Public input is very important to Columbia Parks and Recreation to ascertain the community’s parks and recreation needs and satisfaction with facilities and services offered. Below are links to citizen surveys conducted for Columbia Parks and Recreation in descending date order.
Quick Links
- 2015 P&R Community Interest and Opinion Survey
- 2013 Impact of the MKT Trail on Nearby Property Owners Survey
- 2011 P&R Needs Assessment Park User Survey
- 2010 P&R Needs Assessment Citywide Citizens Survey
- 2001 Park User Survey
- 2001 P&R Citywide Citizen Survey
- Other City of Columbia Citizen Surveys
- Other Parks and Recreation Surveys
2015 Parks and Recreation Community Interest and Opinion Survey
A public survey was conducted in 2015 in advance of the Park Sales Tax Ballot. This citywide citizen survey was outsourced to ETC Institute/Leisure Vision to achieve a random sampling of Columbia households, resulting in a statistically-valid survey. A total of 706 households completed the survey.
- Cover and Table of Contentsopens PDF file
- Section 1 – Executive Summaryopens PDF file
- Section 2 – Charts and Graphsopens PDF file
- Section 3 – Tabular Dataopens PDF file
- Open-Ended Citizen Commentsopens PDF file
- Section 4 – Cross-Tabular Data by Age and Genderopens PDF file
- Section 5 – Cross-Tabular Data by Household Typesopens PDF file
- Section 6 – Renewal and Potential Changes to the 1/8th Cent Sales Taxopens PDF file
- Section 7 – Survey Instrumentopens PDF file
- National Benchmarksopens PDF file
2013 Impact of the MKT Trail on Nearby Property Owners Survey
Residents of 213 owner-occupied properties within 200 yards of the MKT Trail were solicited to participate in a survey to determine the impact the MKT Trail has had on nearby and adjacent property owners. The survey had a 70% response rate, with a 149 surveys completed. The survey was conducted by Sonja Wilhelm Stanis, assistant professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at the School of Natural Resources, and Hua Bai, a recent graduate of the program and a park research assistant for the City of Columbia.
- Impact of the MKT Trail on Nearby Property Owners Report (full report)opens PDF file
- Coveropens PDF file
- Executive Summary and Major Findings at a Glanceopens PDF file
- Table of Contents, Introduction, and Methodologyopens PDF file
- Section I – Respondents Profileopens PDF file
- Section II – Satisfaction and Quality of Lifeopens PDF file
- Section III – Impact on Property Salability and Valueopens PDF file
- Section IV – Perceived Benefits and Concernsopens PDF file
- Section V – Comments from MKT Neighborsopens PDF file
- Bibliographyopens PDF file
- Appendix A – Cover Letter for First Mailingopens PDF file
- Appendix B – Cover Letter for Second Mailingopens PDF file
- Appendix C – MKT Trail Residents Surveyopens PDF file
Related Items
- “Happy Trails – Study shows property owners near the MKT Trail are pleased with it“
MU CAFNR News, April 8, 2013 - Brochure: “Columbia Trail System Community Benefits – Trail Information for Property Owners”opens PDF file Columbia Parks and Recreation
- “Yes, In My Back Yard!”opens PDF file
Parks & Recreation Magazine, September 2016
2011 Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Park User Survey
An on-line Park User Survey was conducted in 2011 in advance of the revision of the ten-year master plan (2013). An invitation to complete a web-based survey was sent via e-mail to 6,079 Parks & Recreation web mail subscribers, with 786 participating in the survey. The University of Missouri’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism under the guidance of Sonja A. Wilhelm Stanis, Ph. D. provided the Findings Summary Report for the 2011 Park User Survey.
- 2011 Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Park User Survey Findings Summary Report
2010 Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Citywide Citizen Survey
A public survey was conducted in 2010 in advance of the Park Sales Tax Ballot and revision of the ten-year master plan. This citywide citizen survey was outsourced to Leisure Vision to achieve a random sampling of Columbia households, resulting in a statistically-valid survey. The survey was mailed to a random sample of 3,000 households throughout Columbia, with a goal of obtaining at least 600 completed surveys. A total of 753 surveys were completed.
- 2010 Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Citywide Citizen Survey Findings Report by Leisure Visionopens PDF file
- Cover and Table of Contentsopens PDF file
- Section 1 – Executive Summaryopens PDF file
- Section 2 – Charts and Graphsopens PDF file
- Section 3 – Benchmark Comparisonsopens PDF file
- Section 4 – Cross Tabular Data by Household Type, Park Users, & Genderopens PDF file
- Section 5 – Cross Tabular Data by 5 Year and 10 year Park Sales Tax Renewalopens PDF file
- Section 6 – Cross Tabular Data by Registered Voters and Ageopens PDF file
- Section 7 – Cross Tabular Data by Satisfaction Level and Maintenance Priorityopens PDF file
- Section 8 – Survey Instrumentopens PDF file
- Open-Ended Commentopens PDF file
2001 Park User Survey
A park user survey was conducted in 2001 to gain input for the 2002 Facility Needs Update of the Parks Recreation and Open Space Master Plan. An invitation to fill out the web-based survey was sent via e-mail to Parks and Recreation web mail subscribers. Parks and Recreation staff went to the pools, golf courses, parks, Antimi Baseball Complex, Rainbow Softball Center, Skate Park, and recreation classes to invite citizens to fill out surveys. The Department obtained 430 completed surveys.
- 2001 Park User Survey
(Included in 2002 Facility Needs Update of theParks Recreation and Open Space Master Plan)
2001 Parks and Recreation Citywide Citizen Survey
A public survey was conducted in 2001 to gain input for the 2002 Facility Needs Update – Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan. This citywide citizen survey was outsourced to Leisure Vision to achieve a random sampling of Columbia households, resulting in a statistically-valid survey.
- 2001 Parks and Recreation Citywide Citizen Survey by Leisure Vision
(Included in 2002 Facility Needs Update of the Parks Recreation and Open Space Master Plan)
Other City of Columbia Citizen Surveys
In addition to the surveys commissioned by the Parks and Recreation Department, the City of Columbia commissions citizen surveys to be conducted “to assist in the on-going effort to identify and respond to resident concerns while also assessing citizen satisfaction with the delivery of major city services and to help determine priorities for the community.” The City conducts these surveys every 2-3 years. The Parks and Recreation Department is included along with the other City departments in these surveys.
Other Parks and Recreation Surveys
Citizen surveys regarding specific capital improvement projects are conducted as needed and can be found on the respective capital improvement project web pages. User surveys are also conducted annually for specific programs and classes, which are reviewed by staff to determine user satisfaction and assess areas for improvement.
