As part of the Schoolhouse Park master plan development process there were two surveys completed to understand and compile feedback on the development of the park space. Below you will find the results of both surveys and each question as documented.
Please note that the graphs below are representations of the data and are not scientific. The surveys requested that a name and address be provided to verify that the person taking the survey was a resident of the Village (and to keep it at one survey per person), but this cannot be verified or confirmed. There were numerous Anonymous answers that were included in the data, although based on the IP addresses of the responses, likely were from the same person providing multiple responses. We chose to not remove these responses from the data.
This survey is intended to show generally what feelings are for certain questions, and should not be interpreted to definitively speak one way or the other about the question asked.
Survey #1 – June 27- July 10, 2021
The first set of questions was intended to get feedback on the elements of the park, the scope and scale of the park, and how people would interact with the park as designed at the time.
Q1: What are the most important elements of the park to you?
As shown in the graph above, the splashpad and bathrooms / shelters were the top two elements noted, followed by open space / green space. The other category included lots of different options including tennis courts, playground, walking paths, community center, and picnic areas.
Q2: Do you prefer the park to be a passive park – with elements you can use individually or with friends (i.e. benches, shelters, open space), or an active park – where events and programs are held (fairs, farmers markets, pep rallies, movie nights, etc.)?
A substantial percentage of people felt that the park should serve both passive and active park needs.
Q3: If you were to utilize this park, how would you get to the park?
The majority of people surveyed stated that they would walk (78%) to get to the park. This supports the idea that the park’s location, being centrally located, will be a benefit and serve the community better than Community Park currently does.
Q4: Are you supportive of closing specific roadways within the new park boundaries to make the park larger and not require children to cross streets?
This question was clearly the most answered question, and had the closest totals. This question also included the most multiple answer responses, where a single IP address responded multiple times. Generally, it can be stated that the responses were almost evenly split, with the “No” responses outnumbering the “Yes” responses by 3% of those who took the survey.
Q5: Do you want the Village to prioritize park funding, development, and construction over other projects within the Village? If additional funding is available, should the Village put that money towards the park first?
This question intended to ask how much financially the Village should prioritize the park. The responses, including the “Depends” category, generally support funding the park, but not at the expense of street maintenance or other Village services. If additional funding is available, support would be there for utilizing some of those funds for the parks, as long as other services were not being excluded from that additional funding. Generally, this is important, but not the most important thing the Village should fund.
Survey #2 – July 27- August 10, 2021
The second survey was intended to get more feedback on individual elements of the park and get information on why the current park is not utilized to its full extent.
Q1: Do you have children in your household?
This question was meant to understand how amenities would impact families differently, depending on the age of children within their household. The largest number of people who took the survey (38%) did not have children within their homes. This is noted as answers to additional questions reflect their priority for park space, amenities, and events.
Q2: How many times in the last 30 days did members of your household visit Community Park?
The take away from this question is that clearly Community Park does not serve the community well with 94% of those surveyed not going to the park for any reason more than once a week and 50% not going at all ever. This question would have had different results had it been asked during baseball season, but overall the intent of this question is to understand if the amenities and location of the park are ideal for use and this would support that they are not.
Q3: How many times in the last 30 days did you visit a park facility outside of Covington?
This question was intended to be cross referenced against the Community Park usage to see if people were utilizing other facilities to meet a demand that exists, but due to a lack of facilities is being met elsewhere. With 68% of people responding that they do use other park facilities it can be shown that it isn’t that people don’t want to use the parks, it is that the parks in Covington are not serving the needs of the community well.
Q4: If you visited a park outside of Covington, what was the main reason for going?
This question was trying to understand what amenities could be missing from park space within Covington. It looks, based on the results, like the majority of people went to go walking / hiking / or running on trails. The Village currently doesn’t have any walking trails or paths, and this is likely something that should be prioritized in future planning efforts. It also shows that additional amenities in other parks are cause for their use. We didn’t require confirmation of those amenities, but we can assume it is something that our parks do not have.
Q5: If members of your household do not use Community Park, what are the main reasons?
This question was intended to clearly define why people may not use the park. Most people (50%) stated that the park doesn’t have the amenities they want, which again supports the answers to other questions. Many people also noted “other” reasons. These help to illuminate what people think about Community Park in general as well. Some of those reasons were:
- Nothing interesting to do
- No activities of interest for me to go down there
- Nothing to attract a retired person there
- Filthy, unkept, and old
- Would rather go boating
- Too far to get to for us to walk. If we have to drive, we will pick a different park.
- No sand volleyball.
- Requires us to cross state highways and is difficult to get into.
- Park hasn’t been updated.
- Kids get bored there
- Needs updating or more equipment and seating.
- Don’t like that we have to cross lots of main streets to get there.
- The school playground is closer for us
- No tennis courts
- Better playgrounds elsewhere.
Q6: If the Village built a splashpad in Schoolhouse Park, how often would your household utilize the amenity?
When compiled, the splashpad would be used by 40% of those surveyed at least 1 time per week. It would never be used though by 31% of those surveyed. The lack of usage or “never” category can likely be put into two categories –
- They do not have children or grandchildren that would use it, or
- They don’t support the creation of the splashpad in the first place.
Q7: If the following events were held at the amphitheater, how likely would it be for your household to go to each event?
Question 7 and Question 8 relate to what events would be supported if the space was created at the park to hold them. Question 7 related to specific events that could be held at the amphitheater based on what other communities have used their amphitheaters for. There was substantial support for a Summer Concert Series (63% Combined Likely or Very Likely), Summer Movie Nights (56%), and Other Events like local fundraisers, etc. (53%). The was general support for School Events (48%) and Theater in the park (43%). Overall there was less than 30% of unlikely or very unlikely to go to an event with the highest being 30% (combined unlikely and very unlikely) for the Theater in the Park.
Q8: How likely would you be to attend the following events in Schoolhouse Park?
Question 8 asks what general events people would attend if the space was created large enough to hold such events. There was very high support for almost all events in the space. A Spring Event was the most supported (78% combined likely and very likely), then a Summer Festival or other events (76%), and followed by a Christmas Event (74%). A Memorial Day parade or event was supported (69%), but there were concerns about moving it from the existing cemeteries. Generally, events were strongly supported, showing the dire need the Village has for a large enough space that will be able to safely hold such events.
Some of the other events suggested include:
- Farmer’s Markets
- Artisan Fairs
Q9: What markers do you think should be included in the park?
This question asked what historical markets should be included in the park and highlighted some of the ideas that people had previously noted including Roger’s Drum, Covington Schools, and miscellaneous statues. Overall many concepts were supported with Covington Schools (54%), Roger’s Drum (50%), and Statues or other historical markers (48%) coming in the top three.
Some other markers suggested include:
- Thompson Flutophone
- A big Covington sign.
- Miami County Dairy / Creamery
- Interactive stations like at Wegerzyn Gardens.
- Donated Funds memorial