Agenda - Council - 02/09/1988 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Surveys Continued from page IB idents. They trace the increased in- crime concerns raised in a survey terest to growing sophistication by seven or eight years ago. The latest city governments in gathering infor- survey showeQ that those concerns mation needed to solve short-term had been alleviated, mostly through problems and make long-range, deci- crime prevention efforts initiated af- sions. ter the first survey, said Ron Moorse, . city administrative assistant. "They get not only the red-hots on either end of an issue, but the plain vanilla in the middle who are per- haps more reluctant to speak out," said Jack Skog, president of Mid- Continent Research Inc. Marsha Niebuhr, co-owner of Ander- son, Niebuhr &. Associates Inc., a research firm, said cities seem more interested in hearing from residents "in more scientific ways than town meetings. . .. They've decided to go . at it the way that corporations have for yean." Sl Paul retained Niebuhr's firm for three surveys that make up S1. Paul Tomorrow, aproject designed to ex- amine the city through its residents, community activists and civic lead- en. The report, completed last fall, became the keystone for programs to emphasize Sl Paul's diverse neigh- borhoods and deal with their needs. "It's a phenomenon that is going on nationwide," said Ken Ford, princi- pal planner for the St. Paul Depart- ment of Planning and Economic De- velopment. But that doesn't mean that city gov- ernments have been out of touch. Maple Grove, another booming Min- "The people who run cities subject '.' neapolis suburb, took a slightly dif- themselves to a citizens' survey every ferent approach. Rather than two or four years," said Ollie Byrum, randomtelephonesurvey,.the Minneapolis planning direct~r~ ". mailed out questionnaires to every c"'; household,~ 10,000 in all-:-in "The private sector does what's prof- . November 1985. "We Wanted '~~'~'r itable. The public sector does what's;',"volve the greatest . number of useful," Byrum added. "We're find- ... dents possible," said Lee Mehrkens, ing that these kinds of surveys can the city's management assistant. help us decide what's useful." About one-third responded, he said. For example, Inver Grove Heights surveyed 400 residents in March to firid' out what kind of recreation-lei- sure activities they wanted and to help plan a community center. About half of those surveyed said they wanted a swimming pool, so officials moved construction of a . pool into the fint phase of the proposed com~ munity center. The top leisure facili- ty desired was a golf course. The survey also detected a growing influx of white-collar. professionals and a decline in the percentage of blue-<:ollar households since the city last surveyed residents in 1985. The newer residents tended to have more education and higher inComes than those who traditionally had moved into the subutb. In RoseviUe, an April survey of 400 residents measured community atti- tudes about services as well as how the city was faring at dealing with Results indicated that residents want- ed a shopping mall anchored by a big,C/' name department store, so a city fu- " ,7 ." tures committee set aside areas of the city for such a retail use, Mehrkens said. . Back in Plymouth, the surveys have provided direction for building a sys- tem of neighborhood parks and trails that link the city together, Willis said. There is no community center. It's still in the capital improvement pro- gram, but voters will have to ap'prove a financing plan to bring it to bfe. . "The council is waiting to see some basic support on a broad, basis throughout the community," he said. "Wanting it and paying for it are two different things." 59