02 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Community involvement is critical to the success of the planning process. Rather than a task to be completed once, community involvement was integral to the creation of this Plan and a variety of participation techniques and settings were utilized in an effort to involve and elicit substantive input from all stakeholder groups. Community involvement efforts included: Interviews with recreation stakeholder groups, elected officials, and current staff Community workshops A postcard survey sent to a representative sample of the Johns Creek population An interactive online survey A project webpage for local input Booths at public city events to solicit input Email blasts Social media outreach Outreach through print media All of the input mechanisms were well-publicized, using advertising, local media coverage, the city’s website, social media, and word of mouth. In the opinion of the Consultants, it can safely be said that the majority of the Johns Creek population was made aware of the need for their input to this plan. The following presents a summary of the input received from each of these tools.
STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS In late April 2015, face-to-face interviews were held with approximately 30 individuals and representatives of stakeholder groups. These included: elected and appointed city officials, city recreation professionals, senior service providers, youth sports associations, representatives of passive recreation organizations, church recreation providers, homeowner’s associations, and other civic and commercial organizations. Responses are summarized below. Issues Facing Recreation The overwhelming consensus relative to recreation issues was the lack of park space, followed by not enough quality athletic fields, greenspace, overcrowding of Newtown Park, a growing diversity of recreation needs, dissatisfaction with non-resident fees, and an aging population. Other issues mentioned included: staff shortages; park maintenance; no indoor space; senior facilities getting overcrowded, not enough parking at recreation venues and facilities not evenly spread across the city. The most underserved population groups identified were older teens, seniors, families, and individuals with special needs.
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