlights, 80% of participants who weighed in were happy with the number of walking and biking trails available. Proximity was another strong point, with 76% saying their neighborhood parks are conveniently located.
Additionally, 73% were satisfied with the quality of the trails, and 70% gave a nod of approval to the maintenance of city parks. The availability of information about recreation programs had a solid 65% satisfaction rate.
Of course, there’s always room for improvement. Residents pinpointed their top three priorities for the next two years: better maintenance of city parks, improving the quality of walking and biking trails, and expanding programs for youth and teens.
The survey reached 855 households through mail and online submissions, surpassing its goal of 800 responses. The results are statistically solid, with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
City leaders say they’re ready to take this feedback seriously. The plan is to channel the input into real changes and improvements to keep Columbia’s parks and recreation services moving in the right direction.
