Friday, Dec. 3, 2004

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PTC survey focuses on rec offerings

Results will be used to tweak master recreation plan

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Peachtree City residents are being asked for their input on the city’s recreation master plan, which covers offerings other than organized youth and adult sports.

A survey is being offered on the city’s web site at www.peachtree-city.org. Forms can also be filled out at the recreation administration office, the Gathering Place, Kedron Fieldhouse, the Library and City Hall.

“We want to find out what other interests are out there,” said Randy Gaddo, the city’s director of leisure services. “What do children and teens who aren’t in organized sports need? What do adults need? This is an opportunity for any citizen to share their ideas about what type of recreational environment they’d like to see here in the future.”

The 10-question survey focuses on 56 activities the department currently doesn’t offer, such as amateur radio, backpacking, fishing lessons, roller skating lessons, step aerobics, weight training and various other classes. Participants are also asked to prioritize recreation categories that should receive the most attention in the future.

“We will use this information to help make decisions about where funding should go in the next five years or so, and conceptually beyond that,” Gaddo said.

The survey results will be included in the city’s update to the master plan, which is directly linked to the city’s five-year staffing and funding program. The results will also be published in local media, discussed at recreation commission meetings and with the City Council at the annual spring retreat, officials said.

To save money, the survey is being conducted without the use of an outside agency, which might have cost upwards of $20,000, Gaddo noted.

“We feel that between the staff and the recreation commission, we have knowledge and abilities that are equal to anyone we might hire,” Gaddo said. “And we have a high level of dedication and concern, which is something you can’t buy. We feel it would be better to spend that money on implementation.”

Although the survey doesn’t cover organized sports offered through the recreation department, city staff have already conducted a separate survey for those groups, Gaddo noted.