9.0. PRSR 04-16-1997 6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 P02 APR 07 '97 16:41
DECISION RESOURCES, LTD. ELK RIVER CITY SURVEY
• 3128 Dean Court Parks and Recreation/
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414 City Issues 1997 Study
FINAL VERSION
Hello, I 'm of Decision Resources, Ltd. , a nationwide
polling firm located in Minneapolis. We've been retained by the
City of Elk River to speak with a random sample of residents
about issues facing the city. The survey is being taken because
the City is interested in your opinions and suggestions . I want
to assure you that all individual responses will be held strictly
confidential; only summaries of the entire sample will be report-
ed. (DO NOT PAUSE)
1 . Approximately how many years have LESS THAN TWO YEARS 1
you lived in Elk River? TWO TO FIVE YEARS 2
SIX TO TEN YEARS 3
11 - 20 YEARS 4
21 - 30 YEARS 5
OVER THIRTY YEARS 6
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 7
2 . How would you rate the quality of EXCELLENT 1
life in Elk River -- excellent, GOOD 2
good, only fair, or poor? ONLY FAIR 3
POOR 4
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
• 3 . What do you like most about living in Elk River?
4 . What do you like least about it?
5 . Overall, would you rate the park EXCELLENT 1
and recreational facilities in GOOD 2
Elk River as excellent, good, ONLY FAIR 3
fair, or poor? POOR 4
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
I would like to read to you a short list of the parks located in
Elk river. For each one, please tell me if you or members of
this household have visited that park during the past year.
YES NO D. K.
6 . Orono Park 1 2 3
• 7 . Lions Park 1 2 3
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6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 P03 APR 07 '97 16:41
YES NO D.K.
• 8 . Woodland Trails Park 1 2 3
9 . Handke Outdoor Ice Arena 1 2 3
10 . Outdoor facilities located at
the schools, such as football,
baseball, soccer fields, and
tennis courts 1 2 3
11 . Oak Knoll Park? 1 2 3
IF THE RESPONDENT REPORTS VISITING AT LEAST ONE PARK, ASK:
12 . How would you rate the upkeep EXCELLENT 1
and maintenance of the park GOOD 2
facilities in Elk River -- ONLY FAIR 3
excellent, good, only fair, POOR 4
or poor? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
13 . Are there any facilities not currently in Elk River parks
that you or members of your family would use, if they were
there? (IF "YES, " ASK: ) What are they?
14 . Would you favor or oppose a trail FAVOR/STILL FAVOR 1
system linking neighborhoods FAVOR/OPPOSE 2
throughout the city? (IF FAVOR/DON'T KNOW 3
• "FAVOR" ASK: ) Would you still OPPOSE 4
favor the trail system if a trail DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
ran adjacent to your property?
Park systems usually contain four major components : smaller
neighborhood parks, larger areawide parks, larger community
playfields, and trails.
15 . Which of these four components SMALLER NEIGH PARKS 1
do you feel should be the top LARGER AREA PARKS 2
priority for development in Elk LARGER COMM PLAYFIELDS3
River during the next few years TRAILS 4
-- smaller neighborhood parks, OTHER (VOL) S
larger areawide parks, larger ALL EQUALLY (VOL) 6
community playfields, and trails? NONE OF THE ABOVE 7
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 8
16 . Have any members of this house- YES/YES 1
hold participated in any youth YES/NO 2
recreational programs during the NO/YES 3
past year? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) NO/NO 4
And, have any members of this DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
household participated in any
adult recreation programs during
the past year?
•
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6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 PO4 APR 07 '97 16:42
The City may ask residents to vote on a bond referendum to devel-
• op and expand Park System facilities. I would like to read you a
list of components which could be included in the proposal . For
each one, please tell me if you would strongly support a property
tax increase for it, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or
strongly oppose a property tax increase for it. If you have no
opinion, just say so. . . . (ROTATE LIST)
STS SMS SMO STO DKR
17. A park for skate board racing
and acrobatics? 1 2 3 4 5
18 . An OUTDOOR family fun swimming
pool, containing a gradual depth
entry, wave pool, slides, and
diving board? 1 2 3 4 5
19 . Outdoor ice skating and hockey
rinks? 1 2 3 4 5
20 . Swing sets, playground equipment,
and tennis courts for additional
neighborhood parks? 1 2 3 4 5
21 . Paving of neighborhood trail links
across the community? 1 2 3 4 5
22 . Lighting, dug outs, concession
stand, and parking lot for the
city's Youth Athletic Complex at
Cass Fields? 1 2 3 4 5
• 23 . An INDOOR family fun swimming
pool, containing a gradual depth
entry, wave pool, slides, and
diving board? 1 2 3 4 5
24 . A mountain bike trail system for
Hillside Park? 1 2 3 4 5
25 . Permanent restrooms and shelters
at the larger community parks? 1 2 3 4 5
26 . An Interpretive Center at Wood-
land Trails Park? 1 2 3 4 5
27 . Rehabilitation of the playground
area at Handke School, commonly
known as "Handke Pit?" 1 2 3 4 5
28 . Development of River Trail in
the Downtown Area? 1 2 3 4 5
29. Purchase of additional land for
parks and trails? 1 2 3 4 5
Funding for the bond referendum components we have just discussed
would require a property tax increase .
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6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 P05 APR 07 '97 16:42
30 . Which of these three statements STATEMENT A 1
411 best describes your feelings? STATEMENT B 2
A. I would vote AGAINST almost STATEMENT C 3
any tax increase for park and NONE OF ABOVE (VOL) 4
recreational facilities develop- DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
ment .
B. I would vote FOR a tax in-
crease under some conditions, but
AGAINST it under other conditions .
C. I would vote FOR almost any
tax increase for park and recrea-
tional facilities development .
IF "B" IS CHOSEN, ASK:
31 . Under what conditions would you vote for a tax increase
for park and recreational facilities development?
Suppose the City of Elk River proposed park and recreational
facilities development which you considered to be a reasonable
approach. The proposal would be placed on a referendum ballot
for approval by the voters. In order to fund construction,
residents would be asked to approve a property tax increase for a
fifteen year period.
S 32 . How much would you be willing to NOTHING 1
see your property taxes increase $10 . 00 2
to fund this construction? Let ' s $20. 00 3
say, would you be willing to see $30. 00 4
your YEARLY property taxes in- $40 . 00 5
crease by $ ? (CHOOSE RANDOM $50 . 00 6
STARTING POINT; MOVE UP OR DOWN $60 . 00 7
DEPENDING ON RESPONSE) How about DON' T KNOW 8
$ per month? (REPEAT PROCESS) REFUSED 9
Moving on. . . .
33 . Do you agree or disagree with the STRONGLY AGREE 1
following statement : "A good AGREE 2
Elk River park and recreation DISAGREE 3
system will increase the value of STRONGLY DISAGREE 4
my property. " (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
and do you feel strongly that way?
Changing topics . . . .
I would like to read you a list of a few city services. For each
one, Please tell me whether you would rate the quality of the
service as excellent, good, only fair, or poor? Please keep in
mind that the City of Elk River is not responsible for county or
state parks, highways, and other facilities .
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6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 P06 APR 07 '97 16:42
EXCL GOOD FAIR POOR DK/R
111 34 . Maintenance and repair of city
streets? 1 2 3 4 5
35 . Snow plowing? 1 2 3 4 5
36 . Street lighting? 1 2 3 4 5
37 . Sewers and water? 1 2 3 4 5
38 . Drainage and flood control? 1 2 3 4 5
39 . Animal control? 1 2 3 4 5
40 . Police services? 1 2 3 4 5
41 . Fire protection? 1 2 3 4 5
42 Elk River City Library? 1 2 3 4 5
Let ' s talk about public safety issues for a moment . . . .
43 . Have you had direct contact with YES 1
the Elk River Police Department NO 2
during the past three years? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3
44 . Which of the following issues is VIOLENT CRIME 1
of greatest concern to you? PROPERTY CRIME 2
(READ LIST AND ROTATE) Violent TRAFFIC SAFETY 3
crime, such as robbery, assault, JUVENILE CONCERNS 4
and rape; property crime, such as NONE OF ABOVE (VOL) 5
burglary, theft, and vandalism; SOMETHING ELSE (VOL) 6
traffic safety, such as DWI, DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 7
speeding, bicycles, and pedes-
trians; or, juvenile issues, such
as curfew, underage drinking, and
smoking?
45 . Do you favor or oppose the Elk FAVOR 1
River Police department continuing OPPOSE 2
to provide DARE -- Drug Abuse DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3
Resistance Education -- training
in local schools?
46 . Do you favor or oppose the con- FAVOR/STILL FAVOR 1
struction of a pedestrian bridge FAVOR/OPPOSE 2
over Highway 169 near School FAVOR/DON'T KNOW 3
Street? (IF "FAVOR, " ASK: ) Would OPPOSE 4
you still favor it if a tax in- DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
crease were required to fund con-
struction?
As you may know, there has been some discussion about a new
Community Center.
47 . If a Community Center were constructed, what facilities do
you feel is important to include?
III
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6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 P07 APR 07 '97 16:43
I would like to read you a list of facilities that could be
included in a community center. For each one, please tell me if
• you would strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose, or
strongly oppose its inclusion in a community center.
STR SMW SMW STR D.K.
FAV FAV OPP OPP REF.
48 . An indoor swimming pool? 1 2 3 4 5
49 . An aerobics, exercise, and
fitness room? 1 2 3 4 5
50 . A gymnasium? 1 2 3 4 5
51 . Large community room for
banquets, parties, meetings,
and other rental purposes? 1 2 3 4 5
52 . Group meeting rooms? 1 2 3 4 5
53 . A teen center? 1 2 3 4 5
54 . A senior citizens center? 1 2 3 4 5
55 . A community theater? 1 2 3 4 5
56 . An arts and crafts room for
instructional programs and
classes? 1 2 3 4 5
57 . Would you favor or oppose the STRONGLY FAVOR 1
construction of a Community FAVOR 2
Center in Elk River? (WAIT OPPOSE 3
FOR RESPONSE) And do you feel STRONGLY OPPOSE 4
III strongly that way? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
A bond referendum would be required to pay for its construction
and partial operating costs, User fees would also underwrite the
operation of the community center to some extent.
58 . How much would you be willing to NOTHING 1
pay in additional property taxes $10 . 00 2
to support the construction and $20 . 00 3
partial operation of an Elk River $30 . 00 4
Community Center? (START WITH A $40 . 00 5
RANDOMLY SELECTED CHOICE FROM #1 $50 . 00 6
TO #8) Let' s say, would you be $60 .00 7
willing to pay $ per year? DON'T KNOW 8
(MOVE TO NEXT CHOICE UP OR DOWN REFUSED 9
DEPENDING ON ANSWER. ) How about
$ per month?
59 . Which do you feel should be a EXPANSION OF PARK/REC1
higher priority -- (ROTATE) -- CONSTRUCT COMM CENTER2
expansion of park and recreational BOTH EQUALLY (VOL) 3
facilities OR construction of a NEITHER (VOL) 4
Community Center? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
Now, let ' s talk about retail shopping in Elk River. . . .
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6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 P08 APR 07 '97 16:43
60 . Excluding groceries, what do you consider to be your princi-
• pal retail shopping location?
61 . What types of retail businesses or services, not currently
in Elk River, would you like to see attracted to the commun-
ity?
62 . What retail sales promotions, if any, would influence you to
shop more often in Elk River?
63 . How often do you shop in Downtown WEEKLY/MORE OFTEN 1
Elk River -- weekly or more often, TWICE/MONTHLY 2
twice per month, monthly, about MONTHLY 3
quarterly, infrequently, or never? ABOUT QUARTERLY 4
INFREQUENTLY 5
NEVER 6
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 7
IF RESPONDENT SHOPS IN DOWNTOWN, ASK:
64 . What types of goods or services tend to be the reason
• for your shopping in Downtown Elk River?
65 . Are there any additions or changes which could be made in
Downtown Elk River to induce you to shop there more often?
(IF "YES, " ASK: ) What would they be?
As you may know, there has been some discussion about merging the
Cities of Elk River and Otsego.
66 . Prior to this survey, were you AWARE 1
aware of the proposal to merge UNAWARE 2
the two cities? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3
67 . From what you have heard or seen, STRONGLY FAVOR 1
do you favor or oppose the merging FAVOR 2
of Elk River and Otsego? (WAIT OPPOSE 3
FOR RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly STRONGLY OPPOSE 4
that way? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5
•
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6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 P09 APR 07 '97 16:44
Now, just a few more questions for demographic purposes. . . .
. Could you tell me how many people in each of the following age
groups live in your household. Let' s start oldest to
youngest . . . .
68 . Seniors over 65?
69 . Adults between 18 and 64
years old?
70 . School aged children?
71 . Pre-schoolers?
72 . Do you own or rent your present OWN 1
residence? RENT 2
REFUSED 3
IF "OWN, " ASK:
73 . Which of the following cate- UNDER $75, 000 1
gories would contain the $75, 000-$150 , 000 2
approximate value of your OVER $150, 000 3
residential property -- under DON'T KNOW 4
$75, 000, $75, 000-$150, 000, or REFUSED 5
over $150, 000?
• 74 . What is your occupation and, if applicable, the occupation
of your spouse or partner?
M: F:
75 . What is your age, please? 18 - 24 1
25 - 34 2
35 - 44 3
45 - 54 4
55 - 64 5
65 AND OVER 6
REFUSED 7
76 . What is the last grade of formal LESS THAN HIGH SCHOOL1
education you completed? HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE2
VO-TECH/TECH COLL 3
SOME COLLEGE 4
COLLEGE GRADUATE 5
POST-GRADUATE 6
REFUSED 7
77 . Gender of respondent . MALE 1
(DO NOT ASK. ) FEMALE 2
Thanks very much f or y our time. Good-bye.
e.
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6129296166 DECISION RESOURSES 087 P10 APR 07 '97 16:44
78 . Ward. (FROM LIST) ONE 1
TWO 2
• THREE 3
FOUR 4
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