(Photo | Courtesy of Bend Park and Recreation District)
How satisfied are you with the services of Bend Park and Recreation District (BPRD)? Is the district utilizing your tax dollars wisely and efficiently? What should the agency’s role be in regards to affordable housing?
Now is your chance to provide input and feedback.
BPRD, with help from Portland-based DHM Consulting, will launch a new Public Perception Survey on October 20, hoping to glean valuable insight from district community members on everything from parks and trail use, safety, inclusivity and more.
Every few years, BPRD conducts surveys like this to gauge awareness, perceptions and priorities of Bend residents in regards to parks and recreation services. These results directly inform district communications and services and identify community priorities for future programs and projects.
Beginning on October 20, some randomly selected community members living in the park district will receive a phone call asking to participate in the anonymous, statistically-valid survey, which will take about 15 minutes to complete. Others will receive a text with a link to participate in the online version of the survey.
If you are contacted, please consider taking time to complete the survey.
“Community input is integral to informing district priorities and helping us to be more effective in our mission to strengthen community vitality and foster healthy enriched lifestyles by providing exceptional park and recreation services,” said Park Planner Rachel Colton. “We are grateful for your time and input so that we may serve you better. Community engagement helps BPRD deliver the parks, trails, programs and activities you want.”
In 2019, nearly 1,000 community members completed a similar perception survey. According to the results, 92 percent were satisfied with parks and recreation services in Bend and 80 percent believed the district used taxpayer dollars wisely. The survey revealed 83 percent of the community believes BPRD is going in the right direction in serving the community.
The 2022 survey includes questions asked in previous years to track changes over time and also features new questions based upon current issues the community is facing.
Questions include:
- Do you feel safe when using BPRD parks, trails and facilities?
- How would you rate BPRD’s use of your tax dollars?
- Would you support BPRD waiving park development fees for affordable housing projects, even if it meant reduced park and recreation services?
- How can BPRD support low-income community residents and improve affordability in the community?
For district residents who don’t receive a phone call or text to take the statistically valid survey, there is still an opportunity to participate. An online open survey will be available from October 28 to November 18. Community members can check bendparksandrec.org and/or social media for information during the survey dates.
