PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN UPDATE 2013•
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City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation
Master Plan Update 2013
u.
Clearwater
Parks & Recreation Department
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Executive Summary
The City of Clearwater's Parks and Recreation Department completed a Master Plan in 2002 that
proposed projects and programs for a twenty year time frame, until 2022. During the last eleven years,
the City faced many changes not predicted in the original Master Plan, including unforeseen economic
challenges. Additionally, Penny for Pinellas funding will be available in the next several years, prompting
a review of priorities and impacts identified in the 2002 Master Plan.
The City of Clearwater's Parks and Recreation system is robust, providing important parks and programs
to Clearwater's residents and visitors. The City of Clearwater provides integral programs through both
direct service delivery and its many partnerships. This facilitator model allows the City of Clearwater to
deliver a large volume of programs efficiently and effectively.
The Master Plan update approach contained both detailed analysis and a robust community
engagement process. To create a systematic framework for reviewing and updating the 2002 Master
Plan, the following items were evaluated and considered:
• Benefits of Parks and Recreation
• Demographic Trend Analysis
• Community Engagement
• Existing Conditions Analysis & Prioritization
Using the results of this analysis and process, a Mission, Vision, Guiding Principles and Action Plan were
created. These items will guide the programs and projects of the Parks and Recreation Department for
the next 10 years.
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• Acknowledgements
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• The City of Clearwater's 2013 Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update is a City of Clearwater
• document. It has been prepared by the City of Clearwater's Parks and Recreation Department, in
• coordination with members of the community.
• The City of Clearwater would like to thank the individuals who participated in the 2013 Parks and
• Recreation Master Plan Stakeholder Advisory Committee for their assistance in the development of this
• plan.
• Additional thanks goes to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board as well as to all of the people of
• Clearwater who participated in surveys, meetings, and provided their comments during the plan
• development.
• Clearwater City Council
• George N. Cretekos , Mayor
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• Paul F. Gibson, Vice -Mayor
• Doreen Hock- DiPolito
• Jay Polglaze
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• Bill Jonson
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City of Clearwater Senior Administration
William S. Hornell City Manager
Jill Silverboard, Assistant City Manager
Rod Irwin, Assistant City Manager
City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation Staff
Kevin Dunbar, Director
Art Kader, Assistant Director
Project Manager
Felicia Leonard AICP
Associate Project Managers
Juanita Ferrer and Robert Eastman Johnson
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Stakeholder Advisory Committee
Anne Garris, The Friends of Clearwater Beach Recreation
Paul Cozzie, Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources
Bob Clifford, Clearwater Chamber of Commerce
Darlene Kole, Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce
JoAnna Siskin, Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition
Lynn Sumerson, Environmental Services Advisory Board
Judy Warren, Juvenile Welfare Board
Joann Nesbitt, MLK Neighborhood Family Center
John Timberlake, Philadelphia Phillies and Clearwater Threshers
Scott Goyer, Suncoast YMCA
Jean Ann Hughes, Clearwater for Youth
Jason Mastropietro, Moccasin Lake Master Plan Advisory Committee
Jack Colgan, Clearwater Volunteers
Paul Goldman, Clearwater Volunteers
Dan Wood, Presidents' Council of Co- Sponsor Groups
Rachel Walters, Presidents' Council of Co- Sponsor Groups
Brad Adams, Presidents' Council of Co- Sponsor Groups
Jim Appelt, Presidents' Council of Co- Sponsor Groups
Candace Gardner, Park & Recreation Advisory Board
Brooks Hammac, Park & Recreation Advisory Board
Norene Marlow, Park & Recreation Advisory Board
Ric Ortega, Park & Recreation Advisory Board
Ray Shaw, Park & Recreation Advisory Board
Jerry Thompson, Park & Recreation Advisory Board
Allen Weatherilt, Park & Recreation Advisory Board
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary 2
Acknowledgements 3
Benefits of Parks and Recreation 8
Clearwater Demographics 14
Community Engagement 17
Vision and Mission 23
Guiding Principles 24
Existing Conditions 26
Action Items 42
Appendices 64
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List of Figures
Figure 1: Benefits of Human Health (Pictures)
Figure 2: Environmental Benefits (Pictures)
Figure 3: Social Capital (Pictures)
Figure 4: Projected Clearwater Population Percentage by Age (2012- 2040)
Figure 5: Clearwater Population Percentages, 2012 vs 2040
Figure 6: Clearwater Demographic Map by Median Age (2012)
Figure 7: Neighborhood Parks Coverage Area
Figure 8: Community Parks Coverage Area (3 mile radius)
Figure 9: Community Parks Coverage Area (2.5 mile radius)
Figure 10: Clearwater Basketball Courts
Figure 11: Clearwater Recreational Centers
Figure 12: Clearwater Diamond Fields (Softball/ Baseball)
Figure 13: Clearwater Dog Parks
Figure 14: Clearwater Golf Courses
Figure 15: Clearwater Multipurpose Square Fields (Soccer/ Football/ Lacrosse)
Figure 16: Clearwater Playgrounds
Figure 17: Clearwater Pool Facilities
Figure 18: Clearwater Tennis Courts
Figure 19: Clearwater Volleyball Courts
Figure 20: Clearwater Pedestrian and Bicycle Trails
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List of Tables
Table 1: How do we compare to National and State Guidelines?
Table 2: Population Criteria for Community Parks
Table 3: Population Criteria for Neighborhood Parks
Table 4: Age of Facilities Criteria
Table 5: Comfort Criteria
Table 6: Criteria for Usability and Improvements in Community Parks
Table 7: Criteria for Usability and Improvements in Neighborhood Parks
Table 8: Prioritization list of Community Parks
Table 9: Prioritization list of Neighborhood Parks
Table 10: Capital Improvement Project Priorities
Table 11: Future Penny for Pinellas (IV) Candidate Projects
Table 12: Program Priorities
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Benefits of Parks and Recreation
For master planning purposes and community
engagement, it is important to generally
recognize the benefits of parks and recreation.
Park and recreation systems provide many
benefits to a community. Some of these
benefits are intuitive such as providing green
space for outdoor activities, sports activities,
leisure activities and cultural events. Others,
such as the financial benefits are more difficult
to understand. Several studies have analyzed
how these seemingly qualitative benefits can be
quantitatively measured in order to be
understood as socioeconomic factors. This
section will discuss these factors divided in four
main categories:
• Human Health
• Environmental
• Financial Benefits
• Social Capital
Perhaps one of the best sources for
understanding the benefits associated with
parks are the reports by The Trust for Public
Land (TPL). TPL is the only national
conservation association dedicated to
protecting land in and near cities for people to
enjoy as parks, playgrounds and other public
spaces. Their reports provide a comprehensive
review and synthesis of the most current
research associated with parks and recreation.
This section will provide a summary of some of
the TPL reports as well as current research
relevant to local conditions and specific to the
City of Clearwater.
health
benefits
cn financial
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Benefits to Human Health
Figure 1: Benefits to Human Health. Top: North
Greenwood Recreation Center. Bottom Left: Countryside
Recreation Center. Bottom Right: The Long Center
Volumes of research have been conducted on
the benefits to human health from accessibility
to parks and recreational facilities. Access to
recreation and sports opportunities promotes
physical and mental health for both adults and
children.
Studies indicate that almost half of Americans
do not get the recommended minimum amount
of daily physical activity, which can lead to
complications such as obesity or a propensity
for chronic illnesses. According to the Pinellas
County Health Department, 65.6% of the adult
population in the county is either overweight or
obese. Additionally, the leading causes of death
in Pinellas in 2011 were cancer and heart
disease. Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
(CLRD) and diabetes are also among the top ten
leading causes of death in the county.
As illnesses like diabetes are aggravated by
unhealthy lifestyles, Clearwater Parks and
Recreation can, and should, play a role in
improving the levels of physical activity in the
community, which can have positive impacts on
the overall health of the population. Having
better health also translates into medical
savings for the individual and community.
In addition to physical health, several studies
have analyzed the impacts of green space
access to mental health. These studies have
determined that contact with nature can play a
role in relieving symptoms of depression,
anxiety, and can increase feelings of
peacefulness, tranquility and relaxation. Based
on community surveys conducted by the
Pinellas County Health Department, over 50% of
the population considers addiction (including
alcohol and drug abuse) as the top behavior of
concern in the community. From 2009 -2011,
suicide rates in Pinellas County exceeded the
state average. Promoting access to natural
space in Clearwater could become part of
comprehensive addiction and mental health
treatment initiatives.
Considering the average median age of 43.8
years of the City of Clearwater, it is essential for
the City to provide spaces for recreation for
seniors. Some studies, such as The Creativity
and Aging Study conducted by Dr. Gene Cohen,
have analyzed the impact that cultural
programs have on the physical and mental
health and social activities of persons aged 65
and older. The results from this study indicate
that individuals involved in regular arts and
cultural activities had better health, fewer
doctor visits, less medication use, better mental
health and more social involvement. Cultural
activities were found to have direct impacts on
health promotion and disease prevention, as
well as reducing several risk factors that drive
the need for long term care.
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Environmental Benefits
Figure 2: Environmental Benefits. Top: Crest Lake Park.
Bottom: Moccasin Lake Nature Park
There are many environmental benefits
provided by natural parks and green spaces
within a city. Some of the most important
benefits include stormwater retention/ flood
mitigation, air pollution control and habitat and
biodiversity conservation.
Stormwater Retention
Green spaces play a significant role in reducing
stormwater management costs by capturing
rain and reducing urban runoff. Natural green
areas are pervious allowing rainfall able to
permeate the ground and recharge the
groundwater. In contrast, much of the built
landscape is impervious. Precipitation does not
infiltrate to the ground, so there is a need for
stormwater infrastructure (pipes, sewers,
holding tanks) to avoid flooding conditions or
accumulation of runoff.
Because of the high level of urbanization in the
city (over 98.1 %), parks and open space help
mitigate runoff by providing the space to
capture rainwater. The open green space
within the City of Clearwater is estimated to
comprise around 5% of the total area.
In addition, the Parks and Recreation
Department plays a role in reducing water
consumption in the City by using native and
Florida Friendly landscaping within its
properties wherever practicable.
Air Quality
Trees and green spaces in parks help improve
air quality within urban environments. Trees
remove pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide,
sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. In
addition, some trees can store over 100 pounds
of carbon dioxide in a year, helping to reduce
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and
reducing urban heat island effects. Clearwater
maintains approximately 40,000 hardwood
trees just in city -owned lands.
Habitat and Biodiversity
Natural parks and water bodies within the City
of Clearwater provide much needed habitat to
some of the region's native fauna and flora. In
addition, environmental parks like Moccasin
Lake Nature Park provide educational
opportunities such as nature camps, bird -
watching tours and butterfly gardens.
Providing spaces for natural habitats
contributes to the biodiversity of the region,
which increases the overall ecosystem health
and has a positive impact on the region's water
sources quality.
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Social Capital
Figure 3: Social Capital. Top: Clearwater Beach. Bottom
Left: The Long Center. Bottom Right: North Greenwood
Recreation Center.
Parks and park facilities offer communities ideal
places to gather, meet neighbors and build
relationships. Several studies demonstrate that
communities with strong community ties are
safer, more resilient and successful.
Community Building
Diverse sports, recreation and cultural activities
are available throughout the City. Recreation
centers provide a safe haven for children and
teens through athletic and educational
programs. Seniors can also take advantage of
fitness centers, art classes and recreation
activities. In addition, annual events supported
by the City of Clearwater, such as Clearwater
Celebrates America, provide affordable
opportunities for families in addition to
strengthening the City's cultural identity.
Volunteerism
The City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provides ample opportunities for
adult and youth volunteers. Over 3,000
volunteers participate in activities such as
beautification projects, event organization and
logistics and educational activities like summer
camps and after - school tutoring.
Participating in volunteer activities is important
for building a sense of community. Volunteer
opportunities develop citizenship and can
provide valuable experience applicable. In
2012, volunteers contributed a total of 40,221
hours to parks and recreation initiatives in
Clearwater.
Public Safety
Natural parks that are well maintained and have
high levels of activity can positively impact
crime. In addition, providing youth with
opportunities for safe recreation can help to
reduce crime activity. By improving the quality
of parks and recreation amenities in Clearwater,
especially in economically disadvantaged
neighborhoods, the Parks and Recreation
Department can have a positive impact on
crime rates, and thus improve the overall
quality of life of the City.
Developing Partnership Resources
The City of Clearwater is a leader in the industry
in developing appropriate partnerships to
facilitate the provision of services. Parks and
recreation offers several recreation
opportunities and programs that are accessible
to the public through its many partnerships
with public and non - public organizations, such
as Ruth Eckerd Hall, Philadelphia Phillies,
Baycare Health system, Juvenile Welfare Board,
MLK Jr Neighborhood Family Center, Clearwater
for Youth, and many others.
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Financial Benefits
The quality of life and health benefits of parks
are easily justified and, for most people, they
are intuitive and self- evident. Less obvious
however, are the economic benefits that parks
and recreation bring to a community. Due to
the fiscal constraints of many municipalities, the
cost of operating and maintaining parks and
recreational facilities may seem like an
unworthy investment with low economic
return.
However, based on several studies, this is far
from the truth, as there are a series of
attributes of parks that provide quantifiable
economic benefits to a city.
In 2003, The Trust for Public Land (TPL)
published a report summarizing the many
financial benefits of parks. These benefits
include among others, increased property tax
revenues, increased tourism and direct use
savings.
Property Tax Revenues
Several studies have analyzed the impact that
natural parks have on property values. These
studies have found that in general, proximity to
parks and open spaces leads to higher property
values, and thus to higher property tax
revenues for cities. The main factors associated
to parks that influence property values are
distance from the park and quality of the park.
Environmental parks rich in trees, water
features, trails and gardens have the greatest
affect on property values. In contrast, parks that
are poorly maintained, or that are perceived as
unsafe, can reduce nearby property values,
highlighting the importance of park
maintenance. The TPL estimates that in
average, proximity within 500 feet of high
quality parks increases the assessed value of a
property by 5 %. In Clearwater, this is most
evident by the impact that the beach,
maintained by Parks and Recreation, has on
adjacent property values. For Clearwater Beach
(zip code 33767), the average single -home
residential parcel value is $565,416.47, while
the average value for single -home properties
within 500 ft of the beach is $912,491.06.
Tourism
The City of Clearwater, where most tourism
occurs mainly because of the city's recreation
amenities, benefits directly from increased sale
and tourism - related taxes. According to a St.
Petersburg /Clearwater Area Convention &
Visitors Bureau 2011 report, over 13.7 million
visitors visited the St. Pete/ Clearwater area.
Based on visitor surveys, the overwhelming
reasons for visiting the area are the weather
(89% of respondents) and the award - winning
beaches (87.4 %). Tourism is the driving force of
Clearwater's /St. Pete's economy, and it is also
the top employer. There are 84,400 tourism -
related jobs in the area. Annual visitor spending
is estimated at $6,755,432,714, which
represents $3,302,085,200 in visitor - generated
wages. In addition, the State, County and local
municipalities benefit from Hotel Bed Tax
collections which generate over $26 million in
taxes annually.
Parks and Recreation plays a decisive role in
fostering the tourism industry by organizing
events and partnering with local industry
interests. For instance, the 2013 Bright House
Clearwater Super Boat National Championship,
which took place on September 27 -29 2013,
was attended by 180,000 people and is
estimated to have had a total economic impact
of $17,868,000.
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Direct Use Savings
Another important economic benefit of parks is
not related to municipal revenues, but rather to
the savings provided to residents due to the
free or low -cost access to recreation amenities.
If public parks were not accessible, residents
willing to participate in recreation activities
would need to spend additional money to
purchase these services.
Although it is likely that many recreation
activities (like going for a casual walk in the
park) would not take place if they were not
free, economists calculate "direct use savings"
by focusing on the concept of "how much
would a person be willing to pay for a certain
benefit" to better approximate the real savings
of accessibility to parkland.
For instance, the Clearwater Country Club daily
rates for public access range from $25 to $33. In
contrast, private golf clubs in the county rely on
annual memberships and don't allow public
access on a day -to -day basis. In the event
purchasing such a membership was
prohibitively expensive, the individual would
not be able to enjoy their recreation activity of
choice, negatively affecting their perception of
quality of life.
Another example is Clearwater's Play Pass. For
an annual rate of $110, a resident can enjoy
unlimited access to the City's fitness centers,
open gyms and pools, as compared to joining a
private fitness center which can cost anywhere
from $20 -$60 per month, and up to $460+
annually.
For further reading on the many benefits
associated with access to parks and recreation,
please refer to the studies referenced in
Appendix A.
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Clearwater Demographics
In order to propose appropriate programs and
projects within the parks and recreation system,
it is extremely important to analyze the City's
present and future demographics. Based on the
University of Florida Bureau of Economic and
Business Research (BEBR), as of 2013, the City
of Clearwater has an estimated population of
109,065, which represents an increase of 1,159
from the population estimates for 2012 of
108,732. Although these estimates indicate a
small increase in population during the last
couple of years, population projections for
upcoming decades indicate the population is
expected to decline to around 104,255
residents by the year 2040.
Age
According to the US World and News Report,
the City of Clearwater is second only to
Scottsdale, AZ among the top cities in the
nation with the oldest median ages. The
estimated median age for Clearwater is 43.8,
which is much higher than the national average
of 37.2 years. Several sources, including the
Pinellas County Department of Economic
Development, estimate that the median age in
Clearwater will continue to rise, and it is
expected to be 45.5 years by 2017. The rising
median age trend is usually attributed to older
residents relocating to local communities that
cater to seniors, and that have low state and
local tax rates, and no State income tax.
Based on the population estimates for 2012, the
current population distribution reflects the high
median age of the city with 31.5% of residents
aged 60 and above, and 21.4% between the
ages of 45 -59. Only 14.6% of the population are
children under the age of 14. Based on
population projections, the current age
distribution will remain fairly consistent in the
upcoming decades: by 2040, 32% of the
population will be 60 and up, 17% will be
between 45 -59, and a slightly larger percent
than current estimates (16 %) will be children
under the age of 14 (Figures 4 &5).
Projected Clearwater Population
Percentages by Age (2012 -2040)
100.0%
80.0%
20.0%
0.0%
2012 2020 2030 2040
Year
Age
❑ 0 -14
❑ 15 -29
❑ 30 -44
® 45 -59
UI 60+
Figure 4: Projected Population Percentage
Age Group
❑ 0 -14
❑ 15 -29
❑ 30 -44
45 -59
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Age Group
❑ 0 -14
❑ 15 -29
❑ 30 -44
MI 45 -59
• 60+
Figure 5: Population Percentages 2012 vs 2040
The Clearwater Demographic Map, Figure 6 (on
the next page) illustrates the median age by
census track as defined by the US Census
Bureau. As demonstrated by the map, the area
with the lowest median age is bordered by
Drew and Maple Streets, in between Missouri
and Myrtle Avenue. The areas with an older
demographic include the beach and retirement
communities, while younger demographics are
found along SR -60 (Gulf -to -Bay) and US
Highway 19.
Race, Poverty and other Demographics
According to the US Census Bureau, the City of
Clearwater has a population that is
overwhelmingly white, comprising 79.8% of the
total population. African Americans comprise
10.9 %, with smaller percentages of Asians,
American Indians, and people of mixed descent.
Individuals identified as Hispanic of Latino,
regardless of race, comprise 14.2% of the
population.
The median household income as of 2011 is
estimated as $41,986, which is lower than the
national median income of $50,502. 15.5% of
the population in the City is estimated to live
below the poverty line.
Sources: Estimates and projections by Shimberg
Center for Housing Studies, based on 2000, 2010
U.S. Census data & 2011 American Community
Survey; population projections by the Bureau of
Economic and Business Research, University of
Florida.
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Clearwater Demographic Map (2012 Estimate)
... . AGE
Population Distribution
TOTAL %
US
0-14
15,850
14.6%
.......
19.6%
15-29
17,696
16.3%
20.9%
30-44
17,701
16.3%
19.7%
45-59
23,234
21.4%
20.8%
60+
34,251
31.5%
19.0%
TOTAL
108,732
100%
100.0%
Median Age
0-14
15-29
„4„AA 30-44
45-59
7trr zt#,
MffNitA:r"•YVfittifl •
0 5,000 10,000 Feet
I i I
60+
•■■■•■•■-•■••••■*■••••■••••••••■•••■■••■•-•■•
Figure 6: Clearwater Demographic Map by Median Age
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• Community Engagement
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• The City of Clearwater is deeply committed to
• creating a comprehensive and open community
• process to ensure residents, user groups,
• associations and other stakeholders provide
• helpful input toward the development of their
• city's parks and recreation system. The
• information gathered as part of the Community
Engagement process was used in the
• formulation of recommendations of this Master
• Plan.
• During the planning process, Clearwater's Parks
• and Recreation Department targeted a
• minimum participation level of 383 residents;
• an adequate sample size calculated using the
• National Statistical Society's Calculator and the
• 2013 US Census Bureau population estimate of
• 108,732. In order to reach the sample size goal,
• the following community participation
strategies were implemented:
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• • Established a Stakeholder Advisory
• Committee
• • Established an Internal Stakeholder
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Committee
• Hosted five Community Workshops
• Conducted a Mail Survey
Using these strategies, the target sample size
was not only reached but surpassed, with a
total of 625 people participating through at
least one the community engagement formats.
The sample size of 625 ensures a confidence
level of over 95 %.
1. Stakeholder Advisory Committee
(SAC)
Four meetings were held with the SAC in order
to discuss ideas, action plans and
implementation. The following organizations
were represented on the SAC:
• Presidents' Council of co- sponsor groups
• Clearwater for Youth
• Clearwater Volunteers
• Juvenile Welfare Board
• Clearwater Chamber of Commerce
• Park & Recreation Advisory Board
• Suncoast YMCA
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Friends of Clearwater Beach Recreation
Center
• Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce
• Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition
• Pinellas County Parks and Recreation
• MLK Neighborhood Family Center
• Moccasin Lake Master Plan Advisory
Committee
• Environmental Services Advisory Board
2. Internal Stakeholder Review
An internal stakeholder review was conducted
in order to review the plan's recommendations.
The plan was reviewed by the following
departments:
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• Planning
• Police
• Library
• Office of Management and Budget
• Economic Development
• Information Technology
• General Services
• Engineering
3. Community Workshops
In addition to the SAC meetings, five community
workshops were hosted in order to allow
residents throughout Clearwater to participate
in person. The community workshops were held
on the following dates and locations:
• August 21: Ross Norton Recreation and
Aquatic Complex, 1426 S. MLK, Jr. Avenue
• August 22: North Greenwood Recreation
and Aquatic Complex, 900 N. MLK, Jr.
Avenue
• August 28: Clearwater Beach Recreation
Center, 69 Bay Esplanade
• September 3: Countryside Recreation
Center, 2640 Sabal Springs Drive
• September 4: Aging Well Center at the Long
Center, 1501 N. Belcher Road
A station format was utilized for each workshop
allowing time for questions and the collection
of data at each station. The stations included
the presentation of:
• Proposed Park Classifications
• Level of Service for Outdoor Facilities
• Neighborhood Park Prioritization
• General Comments
• Testimonies
Participants had the opportunity to understand
the importance of parks and recreation in
context to our greater community, while
commenting and assessing current conditions.
Staff members at each station explained the
topic information, answered questions and
encouraged comments.
Approximately 110 individuals participated in
the community workshops. Of these, an
estimated 80% are direct residents of
Clearwater (based on zip -code information)
with most of the remaining participants coming
from the adjacent areas of Dunedin, Palm
Harbor, Safety Harbor and East Lake. The
majority of participants (56 %) were in the age
range 60 +. 29% of participants were between
the ages of 30 -50, and 15% were under the age
of 30.
The complete report of results for the
Community Workshops can be found in
Appendix B.
4. Mail Survey
To achieve a truly random sample, a mail survey
was also conducted. The survey asked a variety
of questions such as: what kind of parks or
facilities participants prefer, what amenities
they liked to see, and what facilities in their
area need renovations and upgrades.
A total of 3,000 households located in
Clearwater were randomly selected to receive
the survey. About 17% (-500) of the 3,000
18
••••••••
surveys mailed were returned because the
housing unit was vacant or the postal service
was unable to deliver the survey as addressed.
Of the approximately 2,500 households
presumed to have received a survey, 490
completed the survey, providing a response
rate of 20 %. The 95% confidence interval (or
"margin of error ") was ±4 percentage points.
Survey results were weighted so that
respondent age, gender and type of housing
situation (presence or absence of children in the
household) were represented in the
proportions reflective of the Clearwater adult
population.
The complete report for the mail survey results
can be found in Appendix C.
Summary of Community Workshop and
Mail Survey Results
For the most part, the results from the mail
survey mirrored the results obtained during the
community workshops. The percentages
showing support vary slightly, but the majority
of the top responses remain consistent. The
greatest difference between both surveys
appears to be the increased support for senior
related activities in the workshop versus the
mail survey. This may be explained by the
skewed median age of the participants of the
workshops, as 56% of these participants were
citizens older than 60, which is much higher
than Clearwater's percentage of senior citizens
(31.5 %).
Community Priorities for Parks and Recreation
The top two mission statements for parks and
recreation that most resonated with residents
were "to provide opportunities for residents to
maintain and improve physical health" and "to
provide positive activities for children and teens
(age 19 and younger) ". Both of these mission
statements were considered essential by over
68% of respondents of both surveys. "Providing
green and natural spaces within the
community" was also a mission statement
showing a majority of support on both surveys
(over 58 %). The main difference between the
surveys was that in the workshop survey the
mission "to provide recreational, social and
health opportunities for older adults" was
among the top three choices. In contrast, the
mail survey response was "to promote a more
beautiful community and greater sense of
place" was a mission of higher importance.
The surveys asked which population group was
the most important to be served by recreational
programming. The top choices on both surveys
were Children, Teenagers, Families as a group,
Adults, Senior Residents, and People with
Disabilities. On the workshop survey, the
highest priority was given to senior adults (54%
of participants considered it essential), while in
the mail survey the highest priority was given to
Teenagers (ages 13 -19) (49% "essential ") and
Children (ages 6 -12) (43% "essential "). The
target population given the lowest importance
on both surveys was non - residents ( <10 %).
In both surveys, the recreation activities
regarded as most important for the City of
Clearwater to provide were community events,
wellness /fitness programs, aquatics and sports
teams and lessons ( >25% considered essential).
The activity considered the least important to
provide was gymnastics (<10% support on both
surveys).
The surveys asked about the importance of
some of the specific community events
sponsored by the Clearwater Parks and
19
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Recreation Department. The top events
considered "essential" or "very important" by a
majority (58 % +) of the respondents of both
surveys are: Philadelphia Phillies Spring
Training, Clearwater Threshers, Turkey Trot,
Jazz Holiday, Clearwater Celebrates America,
and Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend.
In both surveys, the event that was considered
of the lowest importance is "Tri Rock ".
The respondents were given a series of paired
statements from which they were to choose the
one that best represented how they felt. For all
questions except for one, the selected choice is
the same for the mail and the workshop surveys
(with varying degrees of support).
The selected choices are as follows:
• Parks and recreation should be run
based on a human - services model as
opposed to a business - oriented one.
• Recreation programs should be offered
at all levels (beginner to advanced) as
opposed to only at beginner and
intermediate levels.
• Landscaping should be beautifully
maintained as opposed to landscapes
that require minimal or no
maintenance.
• Playgrounds are preferred to be larger
in size serving the entire community as
opposed to smaller serving only
neighborhoods.
• There should be diversity in
recreational offerings (arts, yoga, etc),
as opposed to focusing only on popular
sports and fitness.
• Facilities should be available for drop -
in use as opposed to being scheduled
around planned activities.
• When facing budget cuts, it is preferred
to lower the levels of service than to
eliminate programs and facilities
completely.
• The City should serve our current and
projected demographic, instead of
trying to attract younger families.
• Courts should be lit at both special use
facilities and neighborhood parks, as
opposed to exclusively at special
facilities or exclusively at neighborhood
parks.
• It is preferred to have restrooms only
at high -use facilities vs. at all
neighborhood and special use parks.
• Events at Coachman Park should be
large events that attract visitors,
instead of smaller events serving
primarily residents, or the idea of
completely eliminating the events.
The only difference between the mail survey
and the workshop survey results was a question
inquiring on whether the City should provide
activities that complement community offerings
but not duplicate them, versus providing
activities as requested by residents, regardless
of whether other agencies within the
community provide them. In the mail survey,
not duplicating activities showed majority
support, while in the workshop survey meeting
the residents' requests had stronger support.
20
• • • S • S • • • • • • • • • . . . S . . . . S . . . . . S . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purpose of Parks and Recreation
Both surveys asked participants to rank the
purposes of parks and recreation.
"Providing places for children to play on
playground equipment" and "providing natural
open lands or wildlife habitat" were identified
as two of the most essential purposes of
Clearwater's parks in both surveys.
The mail survey identified "Providing a place to
walk or jog" among the top three more
important purposes, while the workshop survey
identified instead "providing visual green
spaces within the city" as highly important. The
least important purpose was found to be
"providing annual flower plantings" (considered
essential by less than 12% of respondents in
both surveys).
Parks and Recreation Use
The surveys were also used to assess resident
use of a variety of parks and recreation
offerings. For each activity or facility,
respondents indicated whether, in the last year,
they or anyone in their household had
participated in any of the listed activities. The
activities that had the highest participation
rates were walking, running or jogging in a
park, swimming, fishing, relaxing or having a
social event at the beach, attending an event
at Bright House Networks Field or Ruth Eckerd
Hall, attending a community event and using
the Pinellas or Ream Wilson trails. In the
workshop survey, "dropping -in for exercise
(weights, exercise machines, etc)" had a high
participation rate, while in the mail survey
"relaxing in a park" was one of the highest
ranked activities. The activities that the least
number of respondents had participated in
included shuffleboard (mail survey) and using a
skate park (workshop survey).
The surveys also inquired on the importance of
providing various activities and facilities within
the City. For the most part, the rating of
importance reflected participation levels with
providing beach facilities for swimming and
recreation being the most highly ranked in both
surveys. Interestingly, in both the mail and
workshop surveys, "playing at a playground"
was not among the activities with the highest
participation levels, but it was considered as
one of the most important facilities to offer. In
the workshop survey, providing "parks and
nature parks" and providing community events,
were considered of high importance. The mail
survey responses proved more specific, as they
indicated Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail and
Bright House Networks Field, as very important
amenities. The activities considered the least
important were shuffleboard (mail survey) and
skate parks (workshop survey).
Residents' Perspectives on Funding
When asked whether the funding for operating
the costs of facilities and programs should come
primarily through fees or taxes, the majority of
respondents (62 % +) from both surveys
indicated that taxes should pay for the
majority, with user fees funding the remaining
costs. Funding operating costs exclusively
through fees was opposed by an overwhelming
majority (less than 5% support in both surveys).
Alternative funding strategies such as
supplementing operating costs via different
revenue sources such as grants, donation and
taxes showed overwhelming support from the
21
• • • S • S • • • • • • • . . . . . S . . . . . S . . . . . . . . . ` . . . . . . . .
community (over 86% in both surveys).Other
alternatives such as using profitable programs
such as sports leagues to help pay for Tess
profitable ones, and higher fees for non-
residents participating in recreation programs
also received strong support with over 72% of
respondents of both surveys agreeing with
these premises.
Preferences for Options to Reduce the Parks
and Recreation Budget
When making tough budget choices,
respondents from both surveys supported
eliminating some community events, reducing
recreation facility operating hours, and
eliminating some athletic fields (Although the
support did not reflect an overwhelming
majority, ranging from 42 %- 56 %). In the mail
survey, reducing cultural programs was also
shown relative support, while in the workshop
survey greater support was indicated for
reducing landscape maintenance in areas such
as medians. The budget reductions most
opposed by respondents include reducing
beach maintenance (mail survey) and reducing
programs that serve senior adults (workshop
survey, again reflecting the workshops'
demographics).
22
• • • S • S • • • • S • • S • • S S • • • • . . . . . . . S . . I . . . . . . . . . .
Vision and Mission
The following Mission and Vision statements
were articulated for the purposes of this 2013
Master Plan Update, and were created by the
Stakeholder Advisory Committee based on the
results of the Community Engagement process.
The purpose of these statements is to provide a
framework by which the Parks and Recreation
Department will provide programs and services.
The statements are as follows:
Mission
Clearwater Parks and Recreation creates diverse
and outstanding recreational, natural and
cultural experiences within our community to
enrich the quality of life for all of our current
residents and for future generations. We
preserve, enhance and protect our open spaces
as safe and secure environments.
Vision
The Parks and Recreation Department pledges
to:
• Provide stewardship of our city's natural,
cultural, and historical resources.
• Provide recreational opportunities in a
leisure environment.
• Provide the highest standard of excellence
in public service through cooperative
partnership with our diverse community.
• Equitably distribute resources throughout
the City.
23
• • • S • • . . . . S S s . s . . . . . . . . . . . . I . . S . . . . . . . . . . . .
Guiding Principles
The Stakeholder Advisory Committee
established the following principles to provide
guidance for the vision for the future of each
park in terms of its design, development,
programming, maintenance and operations.
These guidelines are to be considered in each
phase of project development and operation.
1. Understand and Enhance the
Character of the Park
Sense of Place
Sense of place describes an emotional
connection with the landscape. It is important
to understand what makes each park unique
and how it integrates into the character of the
surrounding community.
Resident Needs
Each park should meet local recreation needs,
enhance public health by promoting regular
exercise, and strengthen the social fabric of the
local community by providing places to gather
with family and friends.
Current Infrastructure
Before adding site improvements, current
recreational facilities and the communities
being served by those facilities will be
considered, and current resources will be
maximized (if practicable).
2. Create, Preserve and Maintain
Natural Communities
Ecological Support
Parks provide critical ecological support to
Clearwater's environment, including water and
air quality, flood protection, pollination and
nutrient recycling.
Natural Lands Management
Management of natural lands should focus first
on the integrity of natural communities and
landscape connectivity.
Volunteer Stewardship
Volunteers gain a sense of personal ownership
in the natural communities in the park and
surrounding community and provide valuable
labor that reduces operational costs.
3. Help People Become Healthier
Provide a Variety of Park Activities and
Programming
A diverse variety of programs will foster new
skills and a feeling of safety and social support
that will encourage people to increase their
physical activity.
Ensure that the Park is Easily Accessible
A park can benefit people if they are aware of
the park's offerings and understand how to use
them. The park should be easy to find.
Develop and Maximize Partnerships
Development of a park that promotes physical
activity and produces measureable results
requires a diverse set of skills and resources.
Partnering with hospitals, private foundations
and other governmental entities is invaluable in
creating and maintaining a healthy population.
24
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4. Develop Facilities that Protect and
Improve the Environment
Incorporate Sustainable Design Practices
The objectives of sustainable design practices
are to reduce consumption of non - renewable
resources, minimize waste and create healthy,
productive environments.
Incorporate Operational Practices that Protect
the Environment
Design site facilities to help conserve energy
where possible.
Understand the Environmental History of the
Site
Review of environmental reports and any
environmental contamination history will help
guide facility development that creates safe
recreational use and prevents release of
contaminants.
5. Improve Access to Recreation
Welcome Everyone
Clearwater residents vary in ethnic diversity,
socioeconomic status, age, interest and physical
ability. Diversity of the people who use and
enjoy our parks should be valued. Residents
should be first priority, and that should be
reflected in any user fee structure.
Principles of Universal Design
Consider the quality of the park experience and
convenience of use to provide benefit to all
people, regardless of age or ability.
Maximize Access within the Park
Establish a safe, clearly- marked, high - quality
circulation network within the park to
accommodate pedestrians, vehicular drivers,
cyclists and other non - motorized vehicle users
and those with special needs.
Promote Local and Regional Connections
Trails and non - motorized access to the park
should be integrated into both regional and
local plans for trail connectivity.
Be a Regional Recreational Destination and
support Sports Tourism
Identify and enhance park features that are
unique on a regional level to increase the
number of visitors to sports- related events.
25
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Existing Conditions Analysis
Part of the master planning process is to
examine the existing facilities to ascertain
where gaps and /or surpluses may be evident.
This master plan update examined the level of
service of our park system in regards to the
classification and geographic coverage of parks
in Clearwater as well as the type and number of
outdoor recreation facilities that are provided.
This section details the results of these two
analyses.
Level of Service Analysis —
Classification and Geographic Coverage
In order to assess whether the number and type
of parks within the current system is adequate,
Clearwater's park system was evaluated using
state and federal guidelines.
The National Recreation and Parks Association
(NRPA) and the Florida Statewide Outdoor
Comprehensive Recreation Plan (SCORP) have
both developed guidelines for the appropriate
classification of parks and recreational facilities
in a city. These guidelines help define the type
of park, size and recommended population
served.
Using the guidelines, the following
classifications were defined for the City of
Clearwater:
• Open Space Parks: Spaces that are
generally open land with natural or aesthetic
landscaping and no amenities. Open spaces are
often designed to help mitigate water runoff
and provide a visual and psychological relief
from urban development. These spaces serve
the residents of the entire city.
• Neighborhood Parks: These parks have a
design that may include playgrounds, outdoor
courts, picnic areas, open space and
landscaping. Neighborhood parks are intended
to serve a geographic area of a one mile radius.
• Community Parks: Community parks
offer amenities that cater to an entire
community. These parks are typically large in
geographic area, include amenities found in a
neighborhood park, but also include a staffed
recreation center. They may include swimming
pools and facilities for cultural activities. These
parks are intended to serve a geographic area
within a three mile radius.
• Environmental Parks: Environmental
parks are important because they provide a
balance of ecological diversity and wildlife.
These parks support nature, cultural and history
programs, and nature watching. Typically trails,
educational programs and facilities are
included. Environmental Parks are intended to
serve the entire community.
• Special Use Facilities: These facilities
provide large scale user - orientated recreational
activities such as sports complexes, tennis
complexes, golf courses, docks, stadiums,
beaches and performing arts venues.
Based on these guidelines, the City of
Clearwater conducted an inventory of the City's
parks and recreational facilities and classified
each facility appropriately. This inventory
identified a total of 110 facilities of which there
are:
• 23 Open Space Parks
• 26 Neighborhood Parks
• 5 Community Parks
26
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• • 29 Environmental Parks
•
• • 27 Special Facilities
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For a full list of the Park facilities please refer to
Appendix D.
Park Coverage
After the classification of each of the park
facilities, the NRPA and SCORP guidelines were
again used to conduct a geographic analysis of
the service area of the Neighborhood and
Community parks in order to identify how well
the population is being served.
Figure 7: Neighborhood Parks Coverage Area (1 mile)
For the Neighborhood parks, the service area
was defined as a one -mile buffer around the
park's perimeter. As can be seen in Figure 7, the
level of service for Neighborhood parks
comprises a large percentage of the city's
extent with only small areas in Clearwater's
service area not included.
The area south of Lakeview Road (in between
Highland and Eastfield Avenues) is
unincorporated leaving only a small service gap
north of SR -580.
LEGEND
1 MILE BUFFERS -= CLEARWATER BOUNDARY
NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS STREETS
WATER BODIES TRAILS
LAND MASS
tltarwa6er
miles
2
4
1
1
N
T 'ElCq -030 .1 -GOOD PM q( COVERglgE
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When evaluating the Community Parks, the
service area per the guidelines is defined as a
three mile buffer around each park. The
geographic analysis demonstrated that the
entire city was serviced using a three mile
buffer from each of the parks (Figure 8). A
second analysis was done using a smaller 2.5
mile buffer, which also determined that the
overwhelming majority of the City is within this
distance from any of the existing community
parks (Figure 9).
The level of service regarding the number of
parks and their geographic coverage within the
City of Clearwater's population is excellent. A
very large majority of the residents are within 1
mile of a neighborhood park and 2.5 miles of a
community park.
LEGEND
( 3 MILE BUFFERS
CLEQRtiJATER BO
( ] COMMUNITY PARKS STREETS
WATER BODIES TRAILS
(1, 1 rIvaier
Figure 8: Community Parks Coverage Area (3 miles)
• • • • • • • S s s • s • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . e ` . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LEGEND
2.5 MILE BUFFERS CLEARWATER BOUND
COMMUNITY PARKS STREETS
WATER BODIES TRAILS
LAND MASS
at+n*
e I.
wttly N
Lim
a•
..iarya
t4A entrants
ntA
nt
•••.
e.a.■ ..
it sTrPir iY ®T... yi— bb i
l
c•in no
vn. a ma ma
ciao
a C • 9.
t al II Yra
w_■••• ....
(70iAt ligsh PARK COVERAgE
(h:arwat r
miles U
2
4
Figure 9: Community Parks Coverage Area (2.5 miles)
RECOMME CLEARWATER" SERVICE GAP/
SURPLUUdi
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Level of Service Analysis - Outdoor
Facilities
In addition to the Level -of Service guidelines for
the type and number of park facilities, the
National Recreation and Parks Association
(NRPA) also provides a series of guidelines
specific to the recommended number and type
of outdoor facilities. These guidelines use
population size as the parameter on which to
base the number of outdoor recreational
facilities, such as basketball courts and
playgrounds, that should be available within a
City. For instance, the NRPA recommends that
cities should provide one basketball court per
every 7,340 residents *.
In a similar way, the Florida Statewide
Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
(SCORP) also outlines a series of guidelines for
natural, bike and equestrian trail mileage, based
on the number of users. For example, SCORP
guidelines indicate that there should be 1 mile
of bike trails for every 2,000 trail users within a
municipality.
In an effort to determine how the City of
Clearwater measures to these national and
state guidelines, an analysis was conducted of
the number and type of outdoor facilities and
trails throughout the City. This analysis,
combined with specific demographic and socio-
economic profile of the City of Clearwater,
along with the Community Engagement results
served to identify potential service gaps and
surpluses in the recreation offerings.
Table 1: Clearwater Outdoor Recreational Facilities, How We Compare To National And State Guidelines?
TYPE OF FACILITY
GUIDELINE
Basketball Courts
Recreation Centers
Diamond fields (Baseball /Softball)
Dog Parks
Golf course (9 hole)
Multipurpose Fields
(Soccer /Football /Lacrosse)
Playgrounds
Swimming Pools Indoor
Swimming Pools Outdoor
Tennis Courts
Volleyball courts
Bike Trails
Nature Trails
Equestrian Trails
1 court per 7,340
1 center per 24,683*
1 field per 2,900*
1 park per 43,333
1 course per 24,952*
1 field per 3,783*
1 per 3,364 [Ages 0-
14]*
1 pool per 47,800*
1 pool per 33,128*
1 court per 4,375*
1 court per 5,000
1 mile per 2000
.26 mile per 1000
users **
0.4 miles per 1000
15
4
37
3
22
7
34
3
6
7
3
0
2
29 18 -11
5
2
3
41
22
54.37
8.20
2.6
users **
Estimates based on population of the City of Clearwater (2010 US Census): Total Population 108, 732
Total Population age range 0 -14: 15,850
* Parks and Recreation National 2013 Database Report (Median jurisdiction population per facility)
** 2013 State of Florida Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Study
27 22
1
4
49
4
14.77
16.45
1
8
-18
-39.6
8.25
1.2 -1.4
30
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Basketball Courts
National guidelines recommend a total of 15
basketball courts for a city with the population
size of Clearwater. The City currently has a total
of 22 basketball courts, of which 15 are outdoor
courts, and 7 are indoor. In addition, there are 9
basketball courts at three different schools
(Clearwater High School, Countryside High
School and Oak Grove Middle School), which
are open to the public depending on
availability.
Based on the feedback from community
workshops and the mail survey, there is
reasonable support among city residents for
accessibility to basketball courts, with 58%
(community workshops) and 56% (mail survey)
of respondents indicating that this is essential
or very important.
Based on the national guidelines, there are
currently, an adequate number of basketball
courts available throughout the City. Survey
respondents indicated moderate support for
accessibility to basketball courts. Taking both of
these factors into account, there does not
appear to be any evident service gaps regarding
basketball court accessibility in the City of
Clearwater.
There was also strong support to light the
courts at night in both neighborhood and
special use facilities with 57% of the mail
respondents and 54% of the workshop
respondents responding favorably.
Note: For larger -scale maps of all outdoor
facilities please refer to Appendix D.
A
Clearwater
Basketball Courts
fl
BASKETBALL
KEY PARR NAME
Coachman Ridge Park
1 Del Oro Park
3 Mernmgside Park
a forest Run Park
5 Wood Valley Rec. Cents,
6 Valencia Park
Marymont Part
B Montclair Park
9 Woedgate Part
N. Greenwood Rec. &
10 _ Aquatic Complex
Clearwater Beady Ken
Complex
Martin Luther King Jr.
12 Community Center
73 Countryside Community
Park
14 Ross Norton
15 Long Center
TOTAL:
TOTAL COURTS:
Ot1ttOOR INDOOR
COURTS COURTS
Legend
Clearwater Parks I
T
® Basketball Courts
-- i
3
Figure 10: Clearwater Basketball Courts
31
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Recreation Centers
National guidelines recommend that for a city
with the population of Clearwater, there should
be at least four recreation centers. There
currently are seven recreation centers owned
by the City of Clearwater's Parks and Recreation
Department. All seven recreation centers are
open to the public, however, two are leased to
other organizations and not managed directly
by the City.
Based on the input from the community
workshops and the mail survey, the community
feels very strongly that one of the main roles of
the city is to provide recreation centers, with
78% of workshop participants and 73% mail
survey respondents agreeing that this is Very
Important or Essential.
According to the guidelines, there is a sufficient
level of service with regards to recreation
centers in the City. Additionally, a large majority
of residents are within 2.5 miles of a recreation
center.
Clearwater
Recreation Centers
6
is•-r)
RECREATION CENTERS
KEY PARK NAME
LEASED
MACOORES
I Ross Norton Rea Center
N. Greenwood Rec.&
Aquatic Complex
3 The long Center
clearwatcr Beach Rec.
Complex
Countryside Community
Park
6 Kings Hwy Rec. Center
7 Wood Valley Rec Center
4
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Recreation Centers
Leased
Figure 11: Clearwater Recreation Centers
32
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Diamond Fields (Baseball/ Softball)
National guidelines for cities with the
population of Clearwater recommend
accessibility to a total of 37 public diamond
fields (baseball or softball).
Currently, there are 34 diamond fields
throughout the city. In addition, two additional
fields are open to the public on a limited basis
(depending on availability) at Countryside High
School and Oak Grove Middle School.
Based on the feedback from the community
workshops and the mail survey, the majority of
respondents, 58% of workshop participants and
61% of mail survey respondents, agreed with
the premise that it is very important or essential
for the city to provide access to baseball and
softball fields.
Based on the national estimates, there appears
to be a small service gap in the number of
diamond fields. Considering there is moderate
support from the public for access to these
kinds of fields, it is recommended that the City
develop additional baseball /softball fields.
A
Clearwater Diamond Fields
(Baseball! softball)
I
9
i !
5
DIAMOND MILK
REV PARR NAME
Eddie[ Above Rec. Complet 9
food lack Park
Ross Norton Pm & Aquatic
Cmala. & Enreme Park
a Sad UCkton 7
5 Carpenter Ereld 4
6 Ice Drh4eM fields 7
7 Countryside Comps/My Park S
8 Marymont Park
9 lack Russet Stadium
!O ari EAthouu Net works F1 ski
TOTAL aE
FIEUX LEASED
7
Legend
Clearwater Parks
MM Diamond Fields
Leased Diamond Fields
Figure 12: Clearwater Diamond Fields
33
•••••••••
••••••••••
Dog Parks
According to the national guidelines, the
recommended number of dog parks for the City
of Clearwater is three, which is the current
number of parks available, indicating an
adequate level of service.
Based on the input provided through the
community workshops and the mail survey,
43% of community workshop participants and
54% of mail survey respondents consider
providing Dog Parks as Very Important or
Essential to be provided by the City.
As such, it does not appear to be a priority to
build additional dog parks considering the level
of service and the community's feedback.
Clearwater
Dog Parks
U
Crest eke Pak
EnterpasEntog Park
1.
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Dog Parks
DOG PARKS
KEY
1
2
3
PARK NAME
Crest Lake Park
Enterprise Dog Park
Sand Key County Park
TOTAL
II OF PARKS
1
1
1
N
Ai
Figure 13: Clearwater Dog Parks
34
••••••••
••••••••
Golf Courses
Based on the population of Clearwater, national
guidelines recommend a total of four 9 -hole
golf courses accessible to the public. There
currently are three 18 -hole golf Courses in
Clearwater (which can be counted as six "9-
hole" courses).
Figure 14: Clearwater Golf Courses
Based on the input provided through the
community workshops and the mail survey,
only 26% of community workshop and 31% of
mail survey respondents indicated that it is Very
Important or Essential for the City to provide
access to golf courses.
Taking into account that there is not a service
level gap, and that community support for
public golf courses does not appear to be
strong, it appears that it is not necessary to
build any additional golf courses.
Clearwater
Golf courses
. i
jl
111
O
it
L
\*— Clearwater Exik GoW Course
Clearw a try Club
5
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Golf Courses
GOLF COURSES
KEY
1
PARK NAME 110F HOLES
Clearwater Country Club 18
Clearwater Executive Golf
2 Course 18
Chi -Chi Rodriguez Golf
3 Course
18
TOTAL 54
1
35
• i . . . . . . s S • S . . S • • • • S S • • • S S • I • • S • • • • • • • S S • • •
Multipurpose Fields
(Soccer/ Football /
Lacrosse)
National guidelines recommend that for the
population of Clearwater a total of 29
multipurpose fields are recommended.
Multipurpose fields are square fields that can
be used to play soccer, football, lacrosse,
ultimate Frisbee or similar sports. There
currently are 18 publicly owned multipurpose
fields in the City. There are four additional fields
that are located in two different high schools
(Clearwater and Countryside), that are open to
the public on a limited basis, depending on
availability.
Based on the national guidelines, there are an
insufficient number of multipurpose fields
throughout the city, with an estimated service
gap of approximately 11 fields.
Based on the community workshop and mail
survey results, 63% of community workshop
participants and 68% of mail survey
respondents indicated that it is Very Important
or Essential to provide these kinds of
multipurpose fields in the city.
There is both a service gap and evident support
from the community for the development of
additional multipurpose fields.
Clearwater Multipurpose
Square Fields
(Soccer/ Football/ Lacrosse)
S
i
r
SQUARE MULTIPURPOSE MOS
f
PARK NAME P OF FIELOS
Countryvde Sports CmpIr
The Long Center
Eddie C. Moore Rec. GNP.
Fields 1 -4
4 Glen Wks Park
S
too O.Mapm Fields
Walter C. Campbell /Secs
Field /lark Russell Stadium
Phihpleoos
TOTAL
Legend
Clearwater Parks
- Square Fields
2
Figure 15: Clearwater Multipurpose Fields
36
• . . . . . . . S . • . . . S . . . S . . . . . I . . • . . . • I . • . S • S S • • •
Playgrounds
Based on national guidelines, the
recommended number of playgrounds that
should be provided by a city is one for every
3,364 residents. For the current population of
Clearwater of 15,850 residents under the age of
14, this would mean that a total of 5
playgrounds are recommended. However, this
only considers resident population and not
visitors to the area.
Currently, there are a total of 27 playground
facilities throughout the City. It appears that
there are no significant service gaps with
regards to playgrounds in the City, and that
rather, considering the city's demographics,
there is a surplus.
Based on input from the community
engagement process, a large majority (90% of
mail survey respondents and 77% of community
workshop participants) consider access to
playgrounds as Very Important or Essential.
However, only 45% of mail respondents and
41% of workshop participants used a
playground within the past year.
Also, 58% of workshop participants and 69% of
mail survey respondents indicated that
playgrounds should serve the entire
community, have more play equipment, have
diverse options for all ages (6 months to 2, 2 -5
and 5 -12), be larger in scale and be within
driving distance.
i ao
Clearwater
Playgrounds
r
7 48
r5
\
4 25
XIV P114.4141
1,1,1 Fele toy
•
n
Legend
Playgrounds
Clearwater Parks
Figure 16: Clearwater Playgrounds
37
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Swimming Pools
Based on the population of Clearwater, the
recommended number of public pools is 5
pools: 2 indoor and 3 outdoor. There are
currently are five pool facilities within the City;
only one of those is an indoor pool. Based on
the standard, there is a service gap in indoor
pools and it would be recommended to build an
additional indoor pool facility.
When considering national guidelines, it is
necessary to take into account the local climate.
Figure 17: Clearwater Pool Facilities
Most of the cities in the country do not enjoy
the year round comfortable outdoor weather
conditions of Clearwater, so the construction of
an indoor pool may not be necessary.
The results of the community engagement
indicate that a majority of respondents feel that
providing both indoor (57% of workshop
participant and 54% of mail survey
respondents) and outdoor (60% of workshop
participants and 60% of mail survey
respondents) pools is Very Important/ Essential
for the City.
Clearwater
Pool Facilities
N
I ,
3s:_
4
5
Legend
Clearwater Parks !:
Pool Facilities
POOL FACILITIES
KEY PARK NAME
1 Clearwater Beach Rec. Complex
N. Greenwood Rec. & Aquate<
Complex
Ross Norton Rec & Aquaec
3 Complex
4 The tang Center 1 YES •
5 Morn ngside Park
TOTAL POOLS 5
POOLS INDOOR
1 N
A
A
38
• . . . • r • • . . • . • • . . • . . . . . . . . . . • . . • . • . • • . • . • • • •
Tennis Courts
For a city with the population of
Clearwater, it is recommended to have a total
of 41 tennis courts accessible to the public. The
City of Clearwater currently has a total of 49
tennis courts, thus there is a surplus of Tennis
courts in the city.
Although tennis is a traditionally popular sport,
the results from the community engagement
process indicated that only 42% of workshop
participants and 54% of mail survey
respondents feel that it is Very Important or
Essential for the City to provide tennis courts.
Given the current surplus, perhaps it would be
adequate to repurpose some of the courts, or
alternatively to adapt some of these courts to
become multipurpose and available for use for
a range of sports.
Given the demographics of the City, and based
on local advocacy groups, it may be adequate to
adapt some of these courts for "pickleball ".
Pickleball is a sport of growing popularity
among senior citizens. It is a sport that
combines elements of tennis, badminton and
ping -pong, and that is played with a paddle and
a wiffle ball in a court slightly smaller than a
tennis court. There are multiple sources
indicating how to adapt tennis courts for
pickleball.
Clearwater
Tennis Courts
.11
--J
8
X83
e3
{
C
TENNIS COURTS
KEY PAM NAME
I Coachman Ridge Park
Doi Om Park
3 Momingside Pen Complex
4 Forest Run Park 2
Wood Valley Rea Center 2
6 Valencia Park 2
T Ed C Wright Park 1
8 Woodgate Park 2
9 Country Hollow Park 2
10 &ry Park on Sand Key 2
Clearwater Beath Roc.
11 Complex 3
12 Soule Road Park 2
Henry L MCMulten Tennis
14 Comptes 15
Martin Luther King Jr
14 Community Center 3
16 Bayfroot Tennis Complrs 4
TOTAL COURTS: 49
*OF COURTS
2
1
4
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Tennis Courts
Figure 18: Clearwater Tennis Courts
39
. . . . . . . . . . • . . • . . • . . • . . . . • . . • . . • • • . • • . • • • • • •
Volleyball Courts
Based on the recommended guidelines, within
the City of Clearwater there should be a total of
22 volleyball courts accessible to the public.
There are currently only 4 beach volleyball
courts owned and managed by the City.
Based on these guidelines, there is a sizable
service gap regarding the accessibility to public
volleyball courts. However, based on the
community survey, only a small percentage of
participants (30% of mail survey respondents)
consider access to these types of courts as
either Very Important or Essential.
In addition to the limited public support,
although there are only 4 permanent volleyball
courts, the City regularly erects temporary
volleyball courts for special events or
tournaments.
Clearwater
Volleyball Courts
-j
J
Legend
rl
r
VOLLEYBALL
Clearwater Parks
Volleyball Courts
KEY PARK NAME
1 Clearwater Public Beach
TOTAL
# OF COURTS.
4
A
Figure 19: Clearwater Volleyball Courts
40
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Pedestrian, Bicycle and Equestrian
Trails
Statewide guidelines for
accessibility and mileage of trails within a city
vary depending on the type of trail. For a city
like Clearwater, the recommended mileage for
bike trails is 54.37 miles, for nature trails is 8.20
miles and for equestrian trails 2.6 miles.
The existing bike trails within the City of
Clearwater extend over a total of 14.77 miles,
indicating there is a service gap of close to 40
miles.
With regards to natural trails, there currently
are 16.45 miles of natural (pedestrian) trails
located within the various parks throughout the
City. Based on the standard, there is no current
service gap with regards to natural trails.
Clearwater Pedestrian
and Bicycle Trails
n
Figure 20: Pedestrian and Bicycle Trails
There are no current equestrian trails within the
City, however, one is currently under
construction.
Based on the community engagement input, a
strong majority of participants indicate that
providing trails is an Essential or Very Important
purpose of the Parks and Recreation
Department, with 83% of workshop participants
and 85% of mail survey respondents supporting
bike trails and 71% of workshop participants
and 66% of mail survey respondents supporting
nature trails. In contrast, the support for the
importance of accessibility to equestrian trails
was only of 6% (community workshop
participants) 18% (mail survey respondents).
Based on these percentages, it appears to be a
priority for the city to develop additional trails
in the City as illustrated in Appendix F and in the
City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.
—
Legend
Existing Bike Trails
Park (Natural) Trails
Clearwater Parks
TYPE
Natural Trails
Bike Trails
Existing
(Miles)
16.45
14.77
A
41
• • i • • S i • • • s • • I s • • • • • • • • • I • • • I S S • • • • • • S • • • • •
Action Items
The final step of the Master Plan is to identify
Action Items based on the results from both
previous Level of Service Analysis and Community
Engagement process. The action items are
provided in three different parts for this Master
Plan Update. The sections are:
• Prioritized List of Parks
• Capital Improvement Projects
• Program Priorities
Prioritized Park Listing
It is important to determine and prioritize the
improvements that may be needed at each
individual park throughout the City. In order to
accomplish this, a scoring method was developed
that seeks to evaluate and rank the parks based on
two separate factors: a Park Factor (P) and a
Community Engagement (CE) factor.
Parks Factor (P)
The Parks Factor (P) comprises the following
categories: Population Served, Age of Facilities and
Comfort (amenities provided for Participant
Comfort). Within each category, points were
assigned according to appropriate factors.
• Population Served: The total population
served was scored so that parks serving the most
amount of people would be given priority
according to the following criteria:
Possible
Points
1
2
3
4
5
on muhity Parks Criteria:
Population served within a 3
mile radius
less than 19,999
20,000 to 39,999
40,000 to 59,999
60,000 to 79,999
80,000 or more
Table 2: Community Parks Population Criteria
Possible
Points
1
Neighborhood Parks
Criteria: Population served
within a 1 mile radius
less than 2,999
2
3,000to 5,999
3
4
6,000 to 8,999
9,000 to 11,999
12,000 or more
Table 3: Neighborhood Parks Population Criteria
Conversely, a park serving a smaller population
obtained a lower ranking score, indicating a lesser
priority for improvements.
• Age of Facilities: The age of the facilities was
classified as follows :
fossible Age Criteria
Points
1
3
less than 10 years
5 -10 years
5 Older than 10 years
Table 4: Age of Facilities Criteria
The older facilities obtained a higher score,
indicating they have a higher priority for
improvements.
• Comfort: The category "comfort" comprises all
the amenities such as restrooms, shade, seating,
view sheds, water fountains, lighting, bike racks
and parking, which are intended to increase the
comfort or quality of experience at the parks.
Comfort was scored based on the following
criteria:
Possible
Points
1
Comfort Criteria
The park has more than enough
amenities for comfort
3
The park has an adequate number
of amenities for comfort
The park is lacking in basic amenities
that make it an unattractive
destination
5
Table 5: Comfort Criteria
42
Criteria or
Improvement (as 1
% of respondents)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The parks with a lesser number of comfort
facilities obtained a higher score, indicating they
are prioritized for improvements.
Population + Age of Facility + Comfort =
Parks (P) Factor
The points assigned to each category were
aggregated to give us an overall score (Park factor
(P)) that indicates the accessibility, age and
comfort levels of each park.
As each of the categories has a maximum value of
5, the highest overall score possible was 15. The
parks that obtained a score approaching 15 are
the parks that require a higher need for
improvements, as they are older parks, serving a
large population and lacking in basic facilities.
Based on this scoring system, the community park
that obtained the highest score, and thus the
highest priority, was North Greenwood Recreation
& Aquatic Complex (score 12), followed by: The
Long Center, Countryside Community Park and
Ross Norton Recreation Complex (all with a score
of 11). Clearwater Beach Recreation Complex
obtained the lower score (8).
For the neighborhood parks, six parks obtained
the highest score (13), indicating the highest
priority. These parks are Charter Oaks Park,
Station Square Park, Belmont Park, Martin Luther
King Jr. Community Center, Marymont Park and
Wood Valley Recreation Center. For the full list
and scores for all the parks, please refer to
Appendix E.
Community Engagement (CE) Factor
For the final priority list, the scoring also takes into
account a Community Engagement factor. The
Community Engagement Factor was determined
based on the results from a series of community
workshops. The Community Engagement factor is
divided in two categories:
• Usability: Percentage of respondents that
indicate that the selected park is the park they
frequent the most.
• Improvements: Percentage of respondents
that indicate the selected park needs some
specific improvement
The score assigned to each park was based on the
following criteria:
Community Parks
Possible
:Points
Criteria for
Usability (as % of
respondents)
1
2
1 -5%
3
5% or more 5% or more
Table 6: Community Parks CE factor
Neighborhood Parks
Possible
Points
Criteria for
Usability (as % of
respondents _a,
Criteria for
Improvement (as
1
0% 0%
2
1-3% 1 -3%
3
4-9% 4 -9%
4
10 -14% 10 -14%
5 15% or more
Table 7: Neighborhood Parks CE factor
15% or more
Thus, the parks that are frequented the most
obtained a higher score (and higher priority) than
those less utilized. Similarly, the parks that a larger
number of respondents indicate need to be
improved, obtained a higher score.
Usability + Improvements =
Community Engagement (CE) Factor
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I • • • S I S • • • • • • • • S • • • • •
The overall Community Engagement score was
calculated by aggregating the usability and the
improvement score, with a maximum possible
value of 10 points.
Based on the CE scoring system, the community
park with the highest priority for improvements is
Countryside Community Park (Score 8). Second in
priority are Clearwater Beach Recreation Complex
and Ross Norton Recreation Complex (both with 4
points). The lowest priority parks per the
community feedback are the Long Center and
North Greenwood Recreation and Aquatic
Complex (2 points each).
For the neighborhood parks, the park that
received the highest, and maximum score of 10
points was Crest Lake Park, indicating the
community strongly supports a series of
improvements at this park. Second in priority were
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and
Morningside Park, both with a total of 9 points.
For the full list of parks and ranking based on
community feedback, please refer to Appendix E.
In addition, for the specific improvement
suggestions that were provided during the
community workshops, please refer to Appendix E.
Prioritization
Parks (P) factor + Community Engagement (CE)
factor= Final Score
In order to calculate the total priority score, the
results from both the Park Factor and the
Community Engagement Factor were aggregated.
To ensure that each factor was given equal
importance, the factors were weighted based on
the maximum score possible (15 for the Parks
Factor, 10 for the Community Engagement Factor).
Thus the highest number that could be assigned to
each factor was 1, with a maximum aggregate
score of 2.
For instance, if a park had a (P) factor of 12, and a
(CE) factor of 8, the calculation would be as
follows:
(12/15) + (8/10) = 0.8 + 0.8 = 1.6 score
Based on this scoring system, the final ranking for
the community parks identified Countryside
Community Park as the highest priority park for
improvements (Score 1.43). Second in Priority was
Ross Norton Recreation Complex with 1.14 points,
followed by North Greenwood Recreation and
Aquatic Complex with 1.10 points and The Long
Center with 1.03 points. Clearwater Beach
Recreation Complex had the lowest priority for
improvements, with only 0.736 points.
For the neighborhood parks, the park that was
identified as the highest priority for improvements
was Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center with
1.77 points, followed closely by Crest Lake Park
with 1.73 points. Third in priority for
improvements was Morningside Park with 1.37
points.
For the full ranking list of all the parks please refer
to tables 8 and 9 on the following page.
Conclusion
Using a systematic ranking method, the priority
lists contained in this master plan update identify
the parks within the City of Clearwater that need
to be prioritized for the upgrade and improvement
of facilities and amenities available. The ranking
takes into account both the physical
characteristics of the facilities (e.g. age) as well as
the community's desire for improvements. The
parks identified as highest priority for
improvements include Countryside Community
Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center,
Crest Lake Park and Morningside Park.
44
• . . . • . • • . . • • • • . . • . . • . . • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Table 8. Community Parks
RANK
OVERALL
TOTA
Countryside Community Park
2 Ross Norton Rec. & Aquatic Cmplx. &
Extreme Park + Ed Wright Park Complex
3 N. Greenwood Rec. & Aquatic Cmplx
4 The Long Center
1.43
1.14
1.10
1.03
5
Clearwater Beach Rec. Complex 0.73
Table 9. Neighborhood Pm-1,c
Name of Park OVERALL
IOTA
1 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center 1.77
2 Crest Lake Park 1.73
Morningside Park
4 Cherry Harris Park 1.23
5 Marymont Park 1.17
6 Wood Valley Recreation Center 1.17
1.37
Coachman Ridge Park 1.13
8 Del Oro Park 1.13
9 Country Hollow Park 1.10
10 Northwood Park 1.10
11 Woodgate Park 1.10
12 Charter Oaks Park 1.07
13 Station Square Park
1.07
14 Belmont Park 1.07
15 Forest Run Park 1.07
16 Garden Avenue Park 1.03
17 Charles Park 0.93
18 Montclair Park 0.93
19 Soule Road Park 0.93
20 Valencia Park 0.93
21 Plaza Park 0.90
22 Edgewater Dr. Park
0.90
23 Mandalay Park 0.90
24 Sunset Sam Park at Island Est. 0.77
25 McKay Playfield 0.77
26 Bay Park on Sand Key 0.67
45
• • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • . . • • • • . • • • • . • • • • • • • • . . . • • .
Capital Improvement Projects and Program Priorities
The second and third sections of the Action Plan
detail Capital Improvement Projects and Program
Priorities. The proposed projects and programs
were identified based on the priorities of the
community, the feedback from the Stakeholder
Advisory Committee, and the results of the level of
service analysis. In addition, some of the projects
were included as they are legacy projects from the
2002 Master Plan, or because they are projects
approved for funding through current Penny for
Pinellas.
Ultimately, these projects and programs are the
concrete representation of the goals, mission and
objectives outlined in the current master plan. The
following tables present the list of proposed capital
improvement projects (table 10), a separate list of
candidate projects for future Penny for Pinellas
funding (table 11), and a listing of program
priorities (table 12).
Please note that table 10 is in priority order as
recommended by the Stakeholder Advisory
Committee. Table 10 also estimates a legacy cost
that will be needed for on -going operation and
maintenance of the given item.
Table 11 extracts and presents the possible
candidates for future Penny for Pinellas funding.
Table 12 presents a listing of recommended
programs to be implemented over the next ten
years of the Master Plan.
46
Table 10: Capital Improvement Project Priorities
Rank
Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated
Estimated
cy Cost
Possible Fundin
1
Redevelop Coachman
Park area
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
Community Support: Workshop participants
identified the park as one of the most
frequently visited giving it one of the higher
Community Engagement factor scores.
$5,000,000
$75,000
includes 1 FTE
$5,000,000 earmarked
using Penny 111 funding in
2019/20
Construct a
2 Neighborhood Center
at Morningside Park
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
Community Support: Identified as one of the
top three parks identified by the community in
the workshops that need renovations and
improvements.
$2,600,000
$175,000
includes 3.75
FTE
$2,600,000 allocated in
2007/08
3
Resurface Ream Wilson
Trail
Identified Maintenance Need.
Community Support: A strong majority of
survey respondents indicate that providing
trails is an essential or very important purpose
of the Parks and Recreation Department.
$250,000
0
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
Rank Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated Estimated
Initial Cost Legacy Cost
Possible Funding
4
Perform major
renovation of the
community parks
including Clearwater
Beach Recreation
Center, Long Center,
Ross Norton Recreation
Complex, Countryside
Community Park and
North Greenwood
Recreation Center and
Aquatic Complex
Staff identified based on the current capacity
levels and at the complex.
Community Support: There was strong
support for improvements of facilities and
activities specific to community parks such as
additional access to swimming pools &
basketball courts. In addition, there were
requests for sport - related lessons.
These recreation facilities receive high volume
of use and will be in need of major renovation
in the next 10 years.
5
Aquatic facility
renovations and
replacement at the 5
aquatic facilities
00
$8,000,000
$0
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
Normal routine maintenance items such as
pumps and machinery has been completed
through the current CIP program. However, in
addition, there is a need to renovate all pools
and amenities primarily at the Long Center,
Ross Norton, & NGRAC.
$750,000
Community Support: There is strong support
for extending access to aquatic facilities
especially at Morningside and the Long
Center.
so
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Rank Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated Estimated
Initial Cost �-_- J acy Cost
Possible Funding)
6
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
LOS Gap - According to guidelines, the City of
Complete Trail Projects Clearwater is 40 miles deficient in this area.
(For proposed Trail
Map please refer to
Appendix F)
Community Support: A strong majority of
survey respondents indicate that providing
trails is an essential or very important purpose
of the Parks and Recreation Department, with
>80% supporting bike trails and >70%
supporting nature trails.
$3,000,000
$60,000
includes 1 FTE
Funding is provided in the
CIP through Penny for
Pinellas for $750,000
annually for four years for
a total of $3,000,000
7 Redevelop Crest Lake
Park
Community Support: There is strong support
for redevelopment of this park, including
improving exercise equipment, lighting,
playgrounds, grassed areas, water fountains,
restrooms and improving security.
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
$1,500,000
$65,000
includes 1.5
FTE's
$1,250,000 allocated in
2017/18, and $250,000 in
2018/19
8
Expand McMullen
Tennis Complex to
include 8 additional
clay courts, 8 new
Pickelball /10 and under
courts, a new club
house, permanent
parking, and a
renovated tennis
stadium area
Staff identified based on the current capacity
levels at the complex.
Community Support: Workshop participants
identified support for the construction of
pickleball courts. 65% of survey respondents
identified offering tennis courts and
complexes as very important.
Incomplete item from the 2002 Master Plan.
$1,600,000
$80,000
includes 1.5
FTE's
$200,000 from Grant;
$200,000 allocated from
CIP; remaining Penny 4
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rank Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated
Estimated
Possible Funding
,p;.. .. ..... ...... ..... ,..,.......:..,.,.._ _.... ,.
..„ _ _
II 111.101 %.
;; LcgdLy %.
Replace basketball,
tennis and racquetball
courts due to
deterioration, cracks
9 and aging at various
community and
neighborhood parks in
the City where normal
resurfacing will no
longer suffice.
1
The CIP to resurface and reline various play
courts in the City has been very successful and
extended the life of these courts. However,
many are reaching an age where total
replacement is needed. The initial cost to
replace the most deteriorated courts by 2020
is $500,000 with $100,000 each year
thereafter for 10 years.
$500,000
$0
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
Community Support: 70 % of respondents
indicate it is important to provide amenities
for court sports like basketball.
10
Complete Items
identified in Moccasin
Lake Nature Park
Master Plan including
the interpretive center,
Environmental
Explorer's Zone, and
interpretive trail
There was strong community support during
the development of the Master Plan in 2013.
$400,000
$0
$400,000 allocated in the
2015/16 CIP budget
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
Item identified as a Penny III project.
11
Renovate Cooper's
Bayou Park including
the expansion of
parking, and provision
of trailhead facilities.
Expand access to
Cooper's Point through
the construction of a
boardwalk system and
look -out tower
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
$5,000,000
$25,000
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
Community Support: There was support for
improving the parks' facilities such as
providing picnic tables, restrooms and
installing a kayak rack.
In addition, the importance of trails as one of
the main purposes of parks and recreation is
supported by a majority of survey
respondents.
U,
0
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rank Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated
nitial Cos
Estimated
Possible Funding
. . �b�. y ..,��
12 Expand Enterprise
Road Dog Park
Due to overwhelming support from the public
and the popularity of the existing dog park, a
second phase enlarging the park and adding
areas for smaller dogs is needed.
$400,000
$0
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
Jack Russell Stadium
13 demolition and
renovation
Jack Russell Stadium is currently under lease.
However, in the future, the City may have a
need to renovate the area by demolishing
some of the structures and making the field
more accessible for public use.
$350,000
$ 60,000
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
14 Open pools longer
Community workshop participants
demonstrated strong support for extending
hours of operation as well as opening season
for swimming pools at Morningside and the
Long Center.
$0
$36,000
includes 1.2
FTE's
Operating funds
15
Acquire property
adjacent to Moccasin
Lake Nature Park
There was strong community support during
the development of the plan in 2013. In
addition, using trails and having been to a
nature park is the activity that the most
community engagement participants
acknowledge doing over the past year, which
would be the kind of activities available at this
park.
$200,000
$10,000
Impact fees
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rank Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated Estimated
Initial Costal, Legacy Cost
Possible Funding
16 BeachWalk
Rehabilitation
17
Identified maintenance need. Beachwalk is
well used and opened in 2008.
Community Support: A majority of
respondents (54 %) of the community
workshops indicated having been to the beach
during the past year. 70% of participants
consider very important to offer beach
facilities, and they strongly oppose reducing
beach maintenance, indicating it is important
to maintain the beach, as well as the
Beachwalk as an attractive destination.
$3,000,000
$0
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
This park has one of two disc golf courses in
Improved parking at NE the City and there is a need for improved
Coachman Park parking facilities. Currently patrons are
parking in a dirt parking lot.
$250,000 $2,000
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
18 Redevelop Lake
Chautauqua Park
NJ
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
Community Support: A majority of survey
respondents indicate providing trails is one of
the main purposes of parks and recreation.
$500,000
$3,000
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rank Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated
itial Cost
Estimated
Legacy Cost
Possible Funding
Develop a Parks and
Recreation
Environmental Section
19 to address needs of
undeveloped parklands
and environmental
preserves.
Staff has identified a need to manage and
maintain undeveloped park property and
environmental sensitive lands within the park
system.
Community Support: Survey respondents
indicated interest in the City taking an active
role in "working with the environment" and
being ecologically responsible.
$500,000 $150,000
includes 1 FTE
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
20
Joe DiMaggio
expansion to include 4
new multipurpose
fields, a new press box
and storage building
21
Install interpretive trail
facilities in Lake
Chautauqua Park, Lake
Chautuaqua Equestrian
and Nature Preserve,
Bayview Park, Cliff
Stephens and Kapok
Park
Item identified as a Penny III project.
LOS Gap - According to guidelines, the City of
Clearwater is deficient in this area by 11 fields.
Community Support - Based on the survey
results, a majority of respondents ( >60 %)
indicated that it is very important or essential
to provide these types of multipurpose fields.
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
Community Support: Using trails and having
been to a nature park is the activity that the
most participants acknowledge having done
within the past year. In addition, >80% of
survey respondents agree it is important to
offer educational programs, and >49% agree it
is important to provide nature programs.
$2,230,000 $50,000
$480,000 allocated
2015/16, and $1,750,000 in
2018/19
$400,000
$1,000
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
U,
U.)
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rank Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated
nitial Cast
Estimated
Possbile Fundin a
U,
..
V.
- -o --• - - --
22
Increase funding for
the various
maintenance CIP
budgets including,
fitness equipment,
swimming pools,
parking lot /bike trails,
boardwalk & docks,
sidewalks, park
amenity, tennis courts,
playgrounds and
fencing by 25 %.
Over the years, the City has attempted to
address the repair and replacement needs of
various park components by establishing
annual maintenance CIPs. These CIPs have
not been increased for over 10 years and the
regular maintenance requirements of the park
system are falling behind. In order to maintain
the system, it is recommended to provide
additional annual funding of approximately
$203,750. This represents at 25% increase in
current funding.
$205,000
$ 205,000
General fund
23
Design and develop
stormwater projects as
environmental park
lands at Crest Lake
Park, Clearwater
Mitigation /Del Oro, the
northwest shore of
Alligator Lake, and Lake
Chautauqua
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
TBD
0
Stormwater funds
Community Support: Some respondents
indicated interest in the city taking an active
role in "working with the environment" and
being ecologically responsible.
24
Address the need for
additional parking at
the Long Center as well
as creating a new
entrance to the Center. !
i
Staff has identified a need to create a more
user friendly entrance to the center as well as
additional parking to serve the many events
and activities conducted at the center.
$2,000,000
$0
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
Community Support: There is strong support
within the community for further accessibility
to swimming facilities such as those available
at the Long Center.
U,
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rank
Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated
Estimated
Possible Funding
re s � A: 4 ifid �• a
1 ..MuI _ .
LC Q1 '-VJL
25
Develop a right of
refusal for Camp Soule
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
$0
$0
Community Support: Using trails and having
been to a nature park is the activity that the
most survey respondents acknowledge doing
over the past year, which would be the kind of
facility envisioned at this location.
26
Expand Countryside
Sports Complex
including the addition
of a concession facility
and improved parking
Staff identified based on the current capacity
levels at the complex.
$1,000,000
$3,000
$656,500 provided for
building in 2015/16;
Concession- Penny for
Pinellas IV Candidate
Identified as a Penny III project.
Community Support: Workshop participants
identified the park as one of the most
frequently visited, and the community park
identified as needing the most improvement
giving it one of the highest community
engagement factor scores.
27
Identified maintenance need. The stadium is
well used and opened in 2005.
$10,000,000
$12,000,000
$0
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate, grants,
assistance from county and
state
Renovation of Bright
g
House Networks Field
Community Support: Over 50% of survey
respondents indicated having attended an
event at the stadium within the past year, and
over 70% of respondents indicated it is
important for the City to offer this facility.
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rank Proposed Projects
Rationale
Estimated Estimated
Initial CagiailiaaikLegacy Cost
Possible Funding
Renovate Woodgate
Park to include parking,
28 2 new basketball courts
and 2 multipurpose
fields
Staff identified based on the current capacity
levels at the complex.
Community Support for improvements specific
to this park demonstrated through the
Community Workshops. Overall community
engagement factor among the top five within
all of the neighborhood parks.
$800,000
$15,000
$500,000 allocated in
2017/2018, balance Penny
for Pinellas IV Candidate
Acquire land adjacent
29 to the parking lot for
Crest Lake Park
Community support for improvements at this
park was very strong.
$500,000
$6,000
Impact fees
Renovate Frank Tack
30 Park including new
parking
31
Renovate Ed Wright
Park by removing
circular drive, installing
adequate parking for
park users and
shuffleboard patrons
and provide
1 restroom /storage.
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan.
Community Support: 69% of survey
respondents indicate it is important to provide
fields for sports like baseball and softball.
Staff identified based on the current capacity
levels at the complex.
$400,000
$4,000
$399,500 allocated in
2016/17 for new parking
This park is one of the oldest parks in the City
and in need of renovation to accommodate
the neighborhood use and horseshoe club
members. Renovations will include removing
outdated facilities and constructing more user
friendly amenities.
$500,000
$0
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
L
rn
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rank Proposed Projects
32
Renovate Eddie C.
Moore to include a
new concession
building and press box
Rationale
Identified as a Penny III project.
Community support: Over 60% of survey
respondents indicate it is important to provide
fields for sports like baseball and softball,
which are the kind of amenities available at
this park.
Estimated
$300,000
Estimated
acy Cost,
$3,000
Possible Fundin
$175,000 allocated in
2015/16, balance Penny for
Pinellas IV Candidate
Provide pickleball
courts through the
33 repurposing of and the
creation of dual -
purpose tennis courts.
Staff identified based on the current capacity
levels at the complex.
$60,000
Community Support: Workshop participants
indicated there is growing interest in this sport
among seniors.
0
Existing funds in tennis
court maintenance CIP
Increase parking at
Phillip Jones Park
Staff identified based on the current capacity
levels at the complex.
Community Support: Over 60% of survey
respondents indicate it is important to provide
multipurpose fields in the City, which is the
kind of facility available at this park.
$250,000
$2,500
Penny for Pinellas IV
Candidate
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Table 11: Future Penny for Pinellas (IV) Candidate Projects in Priority Order
Initial Cost
1
Resurface Ream Wilson Trail
$250,000
Perform major renovation of the Community Parks including Clearwater Beach Recreation Center, Long Center,
Ross Norton Recreation Complex, Countryside Community Park, and North Greenwood Recreation Center and
Aquatic Complex
Aquatic facility renovations and replacement at the 5 aquatic facilities in the City.
$8,000,000
$750,000
Expand McMullen Tennis Complex to include 8 more clay courts, 8 new pickelball /10 and under courts, a new club
house, permanent parking and a renovated tennis stadium area.
$1,200,000
Replace basketball, tennis and racquetball courts due to deterioration, cracks and aging at various community and
neighborhood parks in the City where normal resurfacing will no longer suffice.
Renovate Cooper's Bayou Park including the expansion of parking, and provision of trailhead facilities. Expand
access to Cooper's Point through the construction of a boardwalk system and Zook -out tower
Expand Enterprise Road Dog Park
Jack Russell Stadium demolition and renovation
BeachWalk rehabilitation
Improved parking at Northeast Coachman Park
$500,000
$5,000,000
$400,000
$350,000
$3,000,000
$250,000
Redevelop Lake Chautauqua Park
$500,000
• • • • • • • ` • • . • • • lb • lb • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Install interpretive trail facilities in Lake Chautauqua Park, Lake Chautuaqua Equestrian and Nature Preserve,
Bayview Park, Cliff Stephens and Kapok Park
$400,000
Address the need for additional parking at the Long Center as well as creating a new entrance to the Center.
Expand Countryside Sports Complex including the addition of a concession facility and improved parking
$2,000,000
$343,500
Renovation of Bright House Networks Field
Renovate Woodgate Park to include parking, 2 new basketball courts and 2 multipurpose fields
Renovate Ed Wright Park by removing circular drive, installing adequate parking for park users and shuffleboard
patrons and provide restroom /storage building.
$10,000,000 - $12,000,000
$300,000
$500,000
Renovate Eddie C. Moore to include a new concession building and press box
Increase parking at Phillip Jones Park
$125,000
$250,000
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Table 12: Program Priorities
Rationale
$50,000 estimate of infrastructure repair, and $25,000 annual operating
1 Reinstitute outdoor lighting of courts budget. The Community Engagement participants strongly supports this
item.
Create management plans for all City -owned natural
lands Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
Continue to establish partnerships with schools and
community organizations
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Workshops: During open question sessions, some participants
indicated interest in community and MPO involvement with the City
Expand partnerships with the YMCA, the Boys and Girls
4 Club, and other similar social /recreation- orientated
agencies
5
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Support: Survey respondents demonstrated support for
additional recreation activities for both children and adults, which are the
kind of activities these partnerships are able to sponsor
Continue to aggressively participate in regional planning
through the County /Metropolitan Planning Organization
(MPO)
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Continue to partner with the Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. to
expand cultural /performing arts opportunities
7
CI
0
Continue to partner with the Clearwater Arts Alliance to
refine and implement the Clearwater Arts and Cultural
Plan
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Support: A majority (54 %) of respondents indicated having
attended an event at Ruth Eckerd Hall during the past year. The high degree
of participation by the community makes the partnership a worthy
endeavor.
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Create a monitoring program to assess how programs can
be changed or improved
Continue to partner with healthcare providers
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Support: Over 90% of survey respondents indicate that one of
the most important roles of parks and recreation is to provide opportunities
for residents to maintain or improve physical health.
10 Continue to conduct an annual fee /market study of user On going item from 2002 Master Plan
fees and charges
11 Aggressively promote Parks and Recreation opportunities
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Support: Some participants of the community workshops
indicated during an open - question session that they would like to see more
information on the kind of recreation activities available to the public.
Greater awareness is needed.
Improve marketing of nature parks and resource -based
12 facilities
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Support: Some participants of the community workshops
indicated during an open - question session that they would like to see more
information on the kind of recreation activities available to the public.
13 Utilize new technologies in the delivery methods of the
parks and programs
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
rn
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • lb • • • • • • • • • • `• • • • •
14
Determine location for the infrastructure facility
approved in Pennies for Pinellas
15 Develop a Citywide signage program to tie parks facilities
into neighborhoods
16 Provide additional support for repair and replacement CIP
budgets
17 Pursue the continuation of the Pennies for Pinellas
program
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Continue /Expand use of business partnerships and
18 corporate sponsorships
19
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Survey indicated majority ( >86 %)support for supplementing the
operating costs of Parks via different revenue sources including
sponsorships and donations
Continue aggressive pursuit of grant dollars
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Survey indicated majority ( >86 %)support for supplementing the
operating costs of Parks via different revenue sources including grants
20 Adopt the Parks and Recreation System Master Plan
Update; include projects in CIP
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Promote the passage of a thirty million - dollar general
21 obligation bond issue to construct parks and recreation
projects identified in this plan
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
Partner with Pinellas County to offer recreation services
22 for county residents
23
Include 2% to 2.5% to bond funding and penny funding
for construction and administrative management
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
Community Support: 64% of respondents indicate that it is important for
the City to plan special events that attract visitors and the entire
community in order to increase revenue
Incomplete item from 2002 Master Plan
Update, revise and modify where needed the Open Space
24 and Recreation Facility Fee Ordinance to reflect the
impacts of the Master Plan
On -going item from 2002 Master Plan
25 Reassess the zoning and and use regulations for all park
lands
26 Conduct annual tree Inventory, so that entire City is
inventoried every 3 years.
27 Create a Blueways Plan
Staff identified
Staff identified
Staff identified
Request at Community Workshop for additional kayak ramps
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Appendices
Appendix A: Park Benefits, Sources and Further Reading
Appendix B: Community Workshops Report of Results
Appendix C: Mail Survey Report of Results
Appendix D: Level of Service Analysis Report (Park Inventory, Outdoor Facilities Survey, Outdoor Facility Maps)
Appendix E: Park Factor and Community Factor Tables
Appendix F: Proposed Trail Map
64
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Appendix A: Park Benefits: Sources/ Further Reading
Bedimo -Rung, Ariane L., Andrew J. Mowen, and Deborah A. Cohen. "The significance of parks to physical
activity and public health: a conceptual model." American journal of preventive medicine 28.2 (2005): 159 -168.
Chiesura, Anna. "The role of urban parks for the sustainable city." Landscape and urban planning 68.1
(2004): 129 -138.
Crompton, John L. "The impact of parks on property values: A review of the empirical evidence."
Journal of Leisure Research 33.1 (2001): 1 -31.
Cohen, Deborah A., et al. "Contribution of public parks to physical activity." American Journal of Public
Health 97.3 (2007): 509 -514.
Cohen, Gene D. "Research on creativity and aging: The positive impact of the arts on health and
illness." Generations 30.1 (2006): 7 -15.
Harnik, Peter. "The Excellent City Park System What Makes It Great and How to Get There." The
Human Metropolis: People and Nature in the 21st - Century City [full book] (2006): 47.
Harnik, Peter and Laura Yaffe. "Who is Going to Pay for This Park? The Role of Developer Expectations
in the Creation of New City Parks ". Center for City Park Excellence, Trust for Public Land: 1 -15.
Harnik, Peter, Ryan Donahue and Linden Weiswerda. "2012 City Parks Facts Report ". Center for City
Park Excellence, Trust for Public Land (2012): 1 -36.
Harnik, Peter, Ben Welle and Linda S. Keenan. "Measuring the Economic value of a City Park System ".
The trust for Public Land (2009): 1 -28.
Harnik, Peter and Ben Welle. "From Fitness Zones to the Medical Mile: How Urban Park Systems can
Best Oromote Health and Wellness ". The trust for Public Land (2011): 1 -40.
"Healthy Parks Healthy People: The health benefits of contact with nature in a park context ". Deakin
University and Parks Victoria, 2008.
Lopez, Russell P., and H. Patricia Hynes. "Obesity, physical activity, and the urban environment: public
health research needs." Environmental Health 5.1 (2006): 25.
McCormack, Gavin R., et al. "Characteristics of urban parks associated with park use and physical
activity: a review of qualitative research." Health & place 16.4 (2010): 712 -726.
Pinellas County Community health assessment 2012, Executive Summary. Available at:
www.pinellashealth.com
Walker, Chris. "The public value of urban parks ". Urban Institute, (2004): 1 -8.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
rwater
APPENDIX 6
City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation Master Plan
Community Workshops
Report of Results
September 2013
Parks and Recreation Community Action
September 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Community Open House Workshops 3
Appendix A: Workshop Participation 8
Appendix B: Survey Results 9
Appendix C: Specific Area Comments 50
Appendix D: Park Memories 52
Report of Results (2013)
• i S • • • I S • • • • • S • • • • • I • S • • I • S I • I S • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • . . . . . • . . . . • • • . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parks and Recreation Community Action
COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE WORKSHOPS
Summary
This report presents the results of the
Community Open House Workshops held for
the creation of the update of the 2002 Parks
and Recreation Master Plan. The workshops
were held between 4:30 and 7:30pm to allow
flexibility for the participants. The Community
Open Houses were held on the following dates
and locations:
• August 21: Ross Norton Recreation and
Aquatic Complex, 1426 S. MLK, Jr.
Avenue
• August 22: North Greenwood Recreation
and Aquatic Complex, 900 N. MLK, Jr.
Avenue
• August 28: Clearwater Beach Recreation
Center, 69 Bay Esplanade
♦ September 3: Countryside Recreation
Center, 2640 Sabal Springs Drive
• September 4: Aging Well Center at the
Long Center, 1501 N. Belcher Road
A station format was utilized for the
Workshops allowing time for questions and
the collection of data at each station. The
stations included the presentation of:
• Proposed Park Classifications
• Cloud- Storming
• Level of Service for Outdoor Facilities
• Neighborhood Park Prioritization
♦ General Comments
• Testimonies
Participants had the opportunity to
understand the importance of Parks and
Recreation in context to our greater
Report of Results (2013 -09)
September 2013
community, while commenting and assessing
current conditions. Staff members at each
station explained the topic information,
answered questions and encouraged
comments.
Demographics
•
Approximately 110 individuals participated in
the community workshops. Of these, an
estimated 80% are direct residents of
Clearwater (based on Zip -code information)
with most of the remaining participants
coming from the adjacent areas of Dunedin,
Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor and East Lake (See
Appendix A) . The majority of participants
(56 %) were in the age range 60 +. 29% of
participants were between the ages of 30 -50,
and 15% were under the age of 30.
Station 1: Welcome
The first station provided an introduction to
the Community Workshop. It included
registration and a brief presentation by a staff
member describing how Parks and Recreation
is working on updating the 2002 Master Plan
and is welcoming public input. The participants
were described the opportunities at each
station and were asked to provide input in all
of them (in order).
Page 3
Parks and Recreation Community Action
Station 2: Clearwater Parks and
Recreation 101
This station provided an exhibit of various facts
about Clearwater's Park and Recreation
system such as the 2002 Master Plan
elements, system inventory and the Park
classification definitions. Several maps were on
display portraying the city's demographics, the
system -wide map of facilities, the park listing
by classification, and park coverage maps. The
participants were asked to fill out a form
regarding their agreement /disagreement with
the proposed park classifications.
The majority of respondents (75 %) either
"strongly agree" or "agree" with the current
classification. 15% of respondents had a
neutral position and only 10% "disagreed" or
"strongly disagreed with the current park
classification standards.
Figure 1. Respondents attitudes toward
current Park Classifications
• Strongly Agree
• Agree
Neutral
❑ Disagree
■ Strongly Disagree
This station also distributed a user survey to
gather participant's perspectives and
preferences with regards to parks and
Report of Results (2013 -09)
September 2013
recreation. This survey will serve as the model
for a mail -in survey of Clearwater households
that will be commissioned during the last
trimester of 2013. The results from this survey
are summarized in Appendix B.
Station 3: Cloud Storming
41110Peo
quipos
This station displayed a series of posters with
empty "cloud" diagrams. The participants were
asked to write in these "clouds" what they
liked the most about Clearwater Parks and
Recreation, either with just a word or a listing
of a couple of items. Common comments from
this activity include Healthy living /Fun/ Green
Space/ Outdoors/ Nature/ Beach/
Sports /Exercise/ Events.
Station 4: How do we Measure to
National and State Standards
This station displayed a series of posters with
information on the National Standards and
Guidelines for Parks and Recreation facilities,
and compared them with the facilities that are
currently provided in Clearwater. The
participants were informed of these guidelines
and were asked to provide information on
what facilities they considered to be the more
important, being mindful of what is relevant
and specific to the community. This
information was gathered in order to
understand whether there are any gaps or
surpluses.
The facilities selected as the most important to
be provided by Clearwater Parks and
Page 4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . • • • • • • • • . . r • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • . . . . . . . ! • . • . . . • • • • • • • • . . . . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parks and Recreation Community Action
Recreation, were Community Centers,
Playgrounds, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails.
The facilities selected as least important by a
majority of respondents were Golf courses and
Equestrian Trails (See Figure 2 on page 7).
Station 5: Neighborhood Parks
Participants were provided the opportunity to
indicate which two neighborhood parks they
frequent the most by identifying them in a
map. They were also asked to indicate which
of all the neighborhood parks in the city they
think need to be given priority for
improvements. The most frequented parks
were:
• Crest Lake Park (24 %)
• Martin Luther King Jr Community Center
(19 %)
• Morningside Park (11 %)
♦ Mandalay Park (8 %)
• Countryside Community Park (8 %)
♦ Coachman Ridge Park (5 %)
• Cherry Harris Park (4 %)
• Del Oro Park (4 %)
• Sunset Sam Park at Island Estates (3 %)
• Plaza Park (3 %)\
The parks that should be given priority for
improvements were:
• Crestlake Park (49 %)
• Morningside Park (21 %)
Martin Luther King Jr Community Center
(13 %)
• Woodgate Park (5 %)
♦ Countryside Community Park (3 %)
• Cherry Harris Park \(3 %)
♦ Forest Run Park (3 %)
• Bayside Park on Sand Key (3 %)
• Wood Valley Rec Center (3 %)
Report of Results (2013 -09)
September 2013
Afterwards, the participants were given a brief
survey on what specific improvements they
thought were needed in specific neighborhood
parks. All the respondents in this station
identified themselves as residents of
Clearwater (According to their zip- codes).
Based on this survey the improvements that
were identified are as follows:
Crest Lake Park:
• Restrooms
• Exercise Equipment
• Working Fountains
• Splash Park
• Improved Security and better lighting
♦ Install tables and benches
♦ Better playgrounds
♦ Removal of alligators/ Improve fishing
♦ Better grassed areas
Morningside Pool:
• Longer hours
• Extended Season (April to October)
• Lighted Tennis Courts
• Restrooms
Morningside Recreation Center:
♦ New Complex
Marymount Park:
• Provide Water Fountains
Martin Luther King:
• Better playground and green space
Boys & Girls Club:
• Needs Basketball court and outside
playground
All parks:
Page 5
Parks and Recreation Community Action
♦ Splash parks and water pads for kids
♦ Restrooms
♦ Maintain cleanliness of Parks
• Provide alternate location for homeless
Station 6: Specific Area Comments
At this station, the participants were asked for
comments regarding specific areas or
programs that they would like to see included
or that they don't like about the existing
facilities and programs. The participants were
asked to write their comments under different
categories. The categories and a summary of
the most common comments are as follows:
Athletics (Youth/ Adult Sports:
• Strong support for Basketball lessons,
and some support for other popular
sports like Baseball, Football, Soccer and
Track.
♦ Support for the development of
Pickleball courts, a sport of growing
popularity among the senior community.
Aquatics:
• Strong support for extending indoor/
outdoor pool hours at various locations,
as well as extending the season (if
possible year- round). Some support for
heated pools.
♦ Strong support for senior exercise
aquatics.
Aging Well Center:
• Strong support for Tai -Chi for seniors.
Recreation Programs:
♦ Strong support for Bowling Teams for
both Youth and Adults.
Report of Results (2013 -09)
September 2013
♦ Strong support for Pickleball leagues
♦ Support for "more field trips ".
Parks Maintenance:
• Strong support for cutting the grass
more often.
Environmental Programs:
♦ Strong support for involvement of the
community in park clean -up projects.
Special Use Facilities:
♦ Some support for further development
at Coachman Park.
Park Amenities (Development) — What the
would like to see in the parks:
• Strong support for a new recreational
center at Morningside, together with
restoration of restrooms and additional
lighting.
• Some support for additional community
events and activities at the parks (Eg.
Market days, bake sales, garage sales)
The complete listing of individual comments
can be found on Appendix C.
Station 7: Park Memories
At the last station, each participant was asked
to indicate their favorite parks and recreation
memory. The participants were asked if they
agreed with the possible inclusion of this
information in the City of Clearwater's
website, at public meetings or in the Master
Plan. Their comments are included in Appendix
D. The participants were thanked for the
participation in the Master Planning efforts.
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• Figure 2: Top Choices for importance of Facilities provided by Parks and
Recreation
•
• Community Centers
• Playgrounds
•
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails
•
• Nature Trails
• Multipurpose fields (Soccer/ Football/
• Lacrosse)
• Basketball Courts
•
• Softball and Baseball fields
•
Swimming Pools- outdoor
•
• Dog Parks
•
• Picnic Tables
• Tennis Courts
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Swimming Pools - indoor
•
• Volleyball Courts
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• Golf Course
• Equestrian Trails
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• 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
46%
60%
45%
45%
42%
18%
28%
12%
26%
22%
9%
17%
8%
25%
6%
'3%
6%
0%
5%
0%
3%
34%
34%
32%
45%
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Percent of Respondents
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ID
September 2013
Page 7
Parks and Recreation Community Action
September 2013
Appendix A: Workshop Participation
0
WORKSHOP PARTICIPATION
4, Aging Well at The Long Center
Clwr Beach Rec. Cmplx
4- Countryside Community Park
N. Greenwood Rec. Center
Ross Norton Rec. Center
Participants
Clearwater Parks
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0 4,600 9,200
I i 1 1
18,400 Feet
N
A
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Appendix B: Survey Results — Community workshops
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary 10
Report of Results 15
Survey Background 15
Community Priorities for Parks and Recreation 16
Purpose of Clearwater Parks and Recreation 16
Resident Perspectives on Recreation Programs 19
Resident Perspectives on Community Events 22
Resident Perspectives on Parks 24
Residents' Use and Importance Ratings of Recreational Facilities and Programs 28
Residents' Perspectives on Funding Options for Parks and Recreation 32
Support for or Opposition to Funding Options 32
Preferences for Options to Reduce the Parks and Recreation Budget 34
Tables: Responses to Survey Questions 37
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 9
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Workshop Survey Background
Parks and recreation facilities, programs and services are an important part of Clearwater's quality of
life. As part of the 2013 strategic planning process, five community workshops were conducted on
August 21, 22, 28, September 3 and 4, 2013 at each recreation center in the city. During these
workshops, the participants were asked to complete a survey to understand their perspectives and
preferences with regards to parks and recreation. A total of 104 individuals participated in the survey.
The results from the survey are summarized in this report.
Community Priorities for Parks and Recreation
Those completing the survey were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with a series of
statements about possible overarching goals for the City of Clearwater's Parks and Recreation
Department. The percent strongly agreeing that each statement should be an objective of parks and
recreation in Clearwater was:
(Top Three)
♦ To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve their physical health, 80%
♦ To provide positive activities for children and teens (age 19 and younger), 68%
• To provide recreational, social and health strengthening opportunities for older adults (age 60
and older), 63%
• To provide green and natural spaces within the community with park lands and open space,
58%
• To enhance the community's economic vitality by offering special events that draw visitors
from inside and outside the community, 54%
♦ To provide recreational opportunities to underserved residents who might not otherwise be
able to participate in recreational activities, 54%
• To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths for residents to use for exercise and for non -
motorized transportation, 54%
♦ To promote a more beautiful community and a greater "sense of place" for residents, 53%
• To provide opportunities for residents to make social connections which strengthen the
community's social fabric, 52%
• To provide greater cultural opportunities to increase our city's livability, economic
revitalization, education, and creating an understanding of diverse populations, 10%
• To maintain the community's image as an athletic "sports town" destination, 40%
• To maintain the community's image as a beach resort destination, 38%
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Parks and Recreation Survey
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In addition to providing feedback about the broad purposes of parks and recreation, those
completing the survey were asked which population groups they thought should be given the highest
priority in recreation programming.
• Senior adults were deemed an "essential" group to serve by over half of the survey
respondents, with 81% considering them at least "very important ".
• Teenagers were also deemed an "essential" group to serve by over half of survey respondents,
with 88% considering them at least "very important."
• Children aged 6 to 12 years, people with disabilities, adults and families together as a group
were the populations considered the next most important, with over 70% of respondents
feeling these groups were at least very important to serve.
• Children 0 -5 years were considered at least "very important" by only 47% of respondents
• Non - residents do not appear to be a priority as only 27% of respondents considered the at least
"very Important"
• Beginner (60 %) and intermediate level programming (58 %) was considered somewhat more
important than was advanced or elite programming (44 %).
The questionnaire asked about the importance placed on some of the specific community events
sponsored by the Clearwater Parks and Recreation Department. The top five events considered
"essential" or very important to a majority of the respondents are:
• Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training (65 %)
• Turkey Trot (62 %)
♦ Jazz Holiday (61 %)
♦ Clearwater Celebrates America (60 %)
• Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend (59 %)
The importance of various benefits provided by Clearwater's parks were rated by respondents. The
proportion rating each as "very important" or "essential" was:
(Top three)
• Providing places for children to play on playground equipment, 78%
• Providing a place for rest and relaxation, 74%
♦ Providing open lawn /play space (for children or adults to play their own games like tag, frisbee,
croquet, etc.), 74%
• Providing visual "green spaces" within the city, 73%
• Providing opportunities for court sports (e.g., tennis, basketball), 70%
• Providing developed spaces for field sports (e.g., soccer, football, softball, baseball, lacrosse),
68%
• Providing a place to walk or jog within the city, 68%
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
♦ Providing natural open lands or wildlife habitat within the city, 63%
♦ Providing places for group gathering, 62%
Those participating in the survey were given a series of pairs of statements from which they were to
choose the one that best represented how they felt.
♦ There was great support for parks and recreation to be run following a human services model,
which was chosen by 91% of respondents, over a business model choice in which parks and
recreation would serve people who can afford to pay for the services through user fees.
♦ Three quarters of respondents felt that program offerings should be offered at many different
levels from beginner through advanced, as opposed to being concentrated at the beginning
and intermediate levels.
♦ Over half of the respondents considered it more important to make facilities mostly available
for drop -in use, while about 38% thought facilities should mostly be programmed with leagues
and other pre - planned activities.
♦ Over half of the respondents believed the recreational programs provided by the City should
include some diverse offerings while about 38% believed they should focus mostly on popular
sports and fitness.
• Close to one half (49 %) of respondents thought the city should provide facilities and programs
identified as needed by residents, even if they are provided by other agencies. However, a
large percentage (44 %) thinks it is better to provide facilities that only compliment other
community offerings, not duplicate them (even if requested by residents).
• When considering budget reductions, almost half of respondents preferred that the City
maintain all existing facilities and programs while reducing levels of service, instead of
eliminating some programs and facilities while keeping the remaining programs and facilities at
existing service levels.
♦ A majority (63 %) of respondents thought that the landscaping in public spaces should be
beautifully maintained in order to ensure a high quality of life, as opposed to landscaped in a
way that requires minimally maintenance.
♦ A majority of respondents (58 %) believe playgrounds should serve the entire community, have
more play equipment, and diverse options for all ages, as opposed to playgrounds serving a
neighborhood, with limited equipment and focus on serving ages 2 -5.
• Over half of the respondents believe lighting of courts should be at both neighborhoods and
special use facilities, instead of just in neighborhood parks (10 %) or recreational centers (28 %).
• 68% of respondents believe special events at Coachman Park should be larger events that bring
in economic development instead of smaller events that serve primarily residents (20 %), or
eliminating all special events at the park (4 %).
♦ Over half of respondents believe programs and facilities should serve our current demographic
profile (large majority of older residents), as opposed to focusing on attracting younger families
(24 %).
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• September 2013
• The survey was used to assess resident use of a variety of parks and recreation offerings. For each
• activity or facility, respondents indicated whether, in the last year, they or anyone in their household
• had participated in the activity at a City of Clearwater park or facility, or at another facility. There
were five activities in which a majority of respondent households had participated in at a City of
• Clearwater park or facility in the past year. These were:
• • Participated in a community event
• • Walked, ran or jogged in a park or nature park
0 • Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a beach
• • Attended an event at a Ruth Eckerd Hall.
• • Attended an event at Brighthouse Networks Field
• In addition, respondents rated how important they thought it was that the City of Clearwater provide
various parks and facilities. In general, the participation levels for the various activities mirrored the
• importance ratings. There were a few notable exceptions; while a relatively smaller percent of
• respondents had participated in Adult/ Senior exercise, fitness or wellness programs (^'24 %), around
• three quarters of respondent considered at least "very important" that the city provides these
• programs.
• Residents' Perspectives on Funding Parks and Recreation in Clearwater
• Several question sets were included on the questionnaire to determine the community's support for
• or opposition to a variety of funding options for parks and recreation offerings by the City. When
• asked to what extent they agreed that the City of Clearwater should pursue a variety of funding
• strategies, the percent who "somewhat" or "strongly" agreed the City of Clearwater should pursue
such strategies was:
• • The City should supplement the costs of operating facilities or recreation programs by using
• different revenue sources, such as grants, donations, and taxes, (86% and 83% respectively)
• • Individuals living outside Clearwater should pay higher fees for participating in recreation
• programs, 79%
• • Profitable or popular programs (such as sports leagues and swimming lessons) can help pay for
• less profitable programs (such as therapeutic, senior and youth programs), 72%
• The idea that recreation programs must pay for themselves through user fees, did not show strong
• support (Only 44 %).
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• Preferences for Options to Reduce the Parks and Recreation Budget
• A section of the questionnaire informed recipients that the City of Clearwater, due to global
• economics and the passage of Amendment 1 to lower property taxes in the State of Florida, is facing
• tough economic challenges and will have to make difficult budget decisions. A set of options for
reducing the Parks and Recreation budget were presented, for which survey respondents indicated
• their level of support for or opposition to each. Of the 11 budget reduction options, only "Reducing
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• Report of Results (2013 -09)
• Page 13
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
landscape maintenance in areas such as medians" showed support by a majority of respondents
(51 %).
Other reductions showing some support from at least 40% of respondents are:
♦ Eliminating some community events
♦ Reducing the operating hours of recreational facilities
♦ Eliminating some athletic fields
♦ Reducing cultural programs
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The options opposed by over 70% of respondents included: •
♦ Reducing programs that serve senior adults •
♦ Closing one of the recreational facilities, •
♦ Reducing beach maintenance. •
♦ Allowing other entities to operate city facilities •
♦ Reducing park maintenance •
Report of Results (2013 -09)
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• Parks and Recreation Survey
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• REPORT OF RESULTS
•
• Survey Background
• Parks and recreation facilities, programs and services are an important part of Clearwater's quality of
• life. As part of the 2013 strategic planning process, five community workshops were conducted on
• August 21, 22, 28, September 3 and 4, 2013 at each recreation center in the city. During these
• workshops, the participants were asked to complete a survey to understand their perspectives and
• preferences with regards to parks and recreation. A total of 104 individuals participated in the survey.
The survey contains similar questions that were administered in a mail -in survey commissioned by
• the city of Clearwater in 2009, and will serve as the model for another mail -in survey of Clearwater
• households that will be commissioned during the last trimester of 2013.
• On many of the questions in the survey, respondents could answer, "don't know." The proportion of
• respondents giving this reply is shown in the full set of responses included in the Appendix. The
• percentage of questions left blank or with invalid responses are also included in the Appendix. When
• a table for a question does not total to exactly 100 %, it is due to the customary practice of
• percentages being rounded to the nearest whole number.
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Parks and Recreation Survey
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Community Priorities for Parks and Recreation
Purpose of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
A variety of purposes can be served by parks and recreation offerings. Those completing the survey
were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about possible
overarching goals for the City of Clearwater's Parks and Recreation Department. There was strong
agreement with most of the objectives presented (see Figure 1 on the next page), but the two
statements with the most support were to provide opportunities for residents to maintain and
improve their physical health" and "to provide positive activities for children and teens (age 19 and
younger) ".
Over 58% of respondents strongly agreed with the statements that Clearwater Parks and Recreation
should exist "to provide recreational, social and health strengthening opportunities for older adults
(age 60 and older) ", and "to provide green and natural spaces within the community with park lands
and open space ".
Over half of the respondents agree the Clearwater Parks and Recreation should "enhance the
community's economic vitality by offering special events and amateur athletic tournaments ", "to
provide recreational opportunities to underserved residents" and "to provide greater mobility with
trails and paths to use for exercise and non - motorized transportation ".
Providing a beautiful community and a sense of place, and providing opportunities for residents to
make social connections also received high affirmation, with about 5 in 10 respondents "strongly"
agreeing with these purposes for parks and recreation offerings.
Maintaining the community's image as a beach resort destination, as an athletic sports town
destination and providing greater cultural opportunities to increase the city's livability were positively
viewed as purposes for Clearwater's parks and recreation, but the support was less strong than for
other purposes.
After rating their agreement with the twelve purpose statements, respondents were asked to
indicate which two statements they felt were the most important. Figure 2 displays the percent of
respondents indicating which statements they felt were the most important alongside the percent of
respondents who had strongly agreed with each statement. In general, the rank order was fairly
similar, although a few discrepancies were noted when respondents were only allowed to choose two
statements as the most important.
The three statements chosen most often as one of their top choices by respondents were "to provide
opportunities for residents to maintain and improve their physical health," "to provide positive
activities for children and teens (age 19 and younger)," and "to provide recreational, social and health
strengthening opportunities for older adults (age 60 and older) ".
Report of Results (2013 -09)
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Figure 1: Community Priorities for Recreation
To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and
improve their physical health
To provide positive activities for children and teens (age
19 and younger)
To provide recreational, social and health strengthening
opportunities for older adults (age 60 and older)
To provide green and natural spaces within the
• community with park lands and open space
•
• To enhance the community's economic vitality by offering
special events and amateur athletic tournaments that
• draw visitors inside and outside the community
• To provide recreational opportunities to underserved
residents who might not otherwise be able to participate
• in recreational activities (e.g., people with disabilities or
• people with low incomes)
•
•
• To promote a more beautiful community and a greater
• "sense of place" for residents
• To provide opportunities for residents to make social
• connections which strengthen the community's social
• fabric
• To provide greater cultural opportunities to increase our
city's livability, stimulating economic revitalization,
• strengthening education, and creating an understanding
• of diverse populations
• To maintain the community's image as an athletic "sports
town" destination
•
To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths for
residents to use for exercise and for non- motorized
transportation
To maintain the community's image as a beach resort
• destination
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• Report of Results (2013 -09)
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80%
19%
68%
63%
58%
54%
54%
54%
53%
52%
45%
40%
38%
23%
30%
34%
37%
35%
34%
37%
38%
36%
26%
66%
39%
September 2013
99%
91%
92%
91%
90%
88%
88%
89%
90%
81%
77%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90 %100%
Percent of Respondents
• Strongly Agree ❑ Somewhat Agree
Page 17
Parks and Recreation Survey
Figure 2: Highest Priorities for Recreation
To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and
improve their physical health
To provide positive activities for children and teens
(age 19 and younger)
To provide recreational, social and health
strengthening opportunities for older adults (age 60
and older)
41%
20%
17%
To promote a more beautiful community and a 14%
greater "sense of place" for residents
To provide green and natural spaces within the 13%
community with park lands and open space
53%
To maintain the community's image as a beach resort 10%
destination
To provide recreational opportunities to underserved
residents who might not otherwise be able to
participate in recreational activities (e.g., people...
To enhance the community's economic vitality by
offering special events and amateur athletic
tournaments that draw visitors inside and outside...
To provide opportunities for residents to make social
connections which strengthen the community's social
fabric
38%
10%
10%
8%
To maintain the community's image as an athletic 7%
"sports town" destination
To provide greater cultural opportunities to increase
our city's livability, stimulating economic
revitalization, strengthening education, and...
To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths for
residents to use for exercise and for non - motorized
transportation
Report of Results (2013 -09)
40%
6%
2%
68%
63%
58%
54%
54%
52%
45%
54%
80%
September 2013
1 I I
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%
Percent of Respondents
• Percent Ranking as Highest Priority
❑ Percent Strongly Agree
Page 18
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• Parks and Recreation Survey
•
September 2013
• Resident Perspectives on Recreation Programs
• In addition to providing feedback about the overarching purposes of parks and recreation, those
• completing the survey were asked which population groups they thought should be given the highest
• priority in terms of recreational programming. Senior adults and teenagers were deemed an
• "essential" group to serve by over half of survey respondents, with over 80% considering them at
least "very important." Children aged 6 to 12 years, adults, people with disabilities and families
• together as a group were the populations considered the next most important, with over 70% of
• respondents feeling these groups were at least very important to serve. Pre - school children were
• given a lower importance rating than were other groups. Very few respondents (27 %) deemed non-
• residents an important group to consider when planning recreational programs.
• Beginner (60 %) and intermediate level programming (58 %) was considered somewhat more
•
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important than was advanced or elite programming (44 %).
Figure 3: Rating of Importance of Serving Various Population Groups
• Senior adults (60 years old or more)
•
• Teenagers 13 to 17 years old
• Children 6 to 12 years old
• Adults
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• People with disabilities
• Families together as a group
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• Beginner levels
• Children 0 to 5 years old
• Intermediate levels
•
• Advanced or elite levels
• Non - residents
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• Report of Results (2013 -09)
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27%
81%
53%
36%
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43%
37%
39%
38%
38%
42%
31%
39%
23%
37%
22%
25%
47%
20%
38%
16%
28%
10%
17%
27%
44%
60%
58%
70%
80%
77%
80%
88%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Essential ❑Very Important
Page 19
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
The importance of various types of recreational activities that should be programmed were rated by
those completing the questionnaire. Wellness and Fitness programs were considered "very
important" or "essential" by over 80% of respondents (see Figure 4 below). Community events,
Sports teams and lessons and Aquatics were also given high priority, with over two thirds rating them
as "very important" or "essential." The activities considered least important gymnastics and golf ,
both with only 32% of respondents considering them "very important" or essential.
When asked to indicate which two activities they would give the highest priority, a similar pattern
was observed (see Figure 5 on the next page). Wellness/ fitness were chosen as a one of their top two
choices by 53% of respondents, with 35% choosing community events. Sports and aquatics were
chosen by over 21% of respondents.
Figure 4: Rating of Importance to Provide Various Types of Activities
Wellness /fitness (e.g., weight training, aerobics,
yoga, etc.)
Community events (e.g., Jazz Holiday, Turkey Trot,
Fun N' Sun, Clearwater Sea Blues Festival)
Sports teams and lessons (e.g., softball, soccer,
football, etc.)
Aquatics (e.g., lap swimming, water exercise
classes, lessons, etc.)
Tennis
Performing arts (e.g., dance, drama, etc.)
Visual arts (e.g., pottery, painting, etc.)
Golf
Gymnastics
Report of Results (2013 -09)
38%
42%
35%
29%
63%
33%
36%
68%
27%
45%
17%
36%
13%
25%
13%
24%
11%
21%
8%
24%
38%
37%
32%
32%
53%
81%
72%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Essential ❑Very Important
Page 20
••••••••
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• Parks and Recreation Survey
•
•
• Wellness /fitness (e.g., weight training, aerobics,
• yoga, etc.)
• Community events (e.g., Jazz Holiday, Turkey Trot,
• Fun N' Sun, Clearwater Sea Blues Festival)
• Sports teams and lessons (e.g., softball, soccer,
football, etc.)
• Aquatics (e.g., lap swimming, water exercise
classes, lessons, etc.)
Figure 5: Top Priorities for Various Types of Activities
•
• Tennis
•
• Performing arts (e.g., dance, drama, etc.)
• Visual arts (e.g., pottery, painting, etc.)
•
• Golf
•
• Gymnastics 1%
8%
•
•
• Percent of Respondents
• • Percent Ranking as Highest Priority
• ❑ Percent Essential
53%
38%
35%
35% %
11111211.%
33%
1111111111%
27%
September 2013
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90 %100%
•
•
i
41
•
•
•
•
•
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•
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•
• Report of Results (2013 -09)
•
•
Page 21
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Resident Perspectives on Community Events
The City of Clearwater coordinates a number of community events. As noted above, these events are
deemed important by a large proportion of residents. The questionnaire asked about the importance
placed on some of the specific events sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department. Six events
were considered "very important" or "essential" by over half of those completing the survey (see
Figure 6); they included Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training, Clearwater Threshers, Turkey Trot, Jazz
Holiday, the Clearwater Fun N' Sun Weekend and Clearwater Celebrates America. Most other events
received moderate support (38 % -51% considering them at least "very important "). The event
receiving the least support was "Trirocks" which was considered important by Tess than 25% of the
respondents.
When asked to choose which three events they thought were most important, the three most
commonly selected were the Clearwater Fun N' Sun Weekend, Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training
and the Turkey Trot. None of the respondents considered TriRocks as amongst the three most
important events (see Figure 7 on the next page).
Figure 6: Rating of Importance of Various Community Events
Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training
Clearwater Threshers
Turkey Trot
Jazz Holiday
Clearwater Celebrates America
Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend
Blast Friday
Clearwater Sea Blues Festival
Martin Luther King Day March
Outback Beach Day
Hispanic Heritage Fall Concert Weekend
Make A Difference Fishing Tournament
TriRocks
Report of Results (2013 -09)
36%
30%
31%
27%
58%
30%
32%
29%
32%
24%
36%
23%
36%
19%
26%
45%
17%
32%
16%
35%
13%
27%
13%
25%
39%
38%
12%
29%
7%
17%
24%
40%
49%
51%
65%
62%
61%
60%
59%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Essential ❑ Very Important
Page 22
•
• Parks and Recreation Survey
•
•
•
• Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend
•
Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training
•
• Turkey Trot
•
• Jazz Holiday
• Clearwater Celebrates America
•
• Clearwater Sea Blues Festival
•
• Clearwater Threshers
•
• Martin Luther King Day March
September 2013
Figure 7: Top Priorities for Various Community Events
• Blast Friday
•
• Hispanic Heritage Fall Concert Weekend
•
• Make A Difference Fishing Tournament
• Outback Beach Day
•
• TriRocks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• Report of Results (2013 -09)
•
•
26%
�23%
23%
36%
IMIIL2/96
30%
20%
29%
18%
24%
16%
17%
14%
6
al%
13 %.
12%
0%
7%
31%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Percent Ranking as Highest Priority
❑ Essential
Page 23
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Resident Perspectives on Parks
City parks serve a variety of roles in a community, and have different meaning to different people.
Various benefits provided by Clearwater's parks were presented to those completing the
questionnaire; the importance of each to the respondent household was rated.
The purposes deemed most important to respondents were to provide a place for children to play on
playground equipment (78% rated this as at least "very important, see Figure 8); to provide a place
for rest and relaxation and to provide open lawn /play space (74% each). More than 65% considered
parks important for providing visual "green spaces" within the city, providing places to walk or jog, ,
and providing developed spaces for field sports. Court sports and group gatherings were deemed at
least very important by over 50% of respondents. The two items considered not as important were to
provide places to exercise pets (39 %) and to provide annual flower plantings (35 %).
Figure 8: Rating of Importance of Park Purposes
Providing places for children to play on playground
equipment
Providing a place for rest and relaxation
Providing open lawn /play space (for children or adults to
play their own games like tag, frisbee, croquet, etc.)
Providing visual "green spaces" within the city
Providing opportunities for court sports (e.g., tennis,
basketball)
Providing developed spaces for field sports (e.g., soccer,
football, softball, baseball, , lacrosse)
Providing a place to walk or jog
Providing natural open lands or wildlife habitat
Providing places for group gatherings
Providing low -water perennial (bloom year after year)
plantings
Providing places to exercise pets
Providing annual flower plantings
Report of Results (2013 -09)
38%
39%
30%
44%
23%
51%
39%
34%
27%
43%
32%
37%
29%
39%
36%
28%
19%
42%
24%
27%
14%
25%
11%
24%
39%
35%
51%
78%
74%
74%
73%
70%
68%
68%
63%
62%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Essential ❑ Very Important
Page 24
•
•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• Parks and Recreation Survey
• September 2013
• City staff and officials are often faced with competing interests when planning parks and recreational
• offerings with limited resources. Those participating in the survey were given a series of pairs of
• statements from which they were to choose the one that best represented how they felt. The first
pair of statements dealt with the overarching philosophy of the parks and recreation department,
• and whether it should be considered a human service (and therefore offer limited services funded
• primarily through tax dollars) or whether it should be considered a business (and therefore offer
more services funded primarily through fees). There was overwhelming support for the human (see
• Figure 9 on the next page).
Three - fourths of respondents felt that program should be offered at many different levels from
• beginner to very advanced, as opposed to being concentrated at the beginning and intermediate
• levels. About 54% considered it more important to make facilities more available for drop -in use,
• while about 38% thought facilities should mostly be programmed with leagues and other pre - planned
activities. About 56% believed the recreational programs provided by the City should include some
• diverse offerings while about 39% believed they should be more focused on popular sports and
• fitness. Nearly one half of respondents thought the city should provide the facilities and programs
• identified as needed by residents even if they are provided by other agencies.
• When considering budget reductions, there is slight preference (49 %) for maintaining all existing
• facilities and programs while reducing levels of service, compared to eliminating some programs and
facilities (38 %) while keeping the remaining programs and facilities at existing service levels.
• A majority (63 %) of respondents thought that the landscaping in public spaces should be "beautifully
• maintained" in order to ensure a high quality of life, as opposed to landscaped in a way that requires
• minimal maintenance.
In general, respondents believe it is important for playgrounds to serve the entire community, have
• more play equipment and diverse options for children of all ages. Similarly, respondents believe
• Recreation Centers should serve the entire community, be large in size and have a wide range of
• activities.
• Most respondents believe restrooms should be located mostly at special use facilities and athletic
• sports complexes, instead of being expanded to all neighborhoods and parks. However the support is
• not overwhelmingly strong (only 48 %).
• Over half of respondents believe it is important to lit courts at night at both Recreational Centers and
•
•
Neighborhood Parks.
• With regards to Coachman Park, a substantial majority (67 %) of respondents would like to see larger
• events that attract visitors and bring in economic development, as opposed to smaller events serving
• residents or eliminating all events in efforts to save money.
• Over half of respondents consider it is more important to offer programs and facilities to our current
• demographic profile (2nd highest median age in the United States) as opposed to programs that
• attract younger families.
•
• Report of Results (2013 -09)
•
•
Page 25
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Figure 9: Trade -Off Preferences
White: Other ( Both, neither or blank)
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 26
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Consider Parks and Recreation a human service that contributes to the physical, emotional and
social welfare of the whole community offering limited services funded primarily through tax
dollars.
91%
0
Consider Parks and Recreation a business that serves people who can afford to pay for the
services through user fees.
3%
Parks and recreation programs should be offered at many different skill levels, i.e. beginner
through advanced.
74%
Parks and recreation programs should be offered at the beginner and intermediate levels.
22%
41
Parks and recreation facilities should be mostly be available for public drop -in use with some
active programming likely earning lesser revenues.
54%
Parks and recreation facilities should be mostly be programmed with leagues and other pre-
planned drop
Pa rks and recreation program offerings should offer some popular sports and fitness activities,
but also include diverse opportunities like arts and crafts, and classes (e.g. cooking, tai chi, etc.)
that may not serve so many
56%
Parks and recreation program offerings should focus mostly on popular sports and fitness (e.g.
aerobics, yoga, softball, soccer, basketball, etc.) because those serve the most number of people.
38%
The Parks and Recreation Department should provide facilities and programs that are requested
by residents, regardless of whether they are provided by other agencies in our community.
49.0%
The Parks and Recreation Department should provide facilities and programs that complement
other community offerings but not duplicate them (even if the duplicated city programs are less
expensive).
44.2%
Programs and Facilities should be offered and constructed to our present and projected
demographic profile. (we have the second highest median age in the United States)
52%
AI
Programs and Facilities should be offered and constructed to attract younger families
24%
When considering potential budget reductions, the Parks and Recreation Department should
maintain all existing programs and facilities but at a lower level of service (e.g. park maintenance
on fewer days per week; reduced hours at recreation facilities).
49%
When considering potential budget reductions, the Parks and Recreation Department should
eliminate some programs and facilities, but keep the remaining programs and facilities at current
levels of service (e.g. close some facilities but keep all others on current schedules).
38%
White: Other ( Both, neither or blank)
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 26
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Figure 10: Trade -Off Preferences (Continued)
Landscaping in public spaces (e.g. parks, medians, street right -of -ways) should be beautifully
maintained in our community to ensure our high quality of life.
63%
Alo
Landscaping in public spaces (e.g. parks, medians, street right -of -ways) should require minimal
or no maintenance.
24%
Playgrounds should serve the entire community, have more play equipment, have diverse options
for all ages (6 months to 2,2-5 and 5 -12), be larger in scale and be within driving distance
58%
all
Playgrounds should serve a neighborhood, have limited play equipment, primarily serve ages 2 -5,
and be within walking distance.
35%
Recreation centers should serve the entire community, be large in size, and have lots of activities
(such as the Long Center)
64%
(.■111
Recreation centers should serve a neighborhood and be smaller in size (such as Ross Norton)
28%
Lighting of Courts (Basketball and Tennis) at Night should be both a Neighborhood and Special
Use Facility
54%
II
Lighting of Courts (Basketball and Tennis) at Night should be in a Special Use facility (such as
McMullen Tennis Complex) or Recreation Center
28%
Lighting of Courts (Basketball and Tennis) at Night should be in a Neighborhood park
10%
Special Events in Coachman Park should be larger events that bring in economic development by
attracting visitors.
67%
Special Events in Coachman Park should serve primarily residents
20%
Special Events in Coachman Park should be eliminated to save money
4%
Restrooms be only a high volume special use facilities such as Clearwater Beach, and athletic
sports complexes where we have them today.
48%
Restrooms should be expanded to all neighborhood and special use parks (approximately 50
parks). This would have a substantial cost impact both initially and for maintenance. This will
mean that other parks and recreation elements would need to be eliminated to fund this endeavor
38%
* White: Other ( Both, neither or blank)
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 27
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Residents' Use and Importance Ratings of Recreational Facilities and Programs
The survey was used to assess resident use of a variety of parks and recreation offerings.
Respondents indicated whether, in the last year, they or anyone in their household had participated
in any of the indicated activities at a City of Clearwater facility, or at facility outside the City. Figure 10
displays the proportion of respondents whose households had participated in the activity in the
previous year.
After indicating their participation in the various activities, respondents evaluated the importance of
offering each to the community through the City of Clearwater's Parks and Recreation Department.
These ratings are displayed in Figure 11 on page 21.
There were five activities in which a majority of respondent households had participated in within the
City of Clearwater. These were: participating in a community event; walking, running or jogging in a
park or nature park; swimming, fishing, relaxing or having a social event at a beach; and attending an
event at a Ruth Eckerd Hall or at BrightHouse Network Field.
In general, the participation levels for the various activities mirrored the importance ratings. The
areas given the highest importance ratings were also the sites of the most popular activities. Some
exceptions include Playgrounds, which were used by only 41% of respondents, but were rated as very
important or essential by over 70% of respondents. Other notable exceptions include Adult/ Senior
exercise fitness or wellness programs which are rated as important by over 75% but which show
participation rates of under 25 %.
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 28
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Parks and Recreation Survey
Figure 10: Participation in Parks and Recreation Activities
Participated in a community event
Walked, ran or jogged in a park or nature park
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a beach
16%
5
23% 57%
��- 54%
Attended an event at a Ruth Eckerd Hall 79� 54%
Attended an event at BrightHouse Networks Field
"Dropped -in" for exercise (weights, exercise machines,
etc.)
Used the Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail
0%
53%
5%
Played at a playground
Exercised a pet(s) in a park or nature park
Used an outdoor swimming pool for "open swim"
(drop -in)
Participated in an adult exercise, fitness or wellness
program
Participated in a fitness class (e.g., yoga, aerobics,
pilates, weight training, etc.)
Used an outdoor swimming pool for swim lessons or
water exercise classes
Used a group shelter or picnic area (for group event)
Played court sports or took lessons (e.g., basketball,
volleyball)
Used an indoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -
in)
Played field sports (e.g., soccer, football, rugby, field
hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee)
Used an indoor swimming pool for swim lessons or
water exercise classes
Participated in an adult sports program or team
Participated in senior exercise, fitness or wellness
program
Report of Results (2013 -09)
j,17%
44%
44%
41%
j16%
39%
14%
111111111111.1111 38%
16%
38%
13%
�
35%
14%
8% 35%
• 31%
15%
8 2`
% 27%
rpm 26%
1 25%
25%
5%
24%
1111949111
24%
7%
September 2013
67%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Done at City of Clearwater Park or Facility
0 Done Somewhere else
Page 29
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Figure 10: Participation in Parks and Recreation Activities (continued)
Participated in an adult arts or recreation program 23%
7%
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a reservoir or
lake 11%
Played tennis or took tennis lessons . 22%
Went motorized boating at a marina . 21%
Participated in children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation 21%
program 5%
Played golf or took golf lessons 20%
a
Played softball 20%
60
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) sports program or 19%
team 4%
Participated in a senior arts or recreation program 19%
20
Participated in a nature program 11111110 16%
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation Tr 16%
program 3%
Went non - motorized boating at a marina 15%
Relaxed (e.g., read a book, picnicked, played games or 14%
J '�iO
catch on the grass) in a park
Played baseball TR 13%
4%
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) sports program or team 3% 13%
Participated in a therapeutic recreation program 11%
10
Played shuffleboard
�6°0 9%
Used a skate park 2�0
5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Done at City of Clearwater Park or Facility
❑ Done Somewhere else
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 30
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Parks and Recreation Survey
Figure 11: Rating of Importance of Various Activities and Facilities
Beach facilities for swimming and recreation
Parks and nature parks
Community events
Playgrounds
BrightHouse Networks Field
Ruth Eckerd Hall
Adult exercise, fitness or wellness programs
Senior exercise, fitness or wellness programs
Exercise facilities (weights, exercise machines, etc.)
Children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation programs
Youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation programs
Field sports fields
The Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail
Youth (age 13 -19) sports programs or teams
Children's (age 0 -12) sports programs or teams
Senior arts or recreation programs
Baseball and softball fields
Beach facilities for boating (Marina)
Fitness classes
Gymnasiums for court sports
Tennis courts and complexes
A group shelter or picnic area (for group event)
Adult sports programs or teams
Outdoor swimming pools
Adult arts or recreation programs
Therapeutic recreation programs
Nature programs
Indoor swimming pool
Places to exercise pet(s) in a park or nature park
Golf courses
Shuffleboard courts
A skate park
Report of Results (2013 -09)
45%
25%
70%
40%
31%
38%
33%
38%
33%
81%
74%
71%
70%
70%
76%
77%
70%
36%
40%
34%
32%
33%
32%
33%
28%
66%
65%
64%
61%
32%
42%
32%
37%
32%
33%
31%
32%
29%
32%
74%
68%
64%
63%
61%
28%
41%
28%
37%
26%
39%
69%
64%
65%
39% 165%
I 63%
62%
25%
37%
25%
35%
22%
38%
22%
27%
49%
21%
40%
19%
28%
17%
25%
10%
25%
22% I 27%
47%
42%
35%
60%
60%
62%
September 2013
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Essential
❑ Very Important
Page 31
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Residents' Perspectives on Funding Options for Parks and
Recreation
Support for or Opposition to Funding Options
Several question sets were included to determine the community's support for, or opposition
to, a variety of funding options for parks and recreation offerings by the City.
A large majority of respondents supported the idea of the City supplementing the cost of operating
facilities and recreational programs by using different revenue sources such as grants, donations and
taxes (80 % <) (Figure 12). Over 70% of respondents support the idea of charging higher fees to
individuals living outside Clearwater for participating in recreation programs, as well as using
profitable programs such as sports leagues, to pay for less profitable ones.
In addition, when asked what proportion of funding for operating costs of facilities and programs
should come from taxes versus fees, most of those completing the survey felt that taxes should pay
for the majority of the operating costs (63 %). Few respondents (10 %) felt that taxes should pay for
100% of the operating costs. Little support was shown for the idea that recreation programs must pay
for themselves exclusively through user fees (2 %). (Figure 13).
Figure 12: Agreement with Funding Strategies
The City should supplement the costs of operating
facilities by using different revenue sources, such as
grants, donations, and taxes.
The City should supplement the costs of operating
recreation programs by using different revenue
sources, such as grants, donations, and taxes.
Individuals living outside Clearwater should pay higher
fees for participating in recreation programs
Profitable or popular programs (such as sports leagues
and swimming lessons) can help pay for less profitable
programs (such as therapeutic, senior and youth
programs)
Recreation programs must pay for themselves through
user fees
Report of Results (2013 -09)
45%
44%
41%
25%
40%
38%
38%
47%
9%
36%
44%
86%
83%
79%
72%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%
Percent of Respondents
• Strongly Agree ❑ Somewhat Agree
Page 32
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Parks and Recreation Survey
S
•
•
•
•
S
S
September 2013
Figure 13: Resident Opinion on Taxes versus Fees to Fund Operating Costs
• Fees from users
• should pay the
majority of costs and
• taxes should pay the
• remaining costs
14%
•
• 100% through fees
• 2%
•
•
• Taxes should pay the
4110 majority of costs and
fees from users the
• remaining costs
No response
11%
100% through taxes
10%
•
•
S
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
S
•
•
•
•
•
• Report of Results (2013 -09)
•
•
63%
Page 33
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Preferences for Options to Reduce the Parks and Recreation Budget
A section of the questionnaire informed recipients that the City of Clearwater, due to global
economics and the passage of Amendment 1 to lower property taxes in the State of Florida, is facing
tough economic challenges and will have to make difficult budget decisions. A set of options for
reducing the Parks and Recreation budget were presented, for which survey respondents indicated
their level of support for or opposition to each. They were then asked to indicate what their top two
choices would be for budget reductions. The preferences for budget reductions obtained in this
survey parallel the results from the 2009 mail in survey.
In general, there is a lack of support for any budget reduction. Of the 11 budget reduction options,
only "Reducing landscape maintenance in areas such as medians" was supported by the majority of
respondents (51 %).Other options supported by over 40% of the respondents include eliminating
some athletic fields, reducing cultural programs, eliminating some community events, and reducing
the operating hours of recreational facilities (see Figure 14).These options were also the ones most
likely to be chosen when asked for the top two choices for reductions (see Figure 15 on the next
page).
The majority of respondents are opposed to reductions such as allowing other entities to operate city
facilities, closing one of the recreational facilities, reducing park maintenance and reducing beach
maintenance. Over 40% oppose reducing programs that serve senior adults.
Figure 14: Support for Options to Reduce the Parks and Recreation Budget
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 34
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Parks and Recreation Survey
Reducing landscape maintenance in areas such
as medians
Eliminating some athletic fields
Reducing cultural programs
Eliminating some community events
Reducing operating hours of recreational
facilities
Reducing athletic fields maintenance
Reducing beach maintenance
Allow other entities to operate city facilities
even if the programs are more expensive
Reducing park maintenance
Closing a recreational facility
Reducing programs that serve senior adults
Report of Results (2013 -09)
20%
31%
14%
28%
13%
27%
42%
40%
Ell36%
12%
32%
10%
29%
9%
19%
8%
21%
25%
15%
28%
29%
30%
24%
20%
51%
47%
43%
38%
September 2013
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
• Strongly Support
❑ Somewhat Support
Figure 15: Top Choices for Reducing the Parks and Recreation Budget
Page 35
Parks and Recreation Survey
Reducing landscape maintenance in areas such as
medians
Eliminating some athletic fields
Eliminating some community events
Reducing operating hours of recreational facilities
NM! 22%
20%
111111114%
18%
14%
12%
14%
12%
Reducing cultural programs
MI 13%
13%
Allow other entities to operate city facilities even if 10%
the programs are more expensive 8%
Closing a recreational facility
8%
5%
Reducing athletic fields maintenance
8%
10%
16%
Reducing beach maintenance
9%
Reducing programs that serve senior adults
5%
Reducing park maintenance
5%
3%
5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%
Percent of Respondents
• Percent choosing as top choice for
reduction
El Strongly Support
Report of Results (2013 -09)
September 2013
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
TABLES: RESPONSES TO SURVEY QUESTIONS
The following pages contain a complete set of responses to each question on the survey.
Question #1
Cities offer parks and recreation facilities and
programs to their residents for various reasons.
Please indicate the extent to which you agree
or disagree that the City of Clearwater should
offer recreation facilities & programs through
parks and recreation funding for each of the
following purposes.
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disagree
c
m
Tv
Most
Important
(check
TWO only)
To provide opportunities for residents to maintain
and improve their physical health
80%
19%
0%
0%
1%
100%
41%
To provide opportunities for residents to make social
connections which strengthen the community's
social fabric
52%
38%
6%
0%
4%
100%
8%
To enhance the community's economic vitality by
offering special events and amateur athletic
tournaments that draw visitors inside and outside
the community
54%
37%
7%
1%
2%
100%
10%
To provide recreational opportunities to underserved
residents who might not otherwise be able to
participate in recreational activities (e.g., people
with disabilities or people with low incomes)
54%
35%
6%
5%
1%
100%
10%
To provide positive activities for children and teens
(age 19 and younger)
68%
23%
4%
0%
5%
100%
20%
To provide recreational, social and health
strengthening opportunities for older adults (age 60
and older)
63%
30%
4%
0%
4%
100%
17%
To promote a more beautiful community and a
greater "sense of place" for residents
53%
37%
8%
1%
2%
100%
14%
To provide greater cultural opportunities to increase
our city's livability, stimulating economic
revitalization, strengthening education, and creating
an understanding of diverse populations
45%
36%
12%
7%
1%
100%
6%
To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths for
residents to use for exercise and for non - motorized
transportation
54%
34%
7%
3%
3%
100%
2%
To provide green and natural spaces within the
community with park lands and open space
58%
34%
4%
2%
3%
100%
13%
To maintain the community's image as an athletic
"sports town" destination
40%
26%
22%
9%
2%
99%
7%
To maintain the community's image as a beach
resort destination
38%
39%
15%
7%
0%
99%
10%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 37
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #2
Please rate how important you
think it is for the City to provide
recreation programs for each of the
population groups below.
Essential
Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Not at all
Important
Don't know
o
CO
m
;°,
o
!--
Children 0 to 5 years old
22%
25%
34%
12%
3%
5%
100%
Children 6 to 12 years old
43%
37%
13%
2%
1%
4%
100%
Teenagers 13 to 17 years old
53%
36%
9%
1%
0%
2%
100%
Adults
39%
38%
14%
3%
3%
3%
100%
Senior adults (60 years old or more)
54%
27%
13%
3%
2%
1%
100%
Families together as a group
31%
39%
19%
2%
3%
5%
99%
People with disabilities
38%
42%
13%
3%
1%
4%
100%
Non - residents
10%
17%
43%
21%
6%
3%
100%
Beginner levels
23%
37%
22%
5%
8%
4%
98%
Intermediate levels
20%
38%
25%
4%
9%
3%
98%
Advanced or elite levels
16%
28%
30%
9%
12%
4%
98%
Question #3a
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
I consider parks and recreation...
Percent of Respondents
A human service that contributes to the physical, emotional and social welfare of the
whole community offering limited s
A business that serves people who can afford to pay for the services through user
fees
91%
3%
Total
94%
Question #3b
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
Parks and recreation programs should be offered ...
Percent of Respondents
At many different skill levels, i.e. beginner through advanced. 74%
At the beginner and intermediate levels 22%
Total 96%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #3c
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect values
that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please indicate
which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for Clearwater.
Parks and recreation facilities should be mostly...
Percent of Respondents
Programmed with leagues and other pre - planned activities or events, with some drop
in use, likely earning greater revenue
Available for public drop -in use with some active programming likely earning lesser
revenues
Total
38%
54%
92%
Question #3d
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect values
that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please indicate
which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for Clearwater.
Parks and recreation program offerings should ...
Percent of Respondents
Focus mostly on popular sports and fitness (e.g. aerobics, yoga, softball, soccer,
basketball, etc.) because those serve the most number of people
Offer some popular sports and fitness activities, but also include diverse
opportunities like arts and crafts, and classes (e.g. cooking, tai chi, etc.) that may not
serve so many
Total
39%
56%
95%
Question #3e
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
The Parks and Recreation Department should provide facilities and programs
that...
Percent of Respondents
Complement other community offerings but not duplicate them (even if the
duplicated city programs are less expensive)
Are requested by residents, regardless of whether they are provided by other
agencies in our community 49%
Total 93%
44%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 39
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #3f
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
When considering potential budget reductions, the Parks and Recreation
Department should ...
Percent of Respondents
Maintain all existing programs and facilities but at a lower level of service (e.g. park
maintenance on fewer days per week; reduced hours at recreation facilities; fewer
recreation program offerings within each category). 49%
Eliminate some programs and facilities, but keep the remaining programs and
facilities at current levels of service (e.g close some facilities but keep all others on
current schedules; cut some types of recreation programs) 38%
Total 87%
Question #3g
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
Landscaping in public spaces
(e.g. parks, medians, street right -of -ways) should be ... Percent of Respondents
Beautifully maintained in our community to ensure our high quality of life 63%
Require minimal or no maintenance 24%
Total
87%
Question #3h
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
Playgrounds should...
Percent of Respondents
serve the entire community, have more play equipment, have diverse options for all
ages (6 months to 2, 2 -5 and 5 -12), be larger in scale and be within driving distance 58%
serve a neighborhood, have limited play equipment, primarily serve ages 2 -5, and be
within walking distance. 35%
Total 93%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #3i
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
Recreation Centers should...
Percent of Respondents
serve the entire community, be large in size, and have lots of activities (such as the
Long Center) 64%
serve a neighborhood and be smaller in size (such as Ross Norton) 28%
Total 92%
Question #3j
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
Restrooms should...
Percent of Respondents
be expanded to all neighborhood and special use parks (approximately 50 parks). This
would have a substantial cost impact both initially and for maintenance. This will
mean that other parks and recreation elements would need to be eliminated to fund
this endeavor 38%
be only a high volume special use facilities such as Clearwater Beach, and athletic
sports complexes where we have them today. 48%
Total 96%
Question #3k
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
Lighting of Courts (Basketball and Tennis) at Night should be...
Percent of Respondents
in a Neighborhood park
in a Special Use facility (such as McMullen Tennis Complex) or Recreation Center
both a Neighborhood and Special Use Facility
Total
10%
28%
54%
92%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 41
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #3I
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
Special Events in Coachman Park should...
Percent of Respondents
serve primarily residents 20%
be larger events that bring in economic development by attracting visitors. 67%
be eliminated to save money 4%
Total .__
i 91%
Question #3m
The city of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks
and recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect
values that are important to you, from each pair of statements below, please
indicate which ONE of the two statements you believe is more important for
Clearwater.
Programs and Facilities should...
Percent of Respondents
be offered and constructed to our present and projected demographic profile. (we
have the second highest median age in the United States)
be offered and constructed to attract younger families
Total
52%
24%
76%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question 4
Please rate how important to the
community, if at all, it is that the City of
Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following
activities. Then indicate which you
think are the two MOST IMPORTANT
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not at all Important
_v
fa
71
c
!—
Most
Impo
rtant
(chec
k
TWO
only)
activities.
Wellness /fitness (e.g., weight training,
aerobics, yoga, etc.)
38%
42%
11%
0%
9%
100%
53%
Visual arts (e.g., pottery, painting, etc.)
13%
24%
45%
7%
11%
99%
4%
Performing arts (e.g., dance, drama, etc.)
13%
25%
39%
7%
14%
99%
4%
Community events (e.g., Jazz Holiday,
Turkey Trot, Fun N' Sun, Clearwater Sea
Blues Festival)
35%
29%
24%
3%
9%
99%
35%
Sports teams and lessons (e.g., softball,
soccer, football, etc.)
33%
36%
16%
4%
12%
100%
21%
Golf
11%
21%
39%
17%
11%
99%
1%
Gymnastics
8%
24%
45%
11%
12%
99%
1%
Aquatics (e.g., lap swimming, water
exercise classes, lessons, etc.)
27%
45%
16%
2%
9%
99%
21%
Tennis
17%
36%
31%
6%
10%
99%
4%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 43
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #5
City parks serve various purposes within
a community, some of which are listed
below. Please rate how important, if at
all, each purpose is to you and your
household.
„
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not at all Important
Don't know
,v
o o
CT)
~
Providing visual "green spaces" within the
city
39%
34%
19%
2%
1%
5%
100%
Providing a place for rest and relaxation
30%
44%
18%
2%
1%
5%
100%
Providing developed spaces for field sports
(e.g., soccer, football, softball, baseball, ,
lacrosse)
32%
37%
21%
7%
1%
3%
100%
Providing open lawn /play space (for children
or adults to play their own games like tag,
frisbee, croquet, etc.)
23%
51%
16%
4%
1%
5%
100%
Providing opportunities for court sports (e.g.,
tennis, basketball)
27%
43%
23%
5%
0%
2%
100%
Providing places for group gatherings
19%
42%
30%
4%
1%
4%
100%
Providing places for children to play on
playground equipment
38%
39%
13%
3%
0%
6%
100%
Providing places to exercise pets
14%
25%
39%
14%
3%
4%
100%
Providing a place to walk or jog
29%
39%
23%
3%
2%
4%
100%
Providing natural open lands or wildlife
habitat
36%
28%
24%
7%
1%
5%
100%
Providing annual flower plantings
11%
24%
38%
23%
1%
4%
100%
Providing low -water perennial (bloom year
after year) plantings
24%
27%
33%
9%
4%
4%
100%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
uestion #6
Please rate how
important to the
community, if at all, it is
that the City of
Clearwater Parks and
Recreation Department
provide the following
community events.
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not At All Important
c
f°
m
t
1-
Most
Important
(check up
to THREE)
Clearwater Celebrates
America
24%
36%
14%
8%
18%
100%
18%
Clearwater Fun N' Sun
Festival Weekend
23%
36%
22%
6%
13%
100%
26%
Clearwater Sea Blues
Festival
17%
32%
27%
5%
19%
100%
16%
Blast Friday
19%
26%
27%
14%
13%
100%
9%
Hispanic Heritage Fall
Concert Weekend
13%
25%
29%
18%
15%
100%
6%
TriRocks
7%
17%
34%
19%
23%
100%
0%
Jazz Holiday
29%
32%
19%
5%
15%
100%
20%
Make A Difference Fishing
Tournament
12%
29%
37%
9%
14%
100%
6%
Martin Luther King Day
March
16%
35%
20%
14%
14%
100%
13%
Outback Beach Day
13%
27%
36%
9%
16%
100%
4%
Turkey Trot
30%
32%
15%
8%
15%
100%
22%
Philadelphia Phillies Spring
Training
36%
30%
12%
9%
14%
100%
23%
Clearwater Threshers
31%
27%
20%
8%
14%
100%
14%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 45
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #7
Please indicate whether you or anyone in your household has done any of these
activities in the past 12 months at a City of Clearwater park or facility, or at
another park or facility (either a private facility or one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Done at a
City of
Clearwater
park or
facility
Done
somewhere
else
Used the Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail
44%
N/A
Walked, ran or jogged in a park or nature park
57%
23%
Exercised a pet(s) in a park or nature park
39%
14%
Relaxed (e.g., read a book, picnicked, played games or catch on the grass) in a
park
14%
7%
Used a group shelter or picnic area (for group event)
31%
15%
Used a skate park
7%
5%
Played at a playground
41%
16%
Participated in a nature program
16%
9%
Played baseball
13%
4%
Played softball
20%
6%
Played field sports (e.g., soccer, football, rugby, field hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate
Frisbee)
25%
9%
Played tennis or took tennis lessons
22%
10%
Played court sports or took lessons (e.g., basketball, volleyball)
27%
8%
Played golf or took golf lessons
20%
9%
Played shuffleboard
9%
6%
Used an outdoor swimming pool for swim lessons or water exercise classes
35%
8%
Used an outdoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -in)
38%
16%
Used an indoor swimming pool for swim lessons or water exercise classes
25%
5%
Used an indoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -in)
26%
5%
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a reservoir or lake
22%
11%
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a beach
54%
18%
Went motorized boating at a marina
21%
11%
Went non - motorized boating at a marina
15%
8%
Participated in a fitness class (e.g., yoga, aerobics, pilates, weight training, etc.)
35%
14%
"Dropped -in" for exercise (weights, exercise machines, etc.)
44%
17%
Participated in children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation program
21%
5%
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation program
16%
3%
Participated in an adult arts or recreation program
23%
7%
Participated in a senior arts or recreation program
19%
2%
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) sports program or team
19%
4%
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) sports program or team
13%
3%
Participated in an adult sports program or team
24%
9%
Participated in an adult exercise, fitness or wellness program
38%
13%
Participated in senior exercise, fitness or wellness program
24%
7%
Participated in a therapeutic recreation program
11%
1%
Participated in a community event
67%
16%
Attended an event at a Ruth Eckerd Hall
54%
7%
Attended an event at BrightHouse Networks Field
53%
5%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 46
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #8
How important, if at all, do you believe it is that
City of Clearwater offer each of the following
activities or facilities to the community?
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat
Important
Not At All Important
Don't Know
_v
rro
00
To
0
!—
The Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail
33%
28%
20%
5%
5%
10%
100%
Parks and nature parks
41%
39%
9%
3%
1%
7%
100%
Places to exercise pet(s) in a park or nature park
19%
28%
38%
5%
2%
8%
99%
A group shelter or picnic area (for group event)
26%
39%
20%
4%
1%
10%
100%
A skate park
5%
22%
46%
18%
0%
9%
100%
Playgrounds
40%
31%
18%
3%
0%
8%
100%
Nature programs
22%
27%
36%
6%
1%
9%
100%
Baseball and softball fields
31%
32%
26%
4%
0%
8%
100%
Field sports fields (e.g., soccer, football, rugby,
field hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee)
33/°
33%
32/°
32%
23/°
23%
5/°
5%
0%
0%
8/°
8%
°
100%
Tennis courts and complexes
26%
39%
22%
6%
0%
7%
100%
Gymnasiums for court sports (e.g., basketball,
volleyball)
°
28%
°
37%
°
24%
°
5%
°
1/°
°
6%
°
100%
Golf courses
17%
25%
35%
14%
1%
8%
100%
Shuffleboard courts
10%
25%
38%
18%
1%
9%
100%
Outdoor swimming pools
25%
37%
26%
3%
1%
9%
100%
Indoor swimming pool
21%
40%
30%
0%
0%
9%
100%
Beach facilities for swimming and recreation
45%
25%
13%
7%
3%
7%
100%
Beach facilities for boating (Marina
29%
32%
24%
7%
0%
9%
100%
Fitness classes (e.g., yoga, aerobics, pilates, weight
training, etc.)
28%
28%
41%
41/0
19%
19%
4%
4/0
1%
1%
7%
7/0
°
100%
Exercise facilities (weights, exercise machines,
etc.)
34%
37%
19%
1%
1%
8%
99%
Children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation programs
34%
33%
23%
2%
2%
7%
100%
Youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation programs
34%
32%
21%
2%
3%
9%
100%
Adult arts or recreation programs
25%
35%
30%
3%
1%
7%
100%
Senior arts or recreation programs
32%
33%
23%
5%
1%
7%
100%
Children's (age 0 -12) sports programs or teams
32%
37%
22%
2%
1%
7%
100%
Youth (age 13 -19) sports programs or teams
32%
42%
15%
2%
1%
8%
100%
Adult sports programs or teams
25%
38%
25%
5%
1%
7%
100%
Adult exercise, fitness or wellness programs
36%
40%
13%
2%
0%
9%
100%
Senior exercise, fitness or wellness programs
35%
42%
13%
3%
0%
8%
100%
Therapeutic recreation programs
22%
38%
27%
3%
1%
9%
99%
Community events
40%
34%
14%
2%
2%
7%
99%
Ruth Eckerd Hall
38%
33%
15%
6%
2%
7%
100%
BrightHouse Networks Field
38%
33%
13%
7%
3%
7%
100%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 47
Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #9
Please indicate which of the following statements best represents how you feel
the cost for operating recreation facilities and offering recreational programs Percent of
should be paid. Respondents
100% through taxes 10%
Taxes should pay the majority of costs and fees from users the remaining costs 63%
2%
100% through fees
Fees from users should pay the majority of costs and taxes should pay the
remaining costs 14%
Total 100%
uestion #10
The City of Clearwater is exploring ways to fund
parks and recreation in the future. Please
indicate the extent to which you agree or
disagree with each of the following funding
options.
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Don't know
,v
_c
O0
`C°
0
1--
Recreation programs must pay for
themselves through user fees
9%
36%
29%
19%
3%
5%
100%
Profitable or popular programs (such as
sports leagues and swimming lessons) can
help pay for less profitable programs (such as
therapeutic, senior and youth programs)
25%
47%
12%
8%
3%
6%
100%
The City should supplement the costs of
operating recreation programs by using
different revenue sources, such as grants,
donations, and taxes.
44%
38%
6%
1%
3%
7%
99%
The City should supplement the costs of
operating facilities by using different revenue
sources, such as grants, donations, and taxes.
45%
40%
5%
1%
1%
8%
100%
Individuals living outside Clearwater should
pay higher fees for participating in recreation
programs
41%
38%
6%
9%
2%
5%
100%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
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Parks and Recreation Survey
September 2013
Question #11
The City of Clearwater, due to
global economics and the passage
of Amendment 1 to lower
property taxes in the State of
Florida, like the rest of the
nation, is facing tough economic
challenges and will have to make
difficult budget decisions. Please
indicate your level of support for
or opposition to each of the
following options for reducing
the Parks and Recreation budget.
Then indicate which two options
you would most support, if
budget cuts were necessary.
Strongly Support I
Somewhat Support
Somewhat Oppose
Strongly Oppose
o
O0
c
!—
Top Choices
for
Reductions
(check TWO
only)
Reducing beach maintenance
9%
19%
22%
36%
13%
99%
6%
Reducing park maintenance
5%
25%
31%
27%
12%
99%
3%
Reducing athletic fields
maintenance
10%
29%
23%
22%
15%
99%
8%
Eliminating some athletic fields
14%
28%
21%
25%
12%
100%
18%
Reducing operating hours of
recreational facilities
12/0
12%
32%
22%
22/0
22%
22/0
12%
12/0
99/0
99%
14%
14/0
Closing a recreational facility
5%
19%
29%
34%
13%
99%
8%
Eliminating some community
events
12%
36%
21%
18%
13%
99%
14%
Reducing programs that serve
senior adults
5%
15%
28%
39%
12%
99%
5%
Reducing cultural programs
13%
27%
30%
18%
11%
99%
13%
Reducing landscape maintenance
in areas such as medians
20%
31%
19%
17%
12%
99%
22%
Allow other entities to operate
city facilities even if the programs
are more expensive
8%
21%
25%
33%
12%
98%
10%
Report of Results (2013 -09)
Page 49
Parks and Recreation Survey
Appendix C: Specific Area Comments
Comments regarding specific areas or
programs that participants would like to see
included or that they don't like about the
existing facilities and programs. (Underlined
indicates support by four or more individuals)
Athletics (Youth/ Adult Sports):
♦ Golf lessons
• Football lessons
♦ Basketball lessons
♦ Baseball
♦ Softball for children
♦ Tennis lessons for all ages
♦ Kickball lessons
♦ Soccer for kids and adults
♦ Track
♦
Pickleball lessons
Aquatics:
♦ Keep all heated pools open all year
round for use
♦ Senior exercise aquatics
♦ More field trips
• Water Park
• We need a year -round outdoor pool
• Keep pool open on weekends longer
• Beach pool needs to be open longer,
more months, and heated
• Staff at beach pool is fantastic
• Keep Morningside pool open longer
• Library needs to open longer
• Better access to Long Center Pool — non
sport
♦ Long Center- wonderful facility
Recreation Programs:
♦ Kayak Kids Cemp (Summer)
Report of Results (2013 -09)
September 2013
• Table tennis
♦ Bowling Teams (Youth + Adults)
♦ Volleyball/ Handball clinics for beginners
♦ Dancing
• Art Classes
♦ Music (Chorus/ Band)
♦ Basketball courts (Outdoor /Indoor)
♦ There should be more advertising for
facilities and programs
♦
Pickleball leagues
♦ 5k's, triathlons, running and kayaking,
obstacle courses
♦ Recumbent biking for older population
• Butts + gluts/ Zumba
Aging Well Center:
♦ Tai -Chi senior level
♦ Better access for Seniors (Rear door)
• Good Programs / Love the versatile
programs
♦ Directional signs at eye level
• Change the name of the aging well
center
Parks Maintenance (Landscaping upgrades and
improvements):
• Only Florida - friendly or native
landscaping, work with the environment,
be ecological responsible
• Grass! No vehicles riding around
♦ Trash Cans
♦ Working fountains
♦ Light replacement (Shelters)
♦ More restrooms
♦ Cut grass more often
• Use less annuals
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Parks and Recreation Survey
• Clean beach less to save money, No need
for cleaning once and day.
♦ Clearwater spends too much on sprucing
up EC Moore Complex
• Shaded Playgrounds
• Misters and water fountains — If not
wasted water
Park amenities- What do you want to see?
• Replace Rockaway Pier
♦ A new recreational center in
Morningside
• Restrooms in Morningside
• Restrooms restored in Crest Lake Park
• Lights at Morningside Tennis
• Longer hours at Morningside pool, ex:
from 5 -7 pm, and additional months of
service
• Coopers Bayou: Picnic Tables, Restroom,
kayak rinse rack
• Pull -up Bars
• Community garage sales at the parks
• Community and MPO involvement
(Scouts, shcools, churches,
neighborhood groups engaging in
activities and events)
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September 2013
♦ Fire pits
• Fishing tournament
• Bake sales, garage or market days at the
parks
• Music at coachman
• More pickleball courts availability
• Crest Lake: Please improve- bring back
the people with better security and
bathrooms
• Build Track and Field for the public
• Fitness court
• Lights on Tennis courts
Special Use Facilities:
• Coachman Park — Great
• Develop Coachman Park as a Park
• Shuffle board Club: Kayak launch area to
Stephens Creek
• Disk Golf
Environmental Programs:
• Park Clean -up: Get the community
involved
♦ Beautification/ Tree Planting
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Parks and Recreation Survey
Appendix D: Park Memories
♦ Clearwater Beach swimming pool.
Aug /Sept -pool opened 5 days a week
♦ Although grandchildren live in cities well
supplied with recreational opportunities,
they love to come to Grannie Camp and
play tennis
• Walk every morning from Gardenia to
end of the beachwalk 340 days a year
♦ Great friends at Clearwater Beach pool
♦ Pleased with the pool staff. Very
attentive to detail and being a
quadriplegic, feel very secure in their
care
♦ Made many new friends at the CL Beach
Recreation Center fitness class. There is
such a diversity of programs. The library
is a tremendous asset, but should be
open mornings too. Exercise area well
maintained.
♦ Clearwater Beach sunsets
♦ When first moved here was able to take
kids to Country Hollow park.
♦ Climbing on huge sand pile at Sugar Sand
Festival
♦ Florida Orchestra in Coachman Park
• Walking to Forest Run on the nature
walk in evening
♦ Son played at Clearwater Beach Rec
Center since 1975. Many memories
playing soccer, swimming, and on beach.
He is now with teenager and she swims
at pool
♦ Best memories is spending time with
friends
• Clearwater Beachwalk — watching being
built and now enjoy walking it
♦ Sunsets at the beach every night
Report of Results (2013 -09)
September 2013
♦ Enjoy Martin Luther King Park. Would
like more child friendly opportunities -
water play areas
♦ Gym equipment in the parks
♦ Recreation teams compete with other
recreation teams, i.e. basketball
♦ Nature walks; need touch football and
disk golf
♦ Annual church picnics in the park
♦ Would like water slide and fast rides
• Family days in park. Some parks need
more basketball courts
♦ More basketball courts
♦ See kids in North Greenwood use the
Clearwater Parks and Recreation
facilities. Great resources
♦ After - school programs
• Summer school and field trips
• Park needs more hand -ball courts,
basketball, football, volleyball, kickball
• Playing on swings and monkey bars
• Safe place for children to attend after
schools and summer school
♦ Family gatherings, birthday parties and
water days
• Monday night league basketball
• North Greenwood. Good memories and
very nice trips
♦ Swings
• Just sit in park and enjoy sunsets
• Walking dog at Crest Lake Park
♦ Playground at Crest Lake Park. Make the
park a happy place for kids
• Ross Norton Park for community
meetings. Staff friendly
♦ Little League at Countryside
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Parks and Recreation Survey
• Community picnics at Lake Bellevue,
early morning workouts
• Played basketball, football and in parks.
Started swimming
♦ Birthday parties in park
♦ Playing basketball and meeting new
people
• Surprise retirement party at MLK
• Senior splash (Silver Sneakers)
• Open forums for political and community
activities
♦ Long Center table tennis. Use
Countryside Center for pickleball and
gym
• Pickleball. Would like Countryside to set
up area for that, with lights
• Pickleball. City needs to transition some
tennis courts
• Playgrounds. Needs one like Largo
• Pickleball, repaint tennis court for its use
♦ Lighted courts
• Countryside Center — made a lot of
friends.
• Long Center - Pickleball
Report of Results (2013 -09)
September 2013
♦ Coachman Park concerts
• Use Long Center and Countryside Center,
even though live in Safety Harbor
• Home for Sunrise Pickleball Club
• Pickleball rocks!
♦ As a senior with health issues, the
recreation programs help to stay fit
♦ Good Life games
♦ Long Center — Pickleball. People nice
there
• Many life changing experiences in
Clearwater. Great people!
• Wonderful employees at Senior Center
• Wonderful seminars
• Crest Lake Park — walking, jogging. Safe
due to police watch
• Morningside Recreation Center —
community lost all the annual events
• Crest lake Park — walking and dog park
• Aging Well Center — programs
• Watching sons learn to swim at
Morningside
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rwater
APPENDIX C
CITY OF CLEARWATER
PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN
MAIL SURVEY REPORT OF RESULTS
December 2013
•
NATIONAL
RESEARCH
C E N T E R wNc.
2955 Valmont Rd., Suite 300 • Boulder, Colorado 80301
t: 303 - 444-7863 • f: 303-444-1145 • www.n -r -c.com
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
CONTENTS
Executive Summary 1
Survey Background 5
Survey Results 6
Community Priorities for Parks and Recreation 6
Purpose of Clearwater Parks and Recreation 6
Resident Perspectives on Recreation Programs 12
Resident Perspectives on Community Events 14
Resident Perspectives on Parks 16
Residents' Use and Importance Ratings of Recreational Facilities and Programs 17
Residents' Perspectives on Funding Options for Parks and Recreation 21
Appendix A: Frequency of Survey Responses 25
Appendix B: 2013 Survey Responses Compared to 2009 Responses 40
Appendix C: Responses to Selected Survey Questions by Geographic Area 51
Appendix D: Selected Survey Results by Respondent Characteristics 69
Appendix E: Survey Methodology 83
Appendix F: Survey Materials 87
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
• FIGURES
• Figure 1: Community Vision for Parks and Recreation, 2013 compared to 2009 7
• Figure 2: Community Priorities for Parks and Recreation, 2013 compared to 2009 8
• Figure 3: Trade -Off Preferences, 2013 compared to 2009* 10
• Figure 4: Additional Trade -off Preferences 11
• Figure 5: Importance Placed on Serving Various Population Groups, 2013 compared to
• 2009 12
• Figure 6: Importance Placed on Various Recreation Activities, 2013 compared to 2009 13
• Figure 7: Importance Placed on Various Recreation Activities, 2013 compared to 2009 13
• Figure 8: Importance of Community Events, 2013 compared to 2009 14
• Figure 9: Most Important Community Events, 2013 compared to 2009 15
Figure 10: Resident Views of Purposes of City Parks, 2013 compared to 2009 16
• Figure 11: Participation in Recreation Activities, 2013 compared to 2009 18
• Figure 12: Importance of the City of Clearwater Offering Various Activities /Facilities,
• 2013 compared to 2009 20
• Figure 13: Support for Funding Options, 2013 compared to 2009 21
• Figure 14: Fees versus Taxes for Operating Facilities and Operating Programs, 2013
• compared to 2009 22
• Figure 15: Support for Options to REDUCE the Parks and Recreation Budget, 2013
• compared to 2009 23
Figure 16: Options Chosen to REDUCE the Parks and Recreation Budget, 2013 compared
• to 2009 24
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Report of Results (12 -09 -2013)
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Survey Background
Parks and recreation facilities, programs and services are an important part of Clearwater's
quality of life. As a part of the process to update the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the City
of Clearwater Parks and Recreation Department commissioned a scientific survey of Clearwater
residents to understand the public's perspectives and preferences. A similar survey was
conducted in 2009 and comparisons to results from the previous survey are shown wherever
possible.
A total of 3,000 households located in Clearwater were randomly selected to receive the
survey. About 17% (500) of the 3,000 surveys mailed were returned because the housing unit
was vacant or the postal service was unable to deliver the survey as addressed. Of the
approximately 2,500 households presumed to have received a survey, 490 completed the
survey, providing a response rate of 20 %. The 95% confidence interval (or "margin of error ")
was ±4 percentage points.
Survey results were weighted so that respondent age, gender and type of housing situation
(presence or absence of children in the household) were represented in the proportions
reflective of the Clearwater adult population.
Highlights of Survey Results
r The "mission statement" for parks and recreation in Clearwater that most resonated with
residents was to provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve their physical
health.
A series of 12 statements about possible overarching goals for parks and recreation in
Clearwater was presented to survey respondents, who were asked to rate the importance of
each of these potential purposes. There were four potential "missions" that resonated most
strongly with residents, with which more than 90% of respondents at least somewhat agreed,
and more than 60% strongly agreed. These were:
• To provide positive activities for children and teens (age 19 and younger)
• To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve their physical health
• To provide green and natural spaces within the community with park lands and open
space
• To promote a more beautiful community and a greater "sense of place" for residents
When forced to choose just two of the statements as the most important ones for parks and
recreation in Clearwater, providing opportunities to maintain and improve physical health was
the "clear winner," with 45% of respondents. The next closest, providing positive activities for
youth and providing green and natural spaces within the community, were chosen by 28% and
27% respectively.
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Residents greatly preferred (9 to 1) that the Parks and Recreation Department operate with
a "human services" orientation (offering limited services funded primarily through tax
dollars) versus a business model choice (offering more services funded primarily through
fees).
City staff and officials are often faced with competing interests when planning parks and
recreational offerings with limited resources. Those participating in the survey were given a
series of pairs of statements from which they were to choose the one that best represented
how they felt. Overwhelming support was given to the human services model of service
delivery, chosen by 90% of respondents, compared to a business model, selected by 10% of
respondents.
Those completing the survey felt that the City's parks and recreation programs should offer a
lot of diversity.
Seven in 10 felt programs should be offered at many different skill levels, i.e. beginner through
advanced, while 3 in 10 thought programs should be concentrated at the beginner and
intermediate levels.
About 6 in 10 thought parks and recreation program offerings should include some popular
sports and fitness activities, but also include diverse opportunities like arts and crafts, and
classes (e.g. cooking, tai chi, etc.) that may not serve so many, while 4 in 10 thought the City
should concentrate primarily on popular sports and activities because those would serve the
largest number of people.
Residents were somewhat more likely to prefer that parks and recreation facilities have
greater availability for public drop -in use (60 %) rather than be mostly programmed with
leagues and other planned activities (40 %), even though drop -in use would likely result in
lower revenues.
•- About 7 in 10 respondents gave preference to fewer larger playgrounds with more
equipment over smaller playgrounds serving neighborhoods.
About two - thirds felt that restrooms should be only at high volume special use facilities such
as Clearwater Beach and athletic sports complexes, while about one -third believed that
restrooms should be expanded to all neighborhood and special use parks in spite of the
substantial cost.
Seven in 10 respondents favored beautifully maintained landscaping in public spaces to
ensure a high quality of life, while 3 in 10 would choose landscaping that requires little or no
maintenance.
This trade -off was also included in the 2009 survey, where a majority of respondents also
preferred beautifully maintained landscaping, but the majority was not as strong as in 2013.
Children and teenagers were considered the highest priority target population group to be
served by recreational programming.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 2
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Those completing the survey were asked which population groups they thought should be
given the highest priority in terms of recreational programming. Over 40% of respondents
considered it essential to serve teenagers and children. Families together as a group and
people with disabilities were the populations considered the next most important, with about
4 in 10 respondents feeling these groups were essential to serve. About a third of respondents
considered recreational programs for senior adults and adults essential.
Community events and wellness /fitness programs were the recreational activities regarded
as most important for Clearwater.
When asked to rate the importance of various recreational activities, community events and
wellness /fitness programs were the ones that the greatest proportion of respondents
considered essential, followed by aquatics and sports teams and fitness. Visual arts and
performing arts were given lower priority, with gymnastics given the least priority. Ratings
were similar to those observed in 2009, with wellness and fitness being given even greater
priority in 2013 than in 2009.
The three events deemed most vital to the community were the Philadelphia Phillies Spring
Training, Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend and Clearwater Threshers.
The Phillies Spring Training was seen as particularly valuable, with 43% of respondents rating it
essential. All three of these events were considered very important or essential by over 70% of
respondents. Three additional events were considered essential or very important by over 60%
of respondents: the Turkey Trot, Clearwater Celebrates America and Jazz Holiday.
While parks serve a variety of roles in a community, the one considered most important to
Clearwater residents was providing places for children to play on playground equipment.
Other important functions were providing places to walk or jog, followed closely by providing
natural open lands, visual "green spaces" within the city, and places for rest and relaxation.
- There were seven activities in which a majority of respondent households had participated
at a City of Clearwater park or facility in the past year.
These were:
• walking, running or jogging in a park or nature park
♦ swimming, fishing, relaxing or having a social event at a beach
• relaxing in a park
• using the Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail
• attending an event at Bright House Networks Field
• attending an event at a Ruth Eckerd Hall, and
♦ participating in a community event.
These were also the activities with the greatest participation in 2009 (with the exception of
Bright House Networks Field, which was not included on the 2009 survey). In general,
participation levels in 2013 were higher than in 2009.
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
In general, the participation levels for the various activities mirrored the importance ratings.
The areas given the highest importance ratings were also the sites of the most popular
activities. The exception was for playgrounds, which had slightly lower participation (but still
high at 45% of respondent households), but which were considered "essential" by 55% of
respondents.
By and large, respondents were more likely to consider the offerings of the department
"essential" in 2013 than they had been in 2009, although the rank order of the items was
similar.
When asked whether the funding for operating costs of facilities and programs should come
primarily through fees or through taxes, 6 in 10 of those completing the survey felt that
taxes should pay for the majority of the operating costs of facilities and programs with user
fees funding the remaining costs.
About 1 in 10 believed that taxes should pay for 100% of the operating costs.
About 2 in 10 respondents felt that the majority of the costs should be paid by fees with the
remaining coming from taxes. Few respondents (5 %) thought that fees should be the sole
source of funding for operating costs.
Compared to 2009, funding from taxes was viewed somewhat more favorably in 2013.
When having to make tough budget choices, a majority of respondents supported
eliminating some community events, reducing recreation facility operating hours,
eliminating some athletic fields and reducing cultural programs if necessary.
Options that a majority of respondents opposed in order to reduce the budget included
reducing beach maintenance, reducing park maintenance, closing a recreational facility,
allowing other entities to operate City facilities even if the programs are more expensive,
reducing programs that serve senior adults, reducing athletic fields maintenance and reducing
landscape maintenance in areas such as medians. In general, respondents gave a bit less
support to service reductions in 2013 than they did in 2009, perhaps reflecting the improved
national economy.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 4
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
SURVEY BACKGROUND
Parks and recreation facilities, programs and services are an important part of Clearwater's
quality of life. As a part of the process to update the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the City
of Clearwater Parks and Recreation Department commissioned a scientific survey of Clearwater
residents to understand the public's perspectives and preferences.
A total of 3,000 households located in Clearwater were randomly selected to receive the
survey. Each selected household was contacted three times. First, a prenotification
announcement was sent, informing the household members that they had been selected to
participate in the City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation Survey. Approximately one week
after mailing the prenotification, each household was mailed a survey containing a cover letter
signed by the city manager enlisting participation. The packet also contained a postage paid
return envelope in which the survey recipients could return the completed questionnaire
directly to NRC. A reminder letter and survey, scheduled to arrive one week after the first
survey was the final contact. The second cover letter asked those who had not completed the
survey to do so and those who have already done so to refrain from turning in another survey.
The mailings were sent in October 2013. Completed surveys were collected over the following
weeks. About 17% (-500) of the 3,000 surveys mailed were returned because the housing unit
was vacant or the postal service was unable to deliver the survey as addressed. Of the
approximately 2,500 households who received a survey, 490 completed the survey, providing a
response rate of 20 %.
The demographic characteristics of the survey sample were compared to those found in the
most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates for adults in the city. Survey results were weighted
using the population norms to reflect the appropriate percent of those residents in the city. The
variables used for weighting were respondent gender, age and housing situation. Additional
details on the survey administration and analysis can be found in Appendix E: Survey
Methodology.
On many of the questions in the survey, respondents could answer, "don't know." The
proportion of respondents giving this reply is shown in the full set of responses included in
Appendix A: Frequency of Survey Responses. However, for the most part, these responses have
been removed from the analyses presented in the body of the report. In other words, the tables
and graphs display the responses from respondents who had an opinion about a specific item.
When a table for a question does not total to exactly 100 %, it is due to the customary practice
of percentages being rounded to the nearest whole number. A similar survey was conducted in
2009 and comparisons to results from the previous survey are shown wherever possible.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 5
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
SURVEY RESULTS
Community Priorities for Parks and Recreation
Purpose of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Parks and recreation services can provide a number of valuable contributions to a community.
A series of statements about possible overarching goals for parks and recreation was presented
to survey respondents, who were asked to rate the importance of each of these potential
purposes. Two - thirds or more of respondents at least somewhat agreed that each of the
purposes presented through the survey were important for Clearwater (see Table 1 in Appendix
A: Frequency of Survey Responses), and most purposes were considered at least somewhat
important by more than 80% of respondents. There were four potential "missions" of parks and
recreation in Clearwater that resonated most strongly with residents, with which more than
90% of respondents at least somewhat agreed, and more than 60% strongly agreed (see Figure
1 on the next page); these were:
• To provide positive activities for children and teens (age 19 and younger)
• To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve their physical health
• To provide green and natural spaces within the community with park lands and open
space
• To promote a more beautiful community and a greater "sense of place" for residents
The first 3 purposes in the list were also considered the most vital purposes of parks and
recreation when residents were surveyed in 2009; however, fostering a more beautiful
community with a greater sense of place was not considered nearly as important in 2009 as it
was in 2013.
After rating the to which extent they agreed or disagreed with the twelve purpose statements,
respondents were asked which two statements they felt were the most important. Figure 2 on
page 8 displays these results. In general, the rank order was fairly similar to that seen when
looking at the proportion of respondents strongly agreeing with each statement, although a
few discrepancies were noted when respondents were only allowed to choose two statements
as the most important. When forced to choose only two statements from the 12, the one
garnering the most "votes" was to provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve
their physical health. The rank order of these priorities was similar in 2013 compared to 2009.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 6
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Figure 1: Community Vision for Parks and Recreation, 2013 compared to 2009
Cities offer parks and recreation facilities and programs to their residents for various reasons. Please tell us how
strongly you agree or disagree that the City of Clearwater should use parks and recreation funding for each of the
following purposes.
To provide positive activities for children and teens (age 19 and
younger)
To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve
their physical health
To provide green and natural spaces within the community with
park lands and open space
To promote a more beautiful community and a greater "sense of
place" for residents*
To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths for residents to
use for exercise and for non - motorized transportation*
49%
69%
69%
68%
66%
66%
63%
64%
57%
51%
To provide recreational, social and health strengthening 48%
opportunitiesfor older adults (age 6o and older)
47%
To maintain the community's image as a beach resort 47%
destination*
To provide recreational opportunities to underserved residents
who might not otherwise be able to participate in recreational
activities (e.g., people with disabilities or people with low
incomes)
To enhance the community's economic vitality by offering
special events and amateur athletic tournaments that draw
visitors from inside and outside the community
To provide greater cultural opportunities to increase our city's
livability, stimulating economic revitalization, strengthening
education, and creating an understanding of diverse populations
To provide opportunities for residents to make social
connections which strengthen the community's social fabric
To maintain the community's image as an athletic "sports town"
destination
40%
47%
43%
41%
43%
40%
37%
31%
32%
23%
21%
• 2013
2009
o% 25% 5o% 75% l00%
Percent of respondents who "strongly agree"
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p <0.05.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 7
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Figure 2: Community Priorities for Parks and Recreation, 2013 compared to 2009
Cities offer parks and recreation facilities and programs to their residents for various reasons. Please tell us how
strongly you agree or disagree that the City of Clearwater should use parks and recreation funding for each of the
following purposes. Then please tell us which two you think are the MOST IMPORTANT reasons for Parks and
Recreation in Clearwater.
To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve
their physical health
To provide positive activities for children and teens (age 19 and
younger)*
To provide green and natural spaces within the community with
park lands and open space
To promote a more beautiful community and a greater "sense of
place" for residents*
To maintain the community's image as a beach resort
destination*
To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths for residents to
use for exercise and for non - motorized transportation*
To provide recreational opportunities to underserved residents
who might not otherwise be able to participate in recreational
activities (e.g., people with disabilities or people with low
incomes)
To provide recreational, social and health strengthening
opportunities for older adults (age 6o and older)
To enhance the community's economic vitality by offering
special events and amateur athletic tournaments that draw
visitors from inside and outside the community*
To provide opportunities for residents to make social
connections which strengthen the community's social fabric
To provide greater cultural opportunities to increase our city's
livability, stimulating economic revitalization, strengthening
education, and creating an understanding of diverse populations
To maintain the community's image as an athletic "sports town"
destination
28%
35%
27%
27%
21%
14%
18%
13%
18%
11%
13%
14%
12%
9%
8%
13%
8%
9%
7%
10%
4%
6%
45%
46%
• 2013
2009
o% 25% 50% 75% l00%
Percent of respondents rating as one of most important reasons
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p<0.05.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 8
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
City staff and officials are often faced with competing interests when planning parks and
recreational offerings with limited resources. Those participating in the survey were given a
series of pairs of statements from which they were to choose the one that best represented
how they felt.
The first pair of statements dealt with the overarching philosophy of the parks and recreation
department, and whether it should be considered a human service (and therefore offer limited
services funded primarily through tax dollars) or whether it should be considered a business
(and therefore offer more services funded primarily through fees). There was great support for
the human services model, which was chosen 9 to 1 over the business model choice (see Figure
3 on the next page).
Those completing the survey felt that the City's parks and recreation programs should offer a
lot of diversity. Seven in 10 felt programs should be offered at many different skill levels, i.e.
beginner through advanced, while 3 in 10 thought programs should be concentrated at the
beginner and intermediate levels. About 6 in 10 thought parks and recreation program offerings
should include some popular sports and fitness activities, but also include diverse opportunities
like arts and crafts, and classes (e.g. cooking, tai chi, etc.) that may not serve so many, while 4 in
10 thought the City should concentrate primarily on popular sports and activities because those
would serve the largest number of people.
Residents were somewhat more likely to prefer that parks and recreation facilities have greater
availability for public drop -in use (60 %) rather than mostly programmed with leagues and other
planned activities (40 %), even though that would likely result in lower revenues.
A bare majority (56 %) preferred that the City provide facilities and programs that complement
other community offerings but not duplicate them (even if the duplicated city programs were
less expensive) rather than provide facilities and programs that are requested by residents,
regardless of whether they are provided by other agencies in the community.
Residents were nearly evenly split (within the 5% margin of error) about whether programs and
facilities should be offered and constructed to serve the present and projected demographic
profile of Clearwater, which has the second highest median age in the United States, or be
offered and constructed to attract younger families.
About 7 in 10 respondents preferred larger playgrounds with more equipment, serving more
diverse ages, even though there would be fewer of them and might require driving to them
compared to smaller playgrounds serving neighborhoods and within walking distance.About
two - thirds felt that restrooms should be only at high volume special use facilities such as
Clearwater Beach and athletic sports complexes, while about one -third believed that restrooms
should be expanded to all neighborhood and special use parks in spite of the substantial
cost.About 7 in 10 respondents favored beautifully maintained landscaping in public spaces to
ensure a high quality of life while 3 in 10 would choose landscaping that requires little or no
maintenance. This trade -off was also included in the 2009 survey, where a majority of
respondents preferred beautifully maintained landscaping, but the majority was not as strong
as in 2013. For the other trade -off questions also tested in the 2009 survey, fairly similar results
were observed in 2013 as had been seen previously.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 9
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Figure 3: Trade -Off Preferences, 2013 compared to 2009*
Consider parks and recreation a human service that contributes to the
physical, emotional and social welfare of the whole community offering
limited services funded primarily through tax dollars*
Parks and recreation programs should be offered at many different skill
levels, i.e. beginnerthrough advanced*
Landscaping in public spaces (e.g. parks, medians, street right -of -ways)
should be beautifully maintained in our community to ensure our high
quality of life*
go%
85%
72%
66%
72%
58%
Playgrounds should serve the entire community, have more play
equipment, have diverse options for all ages (6 months to 2, 2 -5 and 5 -12), 69%
be larger in scale and be within driving distance.
Parks and recreation program offerings should offer some popular sports 65%
and fitness activities, but also include diverse opportunities like arts and
crafts, and classes (e.g. cooking, tai chi, etc.) that may not serve so many* 59%
Restrooms should be only at high volume special use facilities such as
Clearwater Beach, and athletic sports complexes where they exist today.
When considering potential budget reductions, the Parks and Recreation
Department should maintain all existing programs and facilities but at a
lower level of service
Parks and recreation facilities should be mostly available for public drop -in
use with some active programming likely eaming lesser revenues
The Parks and Recreation Department should provide facilities and
programs that complement other community offerings but not duplicate
them (even if the duplicated city programs are less expensive)*
65%
6o%
6o%
6o%
59%
56%
63%
Programs and facilities should be offered and constructed to serve our
present and projected demographic profile. (Clearwater has the second 55%
highest median age in the United States.)
io% Consider parks and recreation a business that serves people who can afford
�5% to pay for the services through user fees.*
28% Parks and recreation programs should be offered at the beginner and
34% intermediate levels*
28% Landscaping in public spaces (e.g. parks, medians, street right -of -ways)
42% should require minimal or no maintenance*
Playgrounds should serve a neighborhood, have limited play equipment,
31 % primarily serve ages 2 -5, and be within walking distance.
35% Parks and recreation facilities should focus mostly on popular sports and
fitness (e.g. aerobics, yoga, softball, soccer, basketball, etc.) because those
4 1% serve the most number of people*
Restrooms should be expanded to all neighborhood and special use parks
(approximately 5o parks). This would have a substantial cost impact both
35% initially and for maintenance, and would require elimination of other parks
and recreation elements to fund this endeavor.
40% When considering potential budget reductions, the Parks and Recreation
Department should eliminate some programs and facilities, but keep the
40% remaining programs and facilities at current levels of service
40°6 Parks and recreation facilities should be mostly programmed with leagues
and other pre-planned activities or events, with some drop in use, likely
4 1% earning greater revenue
44% The Parks and Recreation Department should provide facilities and
programs that are requested by residents, regardless of whether they are
37 °A0 provided by other agencies in our community*
45°l younger families.
Programs and facilities should be offered and constructed to attract
*Note: Where data exist for 2 rows for a particular trade -off, the top row represents the opinions of respondents in 2013, the bottom row in 2009. Where data
exist for only one row, it represents opinions from 2013. * Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p<0.05.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 10
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
In 2013, a couple of additional trade -off questions were asked that had three options rather
than just two. When asked about night lighting of basketball and tennis courts, a majority (57 %)
thought that should happen in both neighborhood parks and special use facilities (see Figure 4
below). About a third thought night lighting should only occur in special use facilities, while just
6% thought it should happen in neighborhood parks only.
On the topic of special events in Coachman Park, three - quarters of respondents felt these
should be larger events that attract visitors and contribute to the economy, while about a fifth
felt that should primarily serve residents. A few (6 %) of those completing the survey felt that
such events should be eliminated to save money.
Figure 4: Additional Trade -off Preferences
Lighting of courts (basketball and tennis)
at night should be ...
Special events in Coachman Park
should...
in a special use facility
(such as McMullen
Tennis Complex) or
recreation center
37%
in a neighbor
ark 60/
in both a
neighborhood
and special
use facility
57%
be larger events
that bring in
economic development
by attracting visitors
6%
be eliminated
to save money
75%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 11
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Resident Perspectives on Recreation Programs
Those completing the survey were asked which population groups they thought should be given
the highest priority in terms of recreational programming. Children and teenagers were given
the highest priority by respondents, with teenagers deemed an essential group to serve by over
half of survey respondents, followed closely by children age 6 to 12 years old, considered an
essential group to serve by over 40% of respondents (see Figure 5). Families together as a group
and people with disabilities were the populations considered the next most important, with
about 40% of respondents feeling these groups were essential to serve. About a third of
respondents considered recreational programs for senior adults and adults essential. Pre - school
children were given a slightly lower importance rating than were other groups. Very few
respondents (8 %) deemed non - residents an essential group to consider when planning
recreational programs. Beginner level programming (26 %) was considered somewhat more
important than was intermediate (22 %) or advanced or elite programming (20 %). Ratings in
2013 were fairly similar to those observed in 2009 and produced about the same rank order of
importance both survey years, although serving families together as a group was given
somewhat higher priority in 2013 than it had been in 2009.
Figure 5: Importance Placed on Serving Various Population Groups, 2013 compared to 2009
Please rate how important you think it is for the City to provide recreation programs for each of the population
groups below.
Teenagers 13 to 17 years old
Children 6 to 12 years old
Families together as a group*
People with disabilities*
Senior adults (6o years old or more)
Adults*
Children o to 5 years old
Beginner levels
Intermediate levels
Advanced or elite levels*
Non - residents
38%
3o%
32%
27%
32%
24%
27%
22%
26%
24%
22%
20%
2o%
14%
8%
7%
• 2013
t 2009
o% 25% 5o% 75% l00%
Percent of respondents rating as "essential"
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p<0.05.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 12
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
When asked to rate the importance of various recreational activities, community events and
wellness /fitness programs were the ones that the greatest proportion of respondents
considered essential, followed by aquatics and sports teams and fitness (see Figure 6 and Figure
7 below). Visual arts and performing arts were given lower priority, with gymnastics given the
least priority. Ratings were similar to those observed in 2009, with wellness and fitness being
given even greater priority in 2013 than in 2009.
Figure 6: Importance Placed on Various Recreation Activities, 2013 compared to 2009
Please rate how important to the community, if at all, it is that the City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following activities.
Community events
Wellness /fitness
Aquatics
Sports teams and lessons
Visual arts*
Performing arts
Gymnastics lessons and training
o% 25% 5o% 75% i00%
Percent of respondents rating as "essential"
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p <0.05.
Figure 7: Most Important Recreation Activities, 2013 compared to 2009
Please rate how important to the community, if at all, it is that the City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following activities.
Community events
Wellness /fitness*
Sports teams and lessons
Aquatics
Visual arts*
Performing arts
Gymnastics lessons and training
• 2013
2009
o% 25% 5o% 75% l00%
Percent of respondents choosing each
as one of two most important activities
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 13
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Resident Perspectives on Community Events
As observed on the previous page, Clearwater residents place a high priority on community
events. Those completing the survey were asked to rate the importance of several of the
specific events sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department. Three events were
considered very important or essential by 70% or more of respondents: Clearwater Fun N' Sun
Festival Weekend, Clearwater Threshers and the Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training (see Table
18 in Appendix A: Frequency of Survey Responses). As can be seen in Figure 8 below, the Phillies
Spring Training was seen as particularly valuable, with 43% of respondents deeming it essential.
Three additional events were considered essential or very important by over 60% of
respondents: the Turkey Trot, Clearwater Celebrates America and Jazz Holiday. The six events
considered essential or very important by 60% or more of respondents were also considered
essential by more than 25% of respondents. These six events were also the events most likely
to be chosen as one of the three most important events by respondents (see Figure 9 on the
next page).
Blast Friday and TriRocks were given lower importance ratings in 2013 compared to 2009.
These events were given different names in 2013, and it may be that residents are not yet
familiar with these terms.
Figure 8: Importance of Community Events, 2013 compared to 2009
Please rate how important to the community, if at all, it is that the City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following community events.
Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training
Clearwater Threshers
Turkey Trot
Clearwater Celebrates America
Jazz Holiday
Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend
Clearwater Sea Blues Festival
Outback Beach Day
Make A Difference Fishing Tournamentt
Hispanic Heritage Fall Concert Weekend
Blast Friday *t
Martin Luther King Day March
TriRocks * *t
o% 25% 50% 75% i00%
Percent of respondents rating as "essential
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 14
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Figure 9: Most Important Community Events, 2013 compared to 2009
Please rate how important to the community, if at all, it is that the City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following community events. Then indicate which you think are the three MOST
IMPORTANT events.
Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training
Jazz Holidayt
Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekendt
Turkey Trot
Clearwater Threshers
Clearwater Celebrates America
Clearwater Sea Blues Festival
Make A Difference Fishing Tournament
Martin Luther King Day March
Hispanic Heritage Fall Concert Weekend
Blast Friday *t
Outback Beach Day
TriRocks
* *t
o% z5% 50% 75% s00%
Percent of respondents choosing each
as one of 3 most important events
• 2013
2009
Note: * Blast Friday was Downtown Concerts in 2009. ** TriRocks was Ironman in 2009.
t Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p <0.05.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 15
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Resident Perspectives on Parks
City parks serve a variety of roles in a community, and have different meaning to different
people. Various benefits provided by Clearwater's parks were presented to those completing
the questionnaire; the importance of each to the respondent household was rated.
The parks function given the highest priority was providing places for children to play on
playground equipment, considered essential by half of respondents (see Figure 10 below), and
very important or essential by 81% of respondents (see Table 17 in Appendix A: Frequency of
Survey Responses). The purpose considered next most important was providing a place to walk
or jog, followed closely by providing natural open lands, visual "green spaces" within the city,
and places for rest and relaxation.
In comparing results to 2009, the rank order of the importance of the various park functions
remained fairly stable. However, it was notable that park purposes considered of greater
importance were considered essential by a larger proportion of respondents in 2013 than in
2009.
Figure 10: Resident Views of Purposes of City Parks, 2013 compared to 2009
City parks serve various purposes within a community, some of which are listed below. Please rate how important,
if at all, each purpose is to you and your household.
Providing places for children to play on playground
equipment*
Providing a place to walk or jog*
Providing natural open lands or wildlife habitat*
Providing visual "green spaces" within the city*
Providing a place for rest and relaxation*
5o%
40%
46%
32%
43%
34%
43%
35%
29%
Providing open lawn /play space (for children or 34%
adults to play their own games like tag, frisbee,... °< 31%
Providing low -water perennial (bloom year after 3o%
year) plantings 27%
40%
Providing developed spaces for field sports (e.g., 26%
soccer, football, softball, baseball, lacrosse) 25%
Providing places to exercise pets*
Providing places for group gatherings
23%
18%
20%
19%
Providing opportunities for court sports (e.g., tennis, 18%
basketball) 21%
Providing annual flower plantings
12%
13%
• 2013
2009
o% 25% 5o% 75% l00%
Percent of respondents rating as "essential
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p<0.05.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 16
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Residents' Use and Importance Ratings of Recreational Facilities and Programs
The survey was used to assess resident use of a variety of parks and recreation offerings. For
each activity or facility, respondents indicated whether, in the last year, they or anyone in their
household had participated in the activity at a City of Clearwater park or facility, or at another
facility. Figure 11 (on the next two pages) displays the proportion of respondents whose
households had participated in the activity in the previous year.
After indicating their participation in the various activities, respondents evaluated the
importance of offering each to the community through the City of Clearwater's Parks and
Recreation Department. The ratings for the activities and facilities on which the highest
importance was placed are displayed in Figure 12 on page 20. Importance ratings for all the
items included on the survey can be found in Table 20 in Appendix A: Frequency of Survey
Responses.
There were seven activities in which a majority of respondent households had participated at a
City of Clearwater park or facility in the past year. These were: walking, running or jogging in a
park or nature park; swimming, fishing, relaxing or having a social event at a beach; relaxing in a
park, using the Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail; attending an event at Bright House Networks
Field, attending an event at a Ruth Eckerd Hall and participating in a community event. These
were also the activities with the greatest participation in 2009 (with the exception of Bright
House Networks Field, which was not included on the 2009 survey). In general, participation
levels in 2013 were higher than in 2009.
In general, the participation levels for the various activities mirrored the importance ratings.
The areas given the highest importance ratings were also the sites of the most popular
activities. The exception was for playgrounds, which had slightly lower participation (but still
high at 45% of respondent households), but which was considered "essential" by 55% of
respondents (see Figure 12). In general, respondents were more likely to consider the offerings
of the department "essential" in 2013 than they had been in 2009, although the rank order of
the items was generally similar.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 17
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Figure 11: Participation in Recreation Activities, 2013 compared to 2009
Please indicate whether you or anyone in your household has participated in any of these activities in the past 12
months at a City of Clearwater park or facility, or at another park or facility (either a private facility or one
belonging to another jurisdiction).
Walked, ran or jogged in a park or nature park
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a
beach
Used a recreation trail such as the Pinellas or Ream
Wilson Trail
Relaxed (e.g., read a book, picnicked, played
games or catch on the grass) in a park
Attended an event at a major league stadium such
as Bright House Networks Field
Attended an event at a performing arts center such
as Ruth Eckerd Hall
Participated in a community event
Played at a playground
Used a group shelter or picnic area (for group
event)
Exercised a pet(s) in a park or nature park
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a
reservoir or lake
"Dropped -in" for exercise (weights, exercise
machines, etc.)
Participated in a fitness class (e.g., yoga, aerobics,
pilates, weight training, etc.)
Went motorized boating at a marina
Played golf or took golf lessons
54%
50%
79%
71%
67%
75%
69%
62%
6o%
52%
46%
57%
57%
53%
44%
5
48% 5%
41%
45%
4o%
43%
46%
35%
34%
40%
35%
30%
31%
34%
o%
361% • City of Clearwater 2013
30% City of Clearwater 2009
28% • Somewhere else 2013
28%
3o% • Somewhere else 2009
29%
26%
34%
32%
28%
34%
3o%
25%
26%
25%
22%
28%
o% 25% 5o% 75% l00%
Percent of. respondents using each
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p <0.05.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 18
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Figure 11: Participation in Recreation Activities, 2013 compared to 2009 (continued)
Please indicate whether you or anyone in your household has participated in any of these activities in the past 12
months at a City of Clearwater park or facility, or at another park or facility (either a private facility or one
belonging to another jurisdiction).
Used an outdoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -
in)
Played court sports or took lessons (e.g., basketball,
volleyball)
Participated in an adult exercise, fitness or wellness
program
Used an outdoor swimming pool for swim lessons or
water exercise
Used an indoor swimming pool for swim lessons or water
exercise classes
Went non - motorized boating at a marina
Used an indoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -in)
Played field sports (e.g., soccer, football, rugby, field
hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee)
Played tennis or took tennis lessons
Participated in an adult arts or recreation program
Participated in a nature program
Participated in senior exercise, fitness or wellness
program
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation
program
Played baseball
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) sports program or
team
Participated in an adult sports program or team
Participated in a senior arts or recreation program
Played softball
Used a skate park
Participated in a therapeutic recreation program
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) sports program or
team
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation
program
Played shuffleboard
24 °;
5 %
9%
24%
3%
z
ere
22
z°
27%
22%
%1
2)%
9
21%
24%
0
1 8 %�
1
zo%
22%
4h%
11%
8% 14%
1o%
8%
5�A
13°
1
1345
13%
11%
4 A,
0,5
• City of Clearwater 2013
City of Clearwater 2009
• Somewhere else 2013
• Somewhere else 2009
0% 21'krcent of rbondents Usli4g each l00%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 19
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Figure 12: Importance of the City of Clearwater Offering Various Activities /Facilities, 2013 compared to 2009
How important, if at all, do you believe it is that the City of Clearwater offer each of the following activities or
facilities to the community?
Beach facilities for swimming and recreation
The Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail*
Playgrounds*
Bright House Networks Field
Ruth Eckerd Hall
Community events*
Beach facilities for boating (Marina)*
Youth (age 13 -19) sports programs or teams
Children's (age 0 -12) sports programs or teams*
Youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation programs
Children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation programs*
45%
37% • 2013
2009
o% 25% so% 75% l00%
Percent of respondents rating as "essential"
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p <0.05.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 20
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Residents' Perspectives on Funding Options for Parks and
Recreation
A question set was included on the questionnaire to determine the community's support for or
opposition to several funding options for parks and recreation offerings by the City of
Clearwater.
About 9 in 10 respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that the City should supplement the
costs of operating recreation facilities and programs by using different revenue sources,
including grants, donations and taxes. (see Figure 13 below). Eight in 10 agreed that people
who live outside of Clearwater should pay higher fees for recreation programs than those who
live inside the city. Roughly three - quarters of respondents thought that profitable or popular
programs could help to subsidize less profitable programs. Just over half of respondents
believed that recreation programs must pay for themselves entirely through user fees.
Figure 13: Support for Funding Options, 2013 compared to 2009
The City of Clearwater is exploring ways to fund parks and recreation in the future. Please indicate the extent to
which you agree or disagree with each of the following funding options.
The City should supplement the costs of operating
facilities by using different revenue sources, such as
grants, donations, and taxes
The City should supplement the costs of operating
recreation programs by using different revenue
sources, such as grants, donations, and taxes
Individuals living outside Clearwater should pay
higher fees for participating in recreation programs
Profitable or popular programs (such as sports
leagues and swimming lessons) can help pay for less
profitable programs (such as therapeutic, senior and
youth programs)
Recreation programs must pay for themselves
through user fees
o% 25% 5o%
75%
100%
Percent of respondents who "somewhat" or "strongly agree"
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
In fact, a specific question was asked of respondents about whether the funding for operating
costs of facilities and programs should come primarily through fees or through taxes. While
nearly half of respondents had at least somewhat agreed that recreation programs should be
funded through fees, six in 10 of those completing the survey felt that taxes should pay for the
majority of the operating costs of facilities and programs, with user fees funding the remaining
costs (see Figure 14). About 2 in 10 respondents felt that the majority of the costs should be
paid by fees with the remaining coming from taxes. Few respondents (5 %) thought that fees
should be the sole source of funding for operating costs. About 1 in 10 believed that taxes
should pay for 100% of the operating costs. Compared to 2009, funding from taxes was viewed
somewhat more favorably in 2013.
Figure 14: Fees versus Taxes for Operating Facilities and Operating Programs, 2013 compared to 2009
Please indicate which of the following statements best represents how you feel the cost for operating recreation
facilities and offering recreational programs should be paid.
2013
2009
Taxes should
pay the
majority of
costs and
fees from
i00% users the
through remaining
taxes, 12% costs, 62%
majority
costs and
taxes should
pay the
remaining
costs, 21%
_i00%
through
fees, 5%
i00%
through.
taxes, 7%
Taxes should
pay the
majority of
costs and
fees from
users the
remaining
costs, 59%
z00%
through
major fees, 6%
costs and
taxes should
pay the
remaining
costs, 28%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 22
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
A set of questions was included to determine what choices the community would make if
difficult budget decisions necessitated a budget reduction for the Parks and Recreation
Department. Those completing the survey were presented a set of options for reducing the
Parks and Recreation budget, for which they were asked to indicate their level of support for or
opposition to each item. They were then asked to indicate what their top two choices would be
for budget reductions.
When having to make tough budget choices, a majority of respondents supported eliminating
some community events, reducing recreation facility operating hours, eliminating some athletic
fields and reducing cultural programs if necessary (see Figure 15 below). The other options
were not supported. Compared to 2009, these same options had also been supported by a
majority of respondents. However, in 2009, a majority also supported reducing landscape
maintenance, but this was opposed by a slight majority (52 %) in 2013. In general, respondents
gave a bit less support to service reductions than they did in 2009, perhaps reflecting the
improved national economy.
Figure 15: Support for Options to REDUCE the Parks and Recreation Budget, 2013 compared to 2009
The City of Clearwater, like the rest of the nation, is facing difficult budget decisions. Please indicate your level of
support for or opposition to each of the following options for reducing the Parks and Recreation budget.
Eliminating some community events*
Reducing operating hours of recreational
facilities*
Eliminating some athletic fields
Reducing cultural programs
Reducing landscape maintenance in areas such as
medians*
Reducing athletic fields maintenance
Reducing programs that serve senior adults
Allowing other entities to operate City facilities
even if the programs are more expensive*
Closing a recreational facility*
Reducing park maintenance*
Reducing beach maintenance*
• 2013
2009
o% 25% 50% 75% l00%
Percent of respondents who "strongly" or "somewhat support"
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p <0.05.
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
When forced to choose only two options for reducing the parks and recreation budget, there
was not a clear standout. About 30% of respondents chose reducing cultural programs or
eliminating some community events as one of the top two options (see Figure 16 below).
Roughly a quarter of respondents (between 22% and 26 %) would choose to reduce landscape
maintenance, reduce operating hours or eliminate some athletic fields.
Figure 16: Options Chosen to REDUCE the Parks and Recreation Budget, 2013 compared to 2009
The City of Clearwater, like the rest of the nation, is facing difficult budget decisions. Please indicate your level of
support for or opposition to each of the following options for reducing the Parks and Recreation budget. Then
indicate which two options you would most support, if budget cuts were necessary.
Reducing cultural programs
Eliminating some community events
Reducing landscape maintenance in areas such as
medians
Reducing operating hours of recreational facilities
Eliminating some athletic fields
Allowing other entities to operate City facilities
even if the programs are more expensive
Reducing programs that serve senior adults*
Reducing athletic fields maintenance
Reducing beach maintenance
Closing a recreational facility*
Reducing park maintenance
31%
25%
29%
34%
26%
27%
23%
26%
22%
23%
zo%
21%
• 2013
H 2009
o% 25% 5o% 75%
Percent of respondents who chose
as one of two options most supported
* Differences between 2013 and 2009 are statistically significant, p <0.05.
i00%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 24
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
APPENDIX A: FREQUENCY OF SURVEY RESPONSES
The following pages contain a complete set of responses to each question on the survey.
Table 1: Question #1
Cities offer recreation facilities and programs to
their residents for a variety of reasons and
purposes. Please indicate the extent to which you
agree or disagree that the City of Clearwater
should offer recreation facilities and programs to
its residents for each of the following purposes.
Then please tell us which two you think are the
MOST IMPORTANT reasons to use Parks and
Recreation in Clearwater.
To provide opportunities for residents to maintain
and improve their physical health 68% 29%
To provide opportunities for residents to make
social connections which strengthen the
community's social fabric 31%
To enhance the community's economic vitality by
offering special events and amateur athletic
tournaments that draw visitors from inside and
outside the community
To provide recreational opportunities to
underserved residents who might not otherwise be
able to participate in recreational activities (e.g.,
people with disabilities or people with low
incomes) 47%
Most
Important
Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly (check TWO
Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Total only)
56%
1%
12%
41% ! 45% 12%
To provide positive activities for children and teens
(age 19 and younger)
To provide recreational, social and health
strengthening opportunities for older adults (age
60 and older)
To promote a more beautiful community and a
greater "sense of place" for residents
To provide greater cultural opportunities to
increase our city's livability, stimulating economic
revitalization, strengthening education, and
creating an understanding of diverse populations
To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths
for residents to use for exercise and for non -
motorized transportation
To provide green and natural spaces within the
community with park lands and open space
To maintain the community's image as an athletic
"sports town" destination
To maintain the community's image as a beach
resort destination
1% 100% 45%
2% 100% 8%
2%
100%
8%
35% 13% 5% ! 100%
13%
28%
48% 42%
64%
31%
6%
4%
3%
100%
1% 100%
12%
21%
57% 33% ; 7% 3% 100%
66% ! 28% 5% ! 1% 100%
23% 42% ! 27% 8% 100%
27%
4%
47% 35% 12% 5% 100% 18%
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 2: Question #2
Please rate how important you
think it is for the City to provide
recreation programs for each of the
population groups below.
Children 0 to 5 years old
Children 6 to 12 years old
Teenagers 13 to 17 years old
Adults
Senior adults (60 years old or more)
Families together as a group
People with disabilities
Non - residents
Beginner levels
Intermediate levels
Advanced or elite levels
Very Somewhat Not at all Don't
Essential Important a s Important ' Important I Know Total
26% 28% ! 32% 12% 1 2% 100%
43% 40% 12% 3% ~ 2% : 100%
48% 38% 10% 3% 2% 100%
31% ! 38% 28% 2% 1% j 100%
32% 38% 25% 4% 2% 100%
_._. .._ _
42% 37% 18% 1 2% 1% 100%
37% r 40% i 17% 3% 2% 100%
7% 16% 39% ' 31% 7% 100%
25% 35% 28% 7% 6% 100%
20% 39% 26% 8% 7% 100%
18% 29% 35% 10% 7% j 100%
Question #3The City of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks and
recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements may reflect values that are important to
you, from each pair of statements below, please indicate which ONE of the two statements you
believe is more important for Clearwater.
Table 3: Question #3a
I consider parks and recreation...
Percent of
Respondents
a human service that contributes to the physical, emotional and social welfare of the
whole community offering limited services funded primarily through tax dollars. 90%
a business that serves people who can afford to pay for the services through user fees. 10%
Total 100%
Table 4: Question #3b
Parks and recreation programs should be offered ...
Percent of Respondents
at many different skill levels, i.e. beginner through advanced. 72%
at the beginner and intermediate levels. 28%
Total 100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 26
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 5: Question 3c
Parks and recreation facilities should be mostly...
Percent of
Respondents
programmed with leagues and other pre - planned activities or events, with some drop in
use, likely earning greater revenues.
available for public drop -in use with some active programming likely earning lesser
revenues.
Total
40%
60%
100%
Table 6: Question #3d
Parks and recreation program offerings should...
Percent of
Respondents
focus mostly on popular sports and fitness (e.g. aerobics, yoga, softball, soccer, basketball,
etc.) because those serve the most number of people.
offer some popular sports and fitness activities, but also include diverse opportunities like
arts and crafts, and classes (e.g. cooking, tai chi, etc.) that may not serve so many.
35%
65%
Total 100%
Table 7: Question #3e
Percent of
The Parks and Recreation Department should provide facilities and programs that ... Respondents
complement other community offerings but not duplicate them (even if the duplicated
city programs are less expensive).
are requested by residents, regardless of whether they are provided by other agencies
in our community.
56%
44%
Total 100%
Table 8: Question Of
When considering potential budget reductions, the Parks and Recreation Department Percent of
should ... Respondents
maintain all existing programs and facilities but at a lower level of service (e.g. park
maintenance on fewer days per week; reduced hours at recreation facilities; fewer
recreation program offerings within each category 60%
eliminate some programs and facilities, but keep the remaining programs and facilities at
current levels of service (e.g. close some facilities but keep all others on current schedules;
cut some types of recreation programs). 40%
Total
100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 27
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 9: Question #3g
Landscaping in public spaces (e.g. parks, medians, street right -of -ways) should be . .
Percent of
Respondents
beautifully maintained in our community to ensure our high quality of life. 72%
require minimal or no maintenance. 28%
Total 100%
Table 10: Question #3h
Playgrounds should ...
Percent of
Respondents
serve the entire community, have more play equipment, have diverse options for all ages
(6 months to 2, 2 -5 and 5 -12), be larger in scale and be within driving distance.
serve a neighborhood, have limited play equipment, primarily serve ages 2 -5, and be
within walking distance.
Total
69%
31%
100%
Table 11: Question #3i
Restrooms should ...
Percent of
Respondents
be expanded to all neighborhood and special use parks (approximately 50 parks). This would
have a substantial cost impact both initially and for maintenance, and would require
elimination of other parks and recreation elements to fund this endeavor 35%
be only at high volume special use facilities such as Clearwater Beach, and athletic sports
complexes where they exist today. 65%
Total 100%
Table 12: Question #3j
Lighting of courts (basketball and tennis) at night should be ...
Percent of Respondents
in a neighborhood park 6%
in a special use facility (such as McMullen Tennis Complex) or recreation center 37%
in both a neighborhood and special use facility 57%
Total 100%
Table 13: Question #3k
Special events in Coachman Park should ... Percent of Respondents
serve primarily residents.
be larger events that bring in economic development by attracting visitors.
be eliminated to save money.
Total
19%
75%
6%
100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 28
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 14: Question #31
Programs and facilities should ...
Percent of
Respondents
be offered and constructed to server our present and projected demographic profile.
(Clearwater has the second highest median age in the United States.) 55%
be offered and constructed to attract younger families. 45%
Total
100%
Table 15: Question #4
Please rate how important to the
community, if at all, it is that the City of
Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following
outdoor facilities. Then indicate which
you think are the three MOST
IMPORTANT activities.
Very Somewhat Not at all
Essential j Important Important Important
Most
Important
(check
Total THREE only)
Playgrounds
Tennis courts
Bicycle and pedestrian trails
Equestrian trails
Nature trails 28% 38% 28% 6% 100% 27%
Golf courses 10% j 21% 36% 33% 100%
23% 31% 32% 14% 100%
7% 23% 55% 15% 100%
38% ; 39% 21% 2% i 100% 32%
17% 44/0 35% 4% 100% 9%
20% 39% 35 %_ 6% 100% 9%
23% 31% 37% 9% 100% 13%
19% ' 29% 35% 16% 100% 11%
37% 36% 24% 2% ! 100% 29%
55% 35% 8% 2% 100% 64%
13% 25% 53% 10% 100% 5%
57% 28% 13% 2% 100% 53%
5% 13% 34% 48% 100% 2%
Dog parks
Volleyball courts
Picnic areas
Softball and baseball fields
Basketball courts
Swimming pools (outdoor)
Swimming pools (indoor)
Community centers
6%
19%
1%
Multipurpose fields
(Soccer /Football /Lacrosse) 28% 40% 26% 6% 100% 20%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 29
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 16: Question #5
City parks serve various purposes within a
community, some of which are listed below.
Please rate how important, if at all, each
purpose is to you and your household.
Wellness /fitness (e.g., weight training,
aerobics, yoga, etc.)
Visual arts (e.g., pottery, painting, etc.)
Performing arts (e.g., dance, drama, etc.)
Community events (e.g., Jazz Holiday, Turkey
• Trot, Fun N' Sun, Clearwater Sea Blues
• Festival)
Sports teams and lessons (e.g., softball,
soccer, football, etc.) 28% ! 45% 24% ! 4% 100% 37%
• Gymnastics lessons and training ! 10% 30% 47% 12% 100% 2%
Essential
37%
17%
14%
38%
Most
Important
Very Somewhat Not at all (check TWO
Important Important Important Total only)
4
39% 19%
29% 41%
29% 41%
4% 100% 56%
13% i 100% 16%
16% !, 100% 1 12%
37% 19% 5% 100% 57%
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Aquatics (e.g., lap swimming, water exercise
classes, lessons, etc.)
28%
34%
33%
5%
100%
25%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 30
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 17: Question #6
City parks serve various purposes
within a community, some of which
are listed below. Please rate how
important, if at all, each purpose is
to you and your household. Essential
Providing visual "green spaces" within
the city 43% ! 32% 20%
Providing a place for rest and
relaxation 40% 35% 20% 5% 100%
Providing developed spaces for field
sports (e.g., soccer, football, softball,
baseball, , lacrosse) 26% 38% 29%
Providing open lawn /play space (for
children or adults to play their own
games like tag, frisbee, croquet, etc.) 34% 39% I 19% ! 8% 0% 100%
Providing opportunities for court
sports (e.g., tennis, basketball) 18% 38% 35%
Providing places for group gatherings 20% 43% 29%
Providing places for children to play
on playground equipment 49% 32% 12% 7% 0% 100%
Providing places to exercise pets 23% 28% 30% 19% 1% 100%
Providing a place to walk or jog 46% 34% 18% 2% 0% 100%
Very Somewhat
Important , Important
Not at all Don't I
Important Know Total
4% 2% 100%
7%
0%
0% 100%
4
8% ! 0%
7% 0%
100%
100%
Providing natural open lands or
wildlife habitat 43% 27% 23% 6% 1% 100%
Providing annual flower plantings 12% 27% 37% 23% 1% ; 100%
Providing low -water perennial (bloom
year after year) plantings 29% 34% 24% I 10% 2% 100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 31
• • • • • • • • • • . . S . . . . . . S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 18: Question #7
Please rate how important to the community,
if at all, it is that the City of Clearwater Parks
and Recreation Department provide the
following community events. Then indicate
which you think are the three MOST
IMPORTANT events.
• Clearwater Celebrates America
• Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend
Clearwater Sea Blues Festival
•
Blast Friday
• Hispanic Heritage Fall Concert Weekend
• TriRocks
• Jazz Holiday
• Make A Difference Fishing Tournament
• Martin Luther King Day March
• Outback Beach Day
Turkey Trot
•
Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training
Clearwater Threshers
•
•
•
•
•
S
S
•
•
•
•
S
S
•
•
S
•
•
•
•
Most
Important
Very Somewhat Not at all (check up to
Essential Important Important j Important Total j THREE)
32%
•
•
29%
27%
44%
17% 34%
12% 28%
20%
18% ..
12%
9%
30%
24%
40%
41%
38%
44 %!
28% 36% 27%
13% 29% 41% 16% 100%
11% 27% , 33% 28% 100%
33% 10% 100% 100%
27% % 100%
33/ i 35% 16/°
35% 27% ° '
27% 19% 12% 100%
42% 20% 9% i 100%
8% 100% 28%
5% 100% 34%
9% 100% 14%
8%
8%
3%
34%
10%
9%
7%
33%
42%
28%
19% 100%
31% 100%
29% 100%
9% 100%
16%
29%
43%
29%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 32
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 19: Question #8
Please indicate whether you or anyone in your household has participated in any of these Done at a City of
activities in the past 12 months at a City of Clearwater park or facility, or at another park or Clearwater park or Done somewhere
facility (either a private facility or one belonging to another jurisdiction). facility else
Used a recreation trail such as the Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail 69%
Walked, ran or jogged in a park or nature park
Exercised a pet(s) in a park or nature park
Relaxed (e.g., read a book, picnicked, played games or catch on the grass) in a park
Used a group shelter or picnic area (for group event)
Used a skate park
Played at a playground
Participated in a nature program
Played baseball
79 %!
40%
62 %!
43%
9%
45%
14%
12%
Played softball 9%
Played field sports (e.g., soccer, football, rugby, field hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee) 20%
Played tennis or took tennis lessons
Played court sports or took lessons (e.g., basketball, volleyball)
Played golf or took golf lessons
Played shuffleboard
Used an outdoor swimming pool for swim lessons or water exercise
Used an outdoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -in)
Used an indoor swimming pool for swim lessons or water exercise classes
Used an indoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -in)
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a reservoir or lake
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a beach
Went motorized boating at a marina
Went non - motorized boating at a marina
Participated in a fitness class (e.g., yoga, aerobics, pilates, weight training, etc.)
"Dropped-in" for exercise (weights, exercise machines, etc.)
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation program
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation program
Participated in an adult arts or recreation program
Participated in a senior arts or recreation program
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) sports program or team
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) sports program or team
Participated in an adult sports program or team
Participated in an adult exercise, fitness or wellness program
Participated in senior exercise, fitness or wellness program
Participated in a therapeutic recreation program
Participated in a community event
Attended an event at a performing arts center such as Ruth Eckerd Hall
Attended an event at a major league stadium such as Bright House Networks Field 1%
16%
24% I
26%
4%
23%
24%
22%
21%
34%
75%
28%
21%
29%
30%
13%
8%
15%
9%
11%
8%
9%
23%'
13 %!
8% ;
55% r
57%
•
•
•
•
•
•
50% •
59%
30% •
52% •
35% •
6% •
30%
14% •
•
•
13% •
12% •
22% S
5% _ S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
14% •
S
S
13% •
25% •
10% •
13%
41% 5
44% 5
46% •
S
S
•
S
•
11%
8%
23%
23%
29%
19%
15%
41%
55%
30%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 33
24%
34%
28%
9%
5%
5%
8%
6%
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 20: Question #9
How important, if at all, do you
believe it is that the City of
Clearwater offer each of the
following activities or facilities to
the community?
Essential
Very I Somewhat Not at all Don't
Important Important Important Know
Total
The Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail ' 56% 25% 13% 2% 4% 100%
Parks and nature parks 61% 26% 12% 1% 1% ; 100%
Places to exercise pet(s) in a park or
nature park 33% 29% 26% ' 10% 2% ' 100%
t 1
A group shelter or picnic area (for
group event) 38% 39% ; 16% 6% 1% 1 100%
A skate park 8% 23% ' 42% 25% , 2% 100%
Playgrounds 55% 31%
' 12% 1% 1 1% 100%
,
Nature programs 24% 35%
1 33% 7% 1 2% , 100%
Baseball and softball fields 27% 44% 24% , 4% 1 1% i 100%
f ,
Field sports fields (e.g., soccer,
football, rugby, field hockey, 1
lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee) 27% 37% 26% 8% 1% 100%
■
,
Tennis courts and complexes 23% 31% 35% 9% 2% 100%
Gymnasiums for court sports (e.g.,
basketball, volleyball) 24% ' 30% 33% 11% 2% 100%
Golf courses 18% 24% 30% 25% 3% 100%
Shuffleboard courts 7% 18% 41% 28% 6% 100%
Outdoor swimming pools 24% 36% 29% : 8% 2% 100%
Indoor swimming pool ; 23% 31% 29% 14% 2% 100%
1 .
Beach facilities for swimming and
recreation 60% 26% ; 11% 2% 1% ' 100%
Beach facilities for boating (Marina) 44% 29% 18% 7% 2% , 100%
Fitness classes (e.g., yoga, aerobics,
pilates, weight training, etc.) 26% 35% ' 30% ' 7% ; 1% ; 100%
Exercise facilities (weights, exercise 1
machines, etc.) ' 26% 35% 29% 9% 2% 100%
Children's (age 0-12) arts or
recreation programs 39% 1 34% 20% 6% 1% 100%
Youth (age 13-19) arts or recreation
programs 39% ' 35% 19% ; 5% 2% 100%
I ,
Adult arts or recreation programs ' 23% : 38% 32% 5% 2% ; 100%
Senior arts or recreation programs 28% 1 37% 28% 6% 1% 100%
Children's (age 0-12) sports
programs or teams 43% ; 32% 19% 5% ; 1% 100%
4--
7 - ,
Youth (age 13-19) sports programs
or teams 43% 32% ' 20% 4% 1% 100%
Adult sports programs or teams 20% 36% 36% 7% 2% 100%
Adult exercise, fitness or wellness
programs 30% 38% ; 27% : 4% 1% ; 100%
Report of Results (12-09-2013) • 34
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
How important, if at all, do you
believe it is that the City of
Clearwater offer each of the
following activities or facilities to Very Somewhat Not at all Don't
the community? Essential Important Important Important Know Total
Senior exercise, fitness or wellness
programs 29% 38% 1 27% i 5% 1% 100%
Therapeutic recreation programs 20% 30% 35% 11% 4% 100%
Community events 46% 35% ! 15% 3% 2% 100%
Ruth Eckerd Hall 49% 30% ' 12% ! 5% 4% ; 100%
Bright House Networks Field 52% 26% i 14% ' 6% 3% 100%
Table 21: Question #10
Please indicate which of the following statements best represents how you feel the cost Percent of
for operating recreation facilities and offering recreational programs should be paid. Respondents
100% through taxes 12%
Taxes should pay the majority of costs and fees from users the remaining costs 62%
100% through fees 5%
Fees from users should pay the majority of costs and taxes should pay the remaining costs 21%
Total 100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 35
• • S • • • • • • . • • S • . . . . . . . . . S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S . .
•
•
•
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
•
• The City of Clearwater is exploring
ways to fund parks and recreation in
• the future. Please indicate the extent
to which you agree or disagree with
• each of the following funding options.
Recreation programs must pay for
• themselves through user fees
• Profitable or popular programs (such
as sports leagues and swimming
• lessons) can help pay for less
• profitable programs (such as
therapeutic, senior and youth
• programs)
•
•
•
The City should supplement the costs
of operating recreation programs by
using different revenue sources, such
as grants, donations, and taxes
• The City should supplement the costs
of operating facilities by using
• different revenue sources, such as
• grants, donations, and taxes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Individuals living outside Clearwater
should pay higher fees for
participating in recreation programs
Table 22: Question #11
Strongly
Agree
Somewhat i Somewhat Strongly
Agree Disagree Disagree
Don't
Know
Total
12% j 39% 26%
21% ' 2%
100%
45%
44%
6%
3%
50% 1 40%
3% r 100%
6% 2% 3% 100%
13% 6% 3% 100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 36
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
The City of Clearwater, like the rest of the
nation, is facing difficult budget decisions.
Please indicate your level of support for or
opposition to each of the following options for
reducing the Parks and Recreation budget. Then
indicate which two options you would most
support, if budget cuts were necessary. Then
indicate which two options you would most
support, if budget cuts were necessary.
Reducing beach maintenance
Reducing park maintenance
Reducing athletic fields maintenance
Eliminating some athletic fields
Reducing operating hours of recreational facilities
Closing a recreational facility
Eliminating some community events
Reducing programs that serve senior adults
Reducing cultural programs
Reducing landscape maintenance in areas such as
medians
Allowing other entities to operate City facilities
even if the programs are more expensive
Table 23: Question #12
Strongly
Support
3%
2%
6%
14 %1
13%
6%
17%
8%-i
18%
10%
Somewhat
Support
18%
23%
39%
39%
43%
22%
39%
29%
35%
Somewhat Strongly
Oppose Oppose
26% 54%
35% 40%
31% 24%
27% 20%
28% 16%
39% 34%
30% 14%
41% 23%
29% 19%
31% 28% 24% 100%
Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
25%
33%
32%
100%
Top Choices
for
Reductions
(check TWO
only)
12%
6%
12%
22%
23%
7%
29%
17%
31%
26%
20%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 37
• • • • • • • • • • • • • S • • • • • • • s • • • • • • • • ` s • • • • s • • • • • •
• . . . . • . . . . . . . I . . . . . s . . . . . . . . . . s . . . . . . . s . . . .
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 24: Question #13
How many years have you lived in the Clearwater area?
Percent of Respondents
less than 5 years
5 to 9 years
10 to 14 years
15 to 19 years
20 or more years
Total
Table 25: Question #13
How many years have you lived in the Clearwater area?
Mean Std. Dev.
How many years have you lived in the Clearwater area?
17.4 15.4
Table 26: Question #14
What is your gender?
Percent of Respondents
Female
Male
Total
53%
47%
100%
Table 27: Question #15
Which of the following best describes your age?
Percent of Respondents
18 -24 5%
25 -34 21%
35 -44 12%
45 -54 21%
55 -64 16%
65 years or older 25%
Total 100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 38
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 28: Question #16
Counting yourself how many people live in your household?
Percent of Respondents
1 31%
2 38%
3 14%
4 9%
5 or more 7%
Total 100%
Table 29: Question #16
Counting yourself how many people live in your household?
Mean Std. Dev.
Counting yourself how many people live in your household?
2.3 ; 1.4
Table 30: Questions #17 through #19
Presence of Children and Older Adults in the Household
yes
no
Total
Do any children under age 12 live in your household?
Do any teenagers ages 13 to 17 live in your household?
Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older?
17% 83% 100%
11% 89% 100%
29% 71% 100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 39
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•
•
•
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
• APPENDIX B: 2013 SURVEY RESPONSES COMPARED TO 2009
• RESPONSES
•
• The tables below present survey results from 2013 compared to 2009 results. Where
• differences between survey years are "statistically significant" (p <0.05), they are marked with
grey shading.
•
• Table 31: Question #1 by Survey Year
Cities offer parks and recreation facilities and programs to their residents for various
• reasons. Please tell us how strongly you agree or disagree that the City of Clearwater
• should use parks and recreation funding for each of the following purposes.
Percent of respondents rating as "strongly agree."
• To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve their physical health
• To provide opportunities for residents to make social connections which strengthen the
• community's social fabric
• To enhance the community's economic vitality by offering special events and amateur
athletic tournaments that draw visitors from inside and outside the community
• To provide recreational opportunities to underserved residents who might not otherwise
• be able to participate in recreational activities (e.g., people with disabilities or people
• with low incomes)
To provide positive activities for children and teens (age 19 and younger)
• To provide recreational, social and health strengthening opportunities for older adults
• (age 60 and older)
2013 2009
68% 66%
31% 32%
41% 43%
47% 43%
69% ', 69%
48% ; 47%
• To promote a more beautiful community and a greater "sense of place" for residents
•
•
•
•
•
• To maintain the community's image as an athletic "sports town" destination
• To maintain the community's image as a beach resort destination
•
•
•
•
•
To provide greater cultural opportunities to increase our city's livability, stimulating
economic revitalization, strengthening education, and creating an understanding of
diverse populations
To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths for residents to use for exercise and for
non - motorized transportation
To provide green and natural spaces within the community with park lands and open
space
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
40% 37%
66% 63%
23%
21%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 40
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 32: Question #1 Most Important by Survey Year
Then please tell us which two you think are the MOST IMPORTANT reasons to use
Parks and Recreation in Clearwater.
Percent Choosing as #1 or #2 2013 2009
To provide opportunities for residents to maintain and improve their physical health
To provide opportunities for residents to make social connections which strengthen the
community's social fabric 8% 9%
To enhance the community's economic vitality by offering special events and amateur
athletic tournaments that draw visitors from inside and outside the community
To provide recreational opportunities to underserved residents who might not otherwise
be able to participate in recreational activities (e.g., people with disabilities or people
with low incomes)
To provide positive activities for children and teens (age 19 and younger)
To provide recreational, social and health strengthening opportunities for older adults
(age 60 and older)
To promote a more beautiful community and a greater "sense of place" for residents
To provide greater cultural opportunities to increase our city's livability, stimulating
economic revitalization, strengthening education, and creating an understanding of
diverse populations
To provide greater mobility, with trails and paths for residents to use for exercise and for
non - motorized transportation
To provide green and natural spaces within the community with park lands and open
space
To maintain the community's image as an athletic "sports town" destination
To maintain the community's image as a beach resort destination
45% 46%
13%
14%
9%
7% 10%
Table 33: Question #2 by Survey Year
Please rate how important you think it is for the City to provide recreation programs
for each of the population groups below.
Percent of respondents rating as "essential."
2013 2009
Children 0 to 5 years old
Children 6 to 12 years old
Teenagers 13 to 17 years old
Adults
Senior adults (60 years old or more)
Families together as a group
People with disabilities
Non - residents
Beginner levels
Intermediate levels
.... ...... _ ......... _ ............
Advanced or elite levels
27% 22%
43% ! 40%
49% ' 52%
32%
27%
8%
26%
22%
4
7%
24%
20%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 41
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • i • • • • I • • • • • • S • • s s • • • S • • • • • • • S S • • I • • • • • • • •
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Question #3: The City of Clearwater is determining important guiding principles for future parks and
recreation programming. Recognizing that all the statements below may reflect values that are
important to you, from each pair of statements below, please indicate which ONE of the statements
you believe is more important for Clearwater.
Table 34: Question #3a by Survey Year
I consider parks and recreation ...
a human service that contributes to the physical, emotional and social welfare of the
whole community offering limited services funded primarily through tax dollars.
a business that serves people who can afford to pay for the services through user fees.
Total
Table 35: Question #3b by Survey Year
Parks and recreation programs should be offered...
at many different skill levels, i.e. beginner through advanced.
at the beginner and intermediate levels.
Total
2013
2009
Table 36: Question #3c by Survey Year
Parks and recreation facilities should be mostly...
2013 2009
programmed with leagues and other pre - planned activities or events, with some drop in
use, likely earning greater revenues. 40% 41%
available for public drop -in use with some active programming likely earning lesser
revenues. 60% j 59%
Total 100% 100%
Table 37: Question #3d by Survey Year
Parks and recreation program offerings should ...
focus mostly on popular sports and fitness (e.g. aerobics, yoga, softball, soccer,
basketball, etc.) because those serve the most number of people.
offer some popular sports and fitness activities, but also include diverse opportunities
like arts and crafts, and classes (e.g. cooking, tai chi, etc.) that may not serve so many.
Total
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 42
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 38: Question #3e by Survey Year
The Parks and Recreation Department should provide facilities and programs that...
complement other community offerings but not duplicate them (even if the duplicated
city programs are less expensive).
are requested by residents, regardless of whether they are provided by other agencies in
our community.
Total
Table 39: Question #3f by Survey Year
When considering potential budget reductions, the Parks and Recreation Department
should...
2013
2009
2013
2009
maintain all existing programs and facilities but at a lower level of service (e.g. park
maintenance on fewer days per week; reduced hours at recreation facilities; fewer
recreation program offerings within each category 60% 60%
eliminate some programs and facilities, but keep the remaining programs and facilities at
current levels of service (e.g. close some facilities but keep all others on current
schedules; cut some types of recreation programs). 40% 40%
Total 100% 100%
Table 40: Question #3g by Survey Year
Landscaping in public spaces (e.g. parks, medians, street right -of -ways) should be ...
beautifully maintained in our community to ensure our high quality of life.
require minimal or no maintenance.
Total
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 43
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 41: Question #5 by Survey Year
Please rate how important to the community, if at all, it is that the City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation Department provide the following activities.
Percent of respondents rating as "essential."
2013 2009
37% ' 32%
14 %! 14%
38% ( 38%
28% 32%
10% 8%
28% 29%
Wellness /fitness (e.g., weight training, aerobics, yoga, etc.)
Visual arts (e.g., pottery, painting, etc.)
Performing arts (e.g., dance, drama, etc.)
Community events (e.g., Jazz Holiday, Turkey Trot, Fun N' Sun, Clearwater Sea Blues
Festival)
Sports teams and lessons (e.g., softball, soccer, football, etc.)
Gymnastics lessons and training
Aquatics (e.g., lap swimming, water exercise classes, lessons, etc.)
Table 42: Question #5 Most Important by Survey Year
Then indicate which you think are the two MOST IMPORTANT activities.
Wellness /fitness (e.g., weight training, aerobics, yoga, etc.)
Visual arts (e.g., pottery, painting, etc.)
Performing arts (e.g., dance, drama, etc.) 12% 9%
Community events (e.g., Jazz Holiday, Turkey Trot, Fun N' Sun, Clearwater Sea Blues
Festival) 57% 56%
Sports teams and lessons (e.g., softball, soccer, football, etc.) 37% 36%
2013 ! 2009
Gymnastics lessons and training 2% 3%
Aquatics (e.g., lap swimming, water exercise classes, lessons, etc.) 25% 31%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 44
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 43: Question #6 by Survey Year
City parks serve various purposes within a community, some of which are listed below.
Please rate how important, if at all, each purpose is to you and your household.
Percent of respondents rating as "essential."
2013
2009
Providing visual "green spaces" within the city
Providing a place for rest and relaxation
Providing developed spaces for field sports (e.g., soccer, football, softball, baseball, ,
lacrosse)
Providing open lawn /play space (for children or adults to play their own games like tag,
frisbee, croquet, etc.)
Providing opportunities for court sports (e.g., tennis, basketball)
Providing places for group gatherings
Providing places for children to play on playground equipment
Providing places to exercise pets
Providing a place to walk or jog
Providing natural open lands or wildlife habitat
Providing annual flower plantings
Providing low -water perennial (bloom year after year) plantings
26% 25%
34% 31%
18%
20% 19%
21%
12% 13%
30% 27%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 45
• • • • • • • • • r • • • • • • • . • • . . . • • . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• • • • • • . . . . . . • • s . . . . . . . . . I . . S . . . I . . . . . . . . . . .
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 44: Question #7 by Survey Year
Please rate how important to the community, if at all, it is that the City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation Department provide the following community events.
Percent of respondents rating as "essential."
Clearwater Celebrates America
Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend
Clearwater Sea Blues Festival
Blast Friday*
Hispanic Heritage Fall Concert Weekend
TriRocks **
Jazz Holiday
Make A Difference Fishing Tournament
Martin Luther King Day March
Outback Beach Day
Turkey Trot
Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training
Clearwater Threshers
2013 2009
29% 24%
27% 25%
17% 18%
12% 9%
28% 28%
11% 9%
16% 13%
29% 26%
43%
29%
2013 2009
28% 33%
14% 17%
8% 6%
* Note: Blast Friday was Downtown Concerts in 2009. ** TriRocks was Ironman in 2009.
Table 45: Question #7 Most Important
Then indicate which you think are the three MOST IMPORTANT events.
Clearwater Celebrates America
Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend
Clearwater Sea Blues Festival
Blast Friday
Hispanic Heritage Fall Concert Weekend
TriRocks
Jazz Holiday
Make A Difference Fishing Tournament
Martin Luther King Day March
Outback Beach Day
Turkey Trot
Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training
Clearwater Threshers
10% 10%
9% 9%
7% 8%
33% 36%
42%
28%
* Note: Blast Friday was Downtown Concerts in 2009. ** TriRocks was Ironman in 2009.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 46
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 46: Question #8a by Survey Year
Please indicate whether you or anyone in your household has participated in any of these
activities in the past 12 months at a City of Clearwater park or facility, or at another park or
facility (either a private facility or one belonging to another jurisdiction).
Used a recreation trail such as the Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail
Walked, ran or jogged in a park or nature park
Exercised a pet(s) in a park or nature park
Relaxed (e.g., read a book, picnicked, played games or catch on the grass) in a park
Used a group shelter or picnic area (for group event)
Used a skate park
Played at a playground
Participated in a nature program
Played baseball
Played softball
Played field sports (e.g., soccer, football, rugby, field hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee
Played tennis or took tennis lessons
Played court sports or took lessons (e.g., basketball, volleyball)
Played golf or took golf lessons
Played shuffleboard
Used an outdoor swimming pool for swim lessons or water exercise
Used an outdoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -in)
Used an indoor swimming pool for swim lessons or water exercise classes
Used an indoor swimming pool for "open swim" (drop -in)
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a reservoir or lake
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event at a beach
Went motorized boating at a marina
Went non - motorized boating at a marina
Participated in a fitness class (e.g., yoga, aerobics, pilates, weight training, etc.)
"Dropped -in" for exercise (weights, exercise machines, etc.)
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation program
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation program
Participated in an adult arts or recreation program
Participated in a senior arts or recreation program
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) sports program or team
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) sports program or team
Participated in an adult sports program or team
Participated in an adult exercise, fitness or wellness program
Participated in senior exercise, fitness or wellness program
Participated in a therapeutic recreation program
Participated in a community event
Attended an event at a performing arts center such as Ruth Eckerd Hall
Attended an event at a major league stadium such as Bright House Networks Field
Percent doing at a
City of Clearwater
park or facility
2013 2009
40% 35%
62% 60%
43% 46%
9% ' 10%
45% 40%
14% 18%
12% 11%
13%
20% 22%
16% 21%
26% 25%
4% 6% 5%
23% ; 25%
24% I 25%
' I
22% j 20%
21 % 18%
34% 30%
Percent doing
somewhere else
2013 2009
50 %,
59%
30%
31%
35% 34%
6% 11%
30% 27%
14% 13%
11% 9%
8% 11%
23% 19%
13% 18%
22% 28%
8%
23% 27%
29% 33%
19% 13%
15% 14%
41% 36%
55%
30%
29% 26%
30% 28%
13% 14%
8% ' 12%
15% 14%
9% 8%
11% 14%
8% 12%
9 %i 13%
23% 27%
13% 12%
8% 7%
55% 48%
57% 53%
57%
.%
34% ' 32%
28% ! 30%
9% 14%
14 %!
5%
8%
6%
13%
25%
10%
13%
41%
44%
46%
14%
7%
10%
8%
13%
22%
11%
8%
31%
25%
Report of Results (12- og -2o13) • 47
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • . . • • . . . . . • • • . . . . . . . . • • • . • • . . • • • • • • • • . • • f •
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 47: Question #9 by Survey Year
How important, if at all, do you believe it is that the City of Clearwater offer each of
the following activities or facilities to the community?
Percent of respondents rating as "essential."
2013
2009
The Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail
Parks and nature parks
Places to exercise pet(s) in a park or nature park
A group shelter or picnic area (for group event)
A skate park
Playgrounds
Nature programs
Baseball and softball fields
Field sports fields (e.g., soccer, football, rugby, field hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee)
Tennis courts and complexes
Gymnasiums for court sports (e.g., basketball, volleyball)
Golf courses
Shuffleboard courts
Outdoor swimming pools
Indoor swimming pool
Beach facilities for swimming and recreation
Beach facilities for boating (Marina)
Fitness classes (e.g., yoga, aerobics, pilates, weight training, etc.)
Exercise facilities (weights, exercise machines, etc.)
Children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation programs
Youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation programs
Adult arts or recreation programs
Senior arts or recreation programs
Children's (age 0 -12) sports programs or teams
Youth (age 13 -19) sports programs or teams
Adult sports programs or teams
Adult exercise, fitness or wellness programs
Senior exercise, fitness or wellness programs
Therapeutic recreation programs
Community events
Ruth Eckerd Hall
Bright House Networks Field
18% 18%
7% 6%
25% 29%
24% 24%
61% 55%
26% 22%
26% 28%
40% 35%
23% ! 19%
43% 37%
20% 18%
30% 28%
29% 25%
21% 16%
51% 47%
53% .%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 48
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 48: Question #10 by Survey Year
Please indicate which of the following statements best represents how you feel the
cost for operating recreation facilities and offering recreational programs should be
paid.
2013
2009
100% through taxes
Taxes should pay the majority of costs and fees from users the remaining costs
100% through fees
Fees from users should pay the majority of costs and taxes should pay the remaining
costs
Total
Table 49: Question #11 by Survey Year
The City of Clearwater is exploring ways to fund parks and recreation in the future.
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following
funding options.
Percent of respondents rating as "strongly agree."
Recreation programs must pay for themselves through user fees
Profitable or popular programs (such as sports leagues and swimming lessons) can help
pay for less profitable programs (such as therapeutic, senior and youth programs)
The City should supplement the costs of operating recreation programs by using
different revenue sources, such as grants, donations, and taxes
The City should supplement the costs of operating facilities by using different revenue
sources, such as grants, donations, and taxes
Individuals living outside Clearwater should pay higher fees for participating in
recreation programs
2013
2009
30% ; 30%
46%
43%
54% 60%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 49
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • S • • • • • • • S • • • • . . . . • . . . . S . . S . S S . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 50: Question #12 by Survey Year
The City of Clearwater, like the rest of the nation, is facing difficult budget decisions.
Please indicate your level of support for or opposition to each of the following options
for reducing the Parks and Recreation budget.
Percent of respondents who somewhat or strongly support
Reducing beach maintenance
Reducing park maintenance
Reducing athletic fields maintenance
Eliminating some athletic fields
Reducing operating hours of recreational facilities
Closing a recreational facility
Eliminating some community events
Reducing programs that serve senior adults
Reducing cultural programs
Reducing landscape maintenance in areas such as medians
Allowing other entities to operate City facilities even if the programs are more expensive
45%
53%
51%
58%
Table 51: Question #12 Top Choices by Survey Year
Then indicate which two options you would most support, if budget cuts were
necessary.
36% 35%
52% 57%
2013 2009
Reducing beach maintenance
Reducing park maintenance
Reducing athletic fields maintenance
12% 10%
6% ' 7%
12% ' 8%
Eliminating some athletic fields 22% 23%
Reducing operating hours of recreational facilities ; 23% 26%
Closing a recreational facility
Eliminating some community events
Reducing programs that serve senior adults
Reducing cultural programs
Reducing landscape maintenance in areas such as medians
29%
34%
31% 25%
26% 27%
Allowing other entities to operate City facilities even if the programs are more expensive 20% 21%
Report of Results (12-09-2013) • 5o
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
APPENDIX C: RESPONSES TO SELECTED SURVEY QUESTIONS BY
GEOGRAPHIC AREA
The table below displays the percent of respondents in each zip code. The remaining tables in
this appendix present selected survey results by zip code. Where differences between zip codes
are "statistically significant" (p<0.05), they are marked with grey shading.
Table 52: Percent of respondents in each zip code
Zip code
Percent of
Respondents
33755
33756
33759
33761
33763
33764
33765
33767
Total
14%
100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 51
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• S • • • s • . • • s • • • • • • • • • • I I • I • • S • • S • • . • • . • • • • • •
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 53: Question #1 by Geographic Area
Cities offer parks and
recreation facilities and
programs to their residents
for various reasons. Please
tell us how strongly you
agree or disagree that the
City of Clearwater should
use parks and recreation
funding for each of the
following purposes.
Percent of respondents
rating as "strongly agree."
To provide opportunities for
residents to maintain and
improve their physical health
To provide opportunities for
residents to make social
connections which
strengthen the community's
social fabric
To enhance the community's
economic vitality by offering
special events and amateur
athletic tournaments that
draw visitors from inside and
outside the community
To provide recreational
opportunities to underserved
residents who might not
otherwise be able to
participate in recreational
activities (e.g., people with
disabilities or people with
low incomes)
To provide positive activities
for children and teens (age
19 and younger)
To provide recreational,
social and health
strengthening opportunities
for older adults (age 60 and
older)
To promote a more beautiful
community and a greater
"sense of place" for residents
33755 33756 ' 33759 33761 33763 33764 ` 33765 33767 Overall
47%
39%
35% 35% 53% 31% 43% 46% ! 41%
75%
68%
63% 78% 74% 70% 70% 58% ; 69%
62% 50% 48% 42% 54% 51% 43% 39% 48%
75% 65% 66% 55% 59% 56% 75% 56%
64%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 52
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Cities offer parks and
recreation facilities and
programs to their residents
for various reasons. Please
tell us how strongly you
agree or disagree that the
City of Clearwater should
use parks and recreation
funding for each of the
following purposes.
Percent of respondents
rating as "strongly agree."
To provide greater cultural
opportunities to increase our
city's livability, stimulating
economic revitalization,
strengthening education, and
creating an understanding of
diverse populations
To provide greater mobility,
with trails and paths for
residents to use for exercise
and for non - motorized
transportation
To provide green and natural
spaces within the community
with park lands and open
space
To maintain the community's
image as an athletic "sports
town" destination
To maintain the community's
image as a beach resort
destination
33755 ! 33756 33759
33761 33763 33764 1 33765
4
33767 Overall
21% 18% 30% 35% 17% 23%
40% 58% 41% 66% 54% 47%
45%
44%
41%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 53
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . . . • . S S . I . . • s I . S . . . . . . . . S . .
• • • • • • • • . . • • • • • • • . . • • • • • • • • • . ! . • • . • . , . . . • • .
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Please rate how important
you think it is for the City to
provide recreation programs
for each of the population
groups below.
Percent of respondents
rating as "essential."
Children 0 to 5 years old
Children 6 to 12 years old
Table 54: Question #2 by Geographic Area
33755 I 33756 33759
33761
33763 33764 33765 33767
36% 36% 29% 21% 25% ! 26%
Teenagers 13 to 17 years old 51% 44% 49% 49%
Adults 29% 29% 22% 31% 33%
Senior adults (60 years old or
more)
Families together as a group
People with disabilities
Non - residents
Beginner levels
Intermediate levels
Advanced or elite levels
51%
50% j 47% 1 41% ! 48% 48% 40%
Overall
21% 18% ! 27%
32% ; 51% ! 49%
37% 31% 32%
41% 23% 42%
9% 2% ! 8%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 54
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 55: Question #4 by Geographic Area
Please rate how important
to the community, if at all, it
is that the City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation
Department provide the
following outdoor facilities.
Percent of respondents
rating as "essential." 1 33755 33756 33759 33761 33763 33764 33765 33767 Overall
Playgrounds
Tennis courts
Bicycle and pedestrian trails
Equestrian trails 7% 2% j 10% ' 2% 7% 6% 3% 1% 5%
Nature trails
Golf courses
Dog parks
Volleyball courts
Picnic areas
Softball and baseball fields
Basketball courts 18% 8% 15% 20% 19% 28% 31% 17% 20%
Swimming pools (outdoor)
Swimming pools (indoor)
Community centers 41% 34% ! 33% 41% 38% 43% 41% 27% 37%
Multipurpose fields
(Soccer /Football /Lacrosse) 28% ; 22% 16% 28% 38% 35% ! 23% 35% 28%
22% 18% 27% ! 20% 37% 18% 16% 23%
3% 5% ! 5% 15% 13% 4% 3% 7%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 55
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • • • • • • S S • S S • • S • • S • • • • • • • S e • • • • • • • • • S • S • •
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 56: Question #5 by Geographic Area
Please rate how important
to the community, if at all, it
is that the City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation
Department provide the
following activities.
Percent of respondents
rating as "essential."
Wellness/fitness (e.g., weight
training, aerobics, yoga, etc.)
Visual arts (e.g., pottery,
painting, etc.)
Performing arts (e.g., dance,
drama, etc.) , 29%
33755
33756 33759 33761 33763 33764 33765 33767 Overall
Community events (e.g., Jazz
Holiday, Turkey Trot, Fun N'
Sun, Clearwater Sea Blues
Festival) 42%
Sports teams and lessons
(e.g., softball, soccer,
football, etc.)
Gymnastics lessons and
training
Aquatics (e.g., lap swimming,
water exercise classes,
lessons, etc.)
Report of Results (12-o9-2013) • 56
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 57: Question #6 by Geographic Area
City parks serve various
purposes within a
community, some of which
are listed below. Please rate
how important, if at all, each
purpose is to you and your
household.
Percent of respondents
rating as "essential." 33755 33756 33759 j 33761 33763 33764 33765 ! 33767 Overall
Providing visual "green
spaces" within the city
Providing a place for rest and
relaxation
Providing developed spaces
for field sports (e.g., soccer,
football, softball, baseball, ,
lacrosse)
Providing open lawn /play
space (for children or adults
to play their own games like
28% 28% 20% ! 27% 28% 28%
tag, frisbee, croquet, etc.) 35% ; 41% 29% 29% 1 36% 41% 35% 27% 34%
Providing opportunities for
court sports (e.g., tennis,
basketball)
Providing places for group
gatherings 28% 25% 17% 19% 22% 20% ! 23% 7% 20%
27% 21%
26%
Providing places for children
to play on playground
equipment 48% ' 55% ! 46% 58% 55% 54% 42% 40% 50%
Providing places to exercise
pets 38% 1 23% j 17% 24% 18% 17% ! 19% 19% 23%
Providing a place to walk or
jog
Providing natural open lands
or wildlife habitat
Providing annual flower
plantings
Providing low -water
perennial (bloom year after
year) plantings
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 57
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• ! • • . • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Please rate how important
to the community, if at all, it
is that the City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation
Department provide the
following community
events.
Percent of respondents
rating as "essential."
Table 58: Question #7 by Geographic Area
33755 33756 1 33759
33761 33763 33764 33765 33767
Overall
Clearwater Celebrates
America
Clearwater Fun N' Sun
Festival Weekend
34%
41% 30% j 20% 23% 34% 32% 18%
29%
Clearwater Sea Blues Festival 28% 12% 19% 15% ! 14% 10% 17% 19% 17%
Blast Friday
Hispanic Heritage Fall
Concert Weekend
TriRocks
Jazz Holiday
Make A Difference Fishing
Tournament
Martin Luther King Day
March
Outback Beach Day
Turkey Trot
35%
19%
18%
28%
28%
28% 42%
24%
28%
34% 21% 26%
24% 42% 30% 40% 22% 29%
Philadelphia Phillies Spring
Training
Clearwater Threshers 28% 26% 15% 29% 49% 32% ! 30% 31% 29%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 58
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Please indicate whether you
or anyone in your household
has participated in any of
these activities in the past
12 months at a City of
Clearwater park or facility,
or at another park or facility
(either a private facility or
one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Percent doing at a City of
Clearwater park or facility.
Used a recreation trail such
as the Pinellas or Ream
Wilson Trail
Walked, ran or jogged in a
park or nature park
Exercised a pet(s) in a park or
nature park
Relaxed (e.g., read a book,
picnicked, played games or
catch on the grass) in a park
Used a group shelter or
picnic area (for group event)
Used a skate park
Played at a playground
Participated in a nature
program
Played baseball
Played softball
Played field sports (e.g.,
soccer, football, rugby, field
hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate
Frisbee)
Played tennis or took tennis
lessons
Played court sports or took
lessons (e.g., basketball,
volleyball)
Played golf or took golf
lessons
Table 59: Question #8a by Geographic Area
33755
33756 33759
33761 33763 33764
33765
33767
Overall
77%
87% 78% 76% 84% 89% 69% 71% 79%
61% 62% 69% I 52% 78% 63% 67% 57% 62%
57% 46% 38% ? 39% 33% 46% 46% 29% 43%
14% 12% 9% 11% 0% 7% 3% 6% 9%
46% ' 38% 42% 42% 71% 52% 36% 43% 45%
7%
3%
10%
6% 15%
15%
15%
9%
26% i 11% 22% 20% 11% 23% 19% 23% 20%
24% ! 21% 23% 28% 20% 24% 28% 24% 24%
15% 2' ," 26% 21 b `. 439
Played shuffleboard 7% 4% 6% 2% 2% 4% 6% 4% 4%
Used an outdoor swimming
pool for swim lessons or
water exercise 2396: "3396 ; 8% , 24
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 59
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
S
I
S
Please indicate whether you
or anyone in your household
• has participated in any of
• these activities in the past
12 months at a City of
• Clearwater park or facility,
• or at another park or facility
(either a private facility or
• one belonging to another
• jurisdiction).
Percent doing at a City of
• Clearwater park or facility.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Used an outdoor swimming
pool for "open swim" (drop-
in)
Used an indoor swimming
pool for swim lessons or
water exercise classes
Used an indoor swimming
pool for "open swim" (drop
in)
Swam, fished, relaxed or had
a social event at a reservoir
or lake 33%
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
33755 33756 ; 33759 33761 33763 33764 33765 33767 Overall
Swam, fished, relaxed or had
a social event at a beach
Went motorized boating at a
marina
Went non-motorized boating
at a marina
Participated in a fitness class
(e.g., yoga, aerobics, pilates,
weight training, etc.)
"Dropped-in" for exercise
(weights, exercise machines,
etc.)
Participated in a children's
(age 0-12) arts or recreation
program
40% 33%
49% 39% 20% 24%
34%
28% 15% 1 23% 16% 21%
32% 34%
29%
30%
21%
25% 31%
33%
8% 34% 21%
26% 25% 29%
30%
Participated in a youth (age
13-19) arts or recreation
program
Participated in an adult arts
or recreation program
Participated in a senior arts
or recreation program 9%
Participated in a children's
(age 0-12) sports program or
11%
8% 11%
7%
11%
2%
7%
6% 8%
I 19
14% 13% 5%
9%
9%
6%
10% 8% 9%
team 15% 9% 7% 16% 10% 11% 12% 2% 11%
Report of Results (12-09-2013) • 6o
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Please indicate whether you
or anyone in your household
has participated in any of
these activities in the past
12 months at a City of
Clearwater park or facility,
or at another park or facility
(either a private facility or
one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Percent doing at a City of
Clearwater park or facility. 33755
Participated in a youth (age
13 -19) sports program or
team
Participated in an adult
sports program or team 12% 5% 12% 7% 13% 10% 0% 13% 9%
Participated in an adult
exercise, fitness or wellness
program 21% 31% 20% j 34% 17% 18% 18% 23% : 23%
33756 33759 33761 33763 33764 33765 ( 33767 ! Overall
Participated in senior
exercise, fitness or wellness
program 11% 15% 16% • 14% j 17% 11% 10% 14% 13%
Participated in a therapeutic
recreation program
Participated in a community
event
Attended an event at a
performing arts center such
as Ruth Eckerd Hall
Attended an event at a major
league stadium such as
Bright House Networks Field 52% 51% 51% 67% ' 61% 71% : 61% 49% 57%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 61
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 60: Question #8b by Geographic Area
Please indicate whether you
or anyone in your household
has participated in any of
these activities in the past
12 months at a City of
Clearwater park or facility,
or at another park or facility
(either a private facility or
one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Percent doing somewhere
else. 33755
33756 i 33759
33761 33763 33764 33765 ' 33767
Walked, ran or jogged in a
park or nature park
Exercised a pet(s) in a park or
nature park
Relaxed (e.g., read a book,
picnicked, played games or
catch on the grass) in a park
Used a group shelter or
picnic area (for group event)
Used a skate park
Played at a playground
Participated in a nature
program
Played baseball
Played softball
Played field sports (e.g.,
soccer, football, rugby, field
hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate
Frisbee)
Played tennis or took tennis
lessons
Played court sports or took
lessons (e.g., basketball,
volleyball)
Played golf or took golf
lessons
Played shuffleboard
Used an outdoor swimming
pool for swim lessons or
water exercise
Used an outdoor swimming
pool for "open swim" (drop -
in)
47% 46% ' 71%
41%
43%
11% 27%
47%
62%
Overall
58% 73% 65% I 65% 60% 59%
39% ! 6% 34% 34% 27% 30%
51% 64% 49% ; 67% ' 51% 52%
25% 32% ! 40% 29% ! 28% 30%
14% 0% 9% 12% 27%
5% ! 6 %) 9% ! 2% 7% 10% 3% 16% 8%
4%
7%
17%
11%
31% 51% 31% 21% 29% 29% 36% 10% 29%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 62
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Please indicate whether you
or anyone in your household
has participated in any of
these activities in the past
12 months at a City of
Clearwater park or facility,
or at another park or facility
(either a private facility or
one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Percent doing somewhere
else.
33755 33756
33759 33761 33763 33764 33765 33767 ! Overall
Used an indoor swimming
pool for swim lessons or
water exercise classes
Used an indoor swimming
pool for "open swim" (drop -
in)
Swam, fished, relaxed or had
a social event at a reservoir
or lake
Swam, fished, relaxed or had
a social event at a beach
Went motorized boating at a
marina
Went non - motorized boating
at a marina
Participated in a fitness class
(e.g., yoga, aerobics, pilates,
weight training, etc.)
"Dropped -in" for exercise
(weights, exercise machines,
etc.)
Participated in a children's
(age 0 -12) arts or recreation
program
Participated in a youth (age
13 -19) arts or recreation
program
Participated in an adult arts
or recreation program
Participated in a senior arts
or recreation program
Participated in a children's
(age 0 -12) sports program or
team
Participated in a youth (age
13 -19) sports program or
team
23%
47%
52%
13% 21%
17% 0%
36% 36% 35% 40%
51% 72% 47% ! 53%
30% 31% 14%
5 %! 13%
2% 6% 8%
F y
8% ! 3% 14%
6% , 13% 8%
2% 11% , 6%
19% 10%
7%
24% j 17%
14% 0%
11% 2%
5% 4%
11% 2%
5%
0% 1 36% 23% 19%
0% 23% 9% 15%
51% 39% 42% 41%
61% 37% 60% 55%
36% 21% 38% 28%
8% 8% ' 19% 9% 9%
3%
3%
6% 5%
4%
5% .
8%
8%
8% 0% 13% 6% 6%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 63
• • • • • . • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • . • . • . . . . . . . .
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Please indicate whether you
or anyone in your household
has participated in any of
these activities in the past
12 months at a City of
Clearwater park or facility,
or at another park or facility
(either a private facility or
one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Percent doing somewhere
else. 33755 33756 33759 33761 33763 33764 33765 33767 Overall
Participated in an adult
sports program or team
Participated in an adult
exercise, fitness or wellness
program 8% 52% 27% 26% 15% 16% 4% 35% 25%
Participated in senior
exercise, fitness or wellness
program 7% 8% 17% 6% 21% 17% 4% 11% 10%
Participated in a therapeutic
recreation program
Participated in a community
event
Attended an event at a
performing arts center such
as Ruth Eckerd Hall
Attended an event at a major
league stadium such as
Bright House Networks Field 44% 41% 59% 50% 39% j 16% 37% 57% 46%
16% 21% 25% 10% ! 13% 6% 4% 4% ■ 13%
26% 53% 48% 50% ! 58% 25% 46% 36% 41%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 64
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
How important, if at all, do
you believe it is that the City
of Clearwater offer each of
the following activities or
facilities to the community?
Percent of respondents
rating as "essential."
Table 61: Question #9 by Geographic Area
33755 33756
33759 33761 33763 33764 33765 ! 33767 Overall
The Pinellas or Ream Wilson
Trail
63% ' 62% 64% 54% ! 60% 57% 69% 40% 58%
Parks and nature parks
Places to exercise pet(s) in a
park or nature park
A group shelter or picnic area
(for group event)
A skate park
Playgrounds
Nature programs
Baseball and softball fields
Field sports fields (e.g.,
soccer, football, rugby, field
hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate
Frisbee)
Tennis courts and complexes
Gymnasiums for court sports
(e.g., basketball, volleyball)
Golf courses
Shuffleboard courts
Outdoor swimming pools
Indoor swimming pool
Beach facilities for swimming
and recreation
Beach facilities for boating
(Marina)
Fitness classes (e.g., yoga,
aerobics, pilates, weight
training, etc.)
Exercise facilities (weights,
exercise machines, etc.)
Children's (age 0 -12) arts or
recreation programs
Youth (age 13 -19) arts or
recreation programs
Adult arts or recreation
programs
Senior arts or recreation
programs
46%
18%
56%
36% 50%
8% 4%
48% j 58%
33% ! 40%
7%
58% 63%
9%
40%
4%
63%
39%
9%
56%
23%
6%
42%
38%
8%
55%
27%
17%
26%
24%
36%
33%
35%
28%
27%
23% ! 28% 25% 20% ! 19% 28% 29% 24% 25%
33% 14% 19% 24% 19% 28% 29% 19% 24%
70% 61% , 58% i 54% ! 45% 61% 75% ! 58% 61%
49% j 30% 40% 46% 42% 48% ' 58% 45% 45%
28% ! 23% 35% 1 33% 33% 29% '; 14% 16% 26%
38% 39%
41% ' 34%
46% 43% 48% 43% 35% I 30% 40%
45% 45% 44% 39% ! 35% 34% 40%
27% 19% 25% 12% 13% 23%
27% 24% 25% 26% 22% 26% 28%
33% 30% 19%
36% 33%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 65
. . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
How important, if at all, do
you believe it is that the City
of Clearwater offer each of
the following activities or
facilities to the community?
Percent of respondents
rating as "essential."
33755 1 33756
33759 33761 33763
33764 33765 33767 1 Overall
Children's (age 0-12) sports
programs or teams 34% 47% 44% 54% 46%
Youth (age 13-19) sports
programs or teams ' 37% 48% 41% 53% 53%
Adult sports programs or
teams
Adult exercise, fitness or
wellness programs
Senior exercise, fitness or
wellness programs
Therapeutic recreation
programs
Community events
21% 28% 11% 19% 22%
49% 29% 42% 43%
42% 29% 46% 43%
26% 23% 14%
20%
35% 33% 20% 41% 29% 31% 24% 19% 29%
Ruth Eckerd Hall 62% ! 47% 57% 47% 47% 48% 47% : 47% ; 51%
Bright House Networks Field 55% 50% 56% 53% 58% 63% 42% 48% 53%
Report of Results (12-09-2013) • 66
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 62: Question #11 by Geographic Area
The City of Clearwater is
exploring ways to fund parks
and recreation in the future.
Please indicate the extent to
which you agree or disagree
with each of the following
funding options.
Percent of respondents
rating as "strongly agree." 33755 33756 33759
33761 ! 33763 33764 33765 ! 33767 Overall
Recreation programs must
pay for themselves through
user fees
Profitable or popular
programs (such as sports
leagues and swimming
lessons) can help pay for less
profitable programs (such as
therapeutic, senior and
youth programs)
The City should supplement
the costs of operating
recreation programs by using
different revenue sources,
such as grants, donations,
and taxes
The City should supplement
the costs of operating
facilities by using different
revenue sources, such as
grants, donations, and taxes
Individuals living outside
Clearwater should pay higher
fees for participating in
recreation programs
16% 14% 7% 1 19% ! 10% 5% 17% 6% 12%
35%
30%
40%
27%
24%
17%
26 %!
39%
30%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 67
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
•
•
•
•
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
• The City of Clearwater, like
• the rest of the nation, is
facing difficult budget
• decisions. Please indicate
• your level of support for or
opposition to each of the
• following options for
• reducing the Parks and
Recreation budget
• Percent of respondents
• "strongly supporting
•
ID
•
Table 63: Question #12 by Geographic Area
33755 33756 33759 33761 33763 33764 33765
Reducing beach maintenance 5% 5% 1% 6% 0% 1%
Reducing park maintenance 2% 2% 1% 3% 2% 0%
Reducing athletic fields
maintenance 8% 14% 4% 8% 2% 1 2%
• Eliminating some athletic
• fields
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
33767 Overall
1% 1% 3%
1% 1% 2%
1
5% 4%
6%
Reducing operating hours of
recreational facilities 22% 1
Closing a recreational facility
Eliminating some community
events
Reducing programs that
serve senior adults
Reducing cultural programs
Reducing landscape
maintenance in areas such as
medians
• Allowing other entities to
• operate City facilities even if
the programs are more
• expensive
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
18%
20% 15% 21%
29% 8% 21% 15%
18%
Report of Results (12-09-2013) • 68
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
APPENDIX D: SELECTED SURVEY RESULTS BY RESPONDENT
CHARACTERISTICS
Selected survey results were examined by several respondent characteristics:
♦ Presence of children or teenagers in household
♦ Presence of older adults (age 65 +) in household
• Gender of respondent
The table below displays the percent of respondents in each of the categories above. The
remaining tables in this appendix present selected survey results by these respondent
subgroups. Where differences between subgroups are statistically significant (p<0.05), they are
shaded grey.
Table 64: Percent of respondents in each sub group
Percent of respondents in each sub group
Presence of Children in Household
Child(ren) in HH
NO child(ren) in HH
Total
Presence of Older Adults (age 65 +) in Household
Older adult(s) in HH
NO older adult(s) in HH
Total
Respondent Gender
Female
Male
Total
Percent of
Respondents
23%
77%
100%
29%
71%
100%
53%
47%
100%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 69
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 65: Question #1 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
• Cities offer parks and recreation facilities
and programs to their residents for
• various reasons. Please tell us how
• strongly you agree or disagree that the
City of Clearwater should use parks and
• recreation funding for each of the
following purposes. NO Older
• Percent of respondents rating as "strongly Child(ren) child(ren) adult(s) in
• agree." in HH in HH HH
To provide opportunities for residents to
• maintain and improve their physical health 66% 69% 71% 67%
NO older
adult(s)
HH Female
• To provide opportunities for residents to
make social connections which strengthen
• the community's social fabric
• To enhance the community's economic
• vitality by offering special events and
amateur athletic tournaments that draw
• visitors from inside and outside the
community
• To provide recreational opportunities to
• underserved residents who might not
otherwise be able to participate in
• recreational activities (e.g., people with
• disabilities or people with low incomes)
To provide positive activities for children
• and teens (age 19 and younger)
Male
Overall
68%
23% 33% j
31 %!
31%
32%
29%
31%
36% 42% 37% ' 42% 41% 40% ! 41%
47% 47% 47% 47%
47%
• To provide recreational, social and health
strengthening opportunities for older
• adults (age 60 and older)
• To promote a more beautiful community
• and a greater "sense of place" for residents
To provide greater cultural opportunities to
• increase our city's livability, stimulating
• economic revitalization, strengthening
education, and creating an understanding
• of diverse populations
To provide greater mobility, with trails and
• paths for residents to use for exercise and
• for non - motorized transportation
To provide green and natural spaces within
• the community with park lands and open
• space
• To maintain the community's image as an
athletic "sports town" destination
• To maintain the community's image as a
• beach resort destination
•
•
•
•
•
•
48%
61% 67% 64%
65%
65%
43% 39% 40% ! 40% 42%
37% 40%
57%
40%
50%
22% 24%
47%
48%
45%
52%
47%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 7o
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2023
Table 66: Question #2 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
Please rate how important you think it is
for the City to provide recreation
programs for each of the population
groups below.
Percent of respondents rating as
"essential."
Child(ren
in HH
NO
child(ren
in HH
� I
Older NO older
adult(s) in adult(s) in'
HH HH Female
Children 0 to 5 years old
Children 6 to 12 years old
Teenagers 13 to 17 years old
Adults
Senior adults (60 years old or more)
Families together as a group
People with disabilities
Non - residents
Beginner levels
Intermediate levels
Advanced or elite levels
32% ! 25%
48% 42%
45% 49%
Male Overall
26% 27% $ `j a 27%
46% 40% 43%
52% 44% 49%
30% 33% 32%
34% 30% 32%
42% 43% 42%
37% 38% 41% 33% 38%
6% ! 8% 9% 6% 8%
25% 26% 29% 22% 26%
20% 22% ! 23% 20% 22%
17% 20% 18% 21% 20%
45 %!
27%
36%
50%
33%
31%
45% 1 35%
8 %I 7%
24% 26% :
18% 22%
17% 20%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 71
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
S
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 67: Question #4 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
Please rate how important to the
community, if at all, it is that the City of
Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following
outdoor facilities.
Percent of respondents rating as
"essential."
NO Older NO older
Children) child(ren) adult(s) in iadult(s) in
in HH in HH HH HH Female I Male
Overall
• Playgrounds
Tennis courts
•
Bicycle and pedestrian trails
Equestrian trails
• Nature trails
Golf courses
• Dog parks
• Volleyball courts
• Picnic areas
Softball and baseball fields
•
Basketball courts
• Swimming pools (outdoor
• Swimming pools (indoor)
• Community centers
• Multipurpose fields
• (Soccer /Football /Lacrosse)
•
•
•
•
•
58%
14%
57%
6%
54% 49%
13% 14%
57%1
4% 6%
22%
8%
8%
19%
17%
17%
20% 14%
37% 35%
29%
23%
7%
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
17%
35%
26%
57% 53% 55%
12% 15% 13%
57% 57% 57%
4% 4% 5% } 5%
28% 27% ( 28%
30%
8%
24%
10%
23% 23%
13%
17%
21%
25%
21%
38%
39% 37%
17% 18%
25%
17%
40%!
21%
22%
33% ; 37%
7%
38%
17%
20%
23%
19%
28%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 72
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 68: Question #5 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
Please rate how important to the
community, if at all, it is that the City of
Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following
activities. NO I Older NO older
Percent of respondents rating as 1Child(ren) child(ren) adult(s) inadult(s) in
"essential." in HH in HH HH HH Female ! Male Overall
Wellness /fitness (e.g., weight training,
aerobics, yoga, etc.) 33%
Visual arts (e.g., pottery, painting, etc.)
Performing arts (e.g., dance, drama, etc.) 19%
Community events (e.g., Jazz Holiday,
Turkey Trot, Fun N' Sun, Clearwater Sea
Blues Festival)
Sports teams and lessons (e.g., softball,
soccer, football, etc.)
Gymnastics lessons and training
Aquatics (e.g., lap swimming, water
exercise classes, lessons, etc.)
38% 30% 40% 34%
13% 19% 15%
13% 11% ; 16% 11%
37%
14%
42% 37% i 45% " 38% 39% 38%
35%
26%
25%
30%
32%
24%
28%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 73
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 69: Question #6 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
City parks serve various purposes within a
community, some of which are listed
below. Please rate how important, if at
all, each purpose is to you and your
household. NO Older
Percent of respondents rating as Child(ren) child(ren) adult(s) in
"essential." in HH in HH HH
NO older !
adult(s) in
HH ' Female
Male I Overall
Providing visual "green spaces" within the
city
Providing a place for rest and relaxation
Providing developed spaces for field sports
(e.g., soccer, football, softball, baseball, ,
45% 41% ! 45% 41% 46% 43%
45/ 43% I
37% 44%
46% 38%
lacrosse) 26% 26% 21% ! 28% 22% 29%
Providing open lawn /play space (for
children or adults to play their own games
like tag, frisbee, croquet, etc.)
Providing opportunities for court sports
(e.g., tennis, basketball)
Providing places for group gatherings
Providing places for children to play on
playground equipment 53% 48% + _ { 45%
Providing places to exercise pet s 23%
Providing a place to walk or jog 45% 46% °
Providing natural open lands or wildlife
habitat 42%
Providing annual flower plantings 16% 10% 16% ! 10% 13%
Providing low -water perennial (bloom year
after year) plantings
26%
29%
23% !: 16% 13% 20% ' 18% 18% 18%
20% 20% I 24%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 74
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2023
Table 70: Question #7 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
Please rate how important to the
community, if at all, it is that the City of
Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department provide the following
community events.
Percent of respondents rating as
"essential."
NO
NO Older older
Child(ren) child(re j adult(s) adult(s)
in HH n) in HH in HH in HH Female Male Overall
Clearwater Celebrates America
Clearwater Fun N' Sun Festival Weekend
Clearwater Sea Blues Festival
Blast Friday
Hispanic Heritage Fall Concert Weekend
TriRocks_
Jazz Holiday
Make A Difference Fishing Tournament
Martin Luther King Day March
Outback Beach Day 16% ' 16%
Turkey Trot 30% 28%
Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training 40% 1 44%
Clearwater Threshers 32% ! 28%
26% 30% 22% 32% 27% 31% ! 29%
27% 27% , 17% S$ 24% I 31% 27%
13% 18% 13% ! 18% 16% 17% 17%
13% 12% 7% 14% 10% 14% 12%
14% ; 11% 10% 12% 9% 13% 12%
10% 8% 1 5% 10% 7% 10% 9%
31% ' 27% 26% 28% 29% 26% 28%
16% 13% 8% 15% 14% ! 12% 13%
11% 11%
11%
16%
22%
31%
26%
30%
30% 27%
40% 46%
29% 30%
29%
43%
29%
Report of Results (12- og -2o13) • 75
. . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . • . . . . • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • •
•
•
•
•
•
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 71: Question #8a by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
• Please indicate whether you or anyone in
• your household has participated in any of
these activities in the past 12 months at a
• City of Clearwater park or facility, or at
another park or facility (either a private
• facility or one belonging to another
• jurisdiction).
• Percent doing at a City of Clearwater park
or facility
• Used a recreation trail such as the Pinellas
• or Ream Wilson Trail
• Walked, ran or jogged in a park or nature
park
• Exercised a pet(s) in a park or nature park
Relaxed (e.g., read a book, picnicked,
• played games or catch on the grass) in a
park
• Used a group shelter or picnic area (for
• group event)
• Used a skate park
• Played at a playground
Participated in a nature program
• Played baseball
• Played softball
• Played field sports (e.g., soccer, football,
• rugby, field hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate
• Frisbee)
Played tennis or took tennis lessons
Played court sports or took lessons (e.g.,
• basketball, volleyball)
• Played golf or took golf lessons
• Played shuffleboard
Used an outdoor swimming pool for swim
lessons or water exercise
• Used an outdoor swimming pool for "open
• swim" (drop -in)
• Used an indoor swimming pool for swim
lessons or water exercise classes
NO
NO Older I older
Child(ren) child(re ! adult(s) adult(s)
in HH n) in HH in HH in HH
Female
Male Overall
69%
77% ' 81%
46% 38%
41% 39%
79%
40%
36% 45%
6
644 / % 62% 62%
44% 41%
8% 10%
43%
9%
45%
14%
12%
9%
18% ; 23% 20%
16%
14% 17%
24%
1% 5% 6% ' 4%
• Used an indoor swimming pool for "open
• swim" (drop -in)
18% 25%
24%
26%
4% 5% ! 4%
24% ! 21% 23%
25%
24%
• Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event
at a reservoir or lake 33%
• Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event
• at a beach 79% 73%
• Went motorized boating at a marina
•
41
28%
27%
22% 22% ; 1
17% 23% 23% ! 20%
33% 34%
62% 1 79% 76% 73%
24%
29%
26%
29%
24%
22%
21%
34%
75%
28%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 76
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Please indicate whether you or anyone in
your household has participated in any of
these activities in the past 12 months at a
City of Clearwater park or facility, or at
another park or facility (either a private
facility or one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Percent doing at a City of Clearwater park Child(ren)
or facility in HH
NO
child(re
n) in HH
NO
Older older
adult(s) adult(s)
in HH in HH Female
Male Overall
Went non - motorized boating at a marina
Participated in a fitness class (e.g., yoga,
aerobics, pilates, weight training, etc.)
"Dropped -in" for exercise (weights,
exercise machines, etc.)
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) arts
or recreation program
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) arts or
recreation program
Participated in an adult arts or recreation
program
Participated in a senior arts or recreation
program
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12)
sports program or team
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) sports
program or team
Participated in an adult sports program or
team
Participated in an adult exercise, fitness or
wellness program
Participated in senior exercise, fitness or
wellness program
Participated in a therapeutic recreation
program
Participated in a community event
Attended an event at a performing arts
center such as Ruth Eckerd Hall
Attended an event at a major league
stadium such as Bright House Networks
Field
21%
21% 16%
28% ! 31% 26% 32% 30% ' 30%
14% 15% 10%
7% 9%
14% : 16% 18% ! 14% 17% 1 14%
21%
29%
30%
13%
8%
15%
5%
9%
10%
26% 20% 23%
16% 10% 13%
7% 9% ! 8% 8%
60%
55% i 59% 57%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 77
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 72: Question #8b by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
Please indicate whether you or anyone in
your household has participated in any of
these activities in the past 12 months at a
City of Clearwater park or facility, or at
another park or facility (either a private
facility or one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Percent doing somewhere else
Walked, ran or jogged in a park or nature
park
Exercised a pets) in a park or nature park
Relaxed (e.g., read a book, picnicked,
played games or catch on the grass) in a
park
Used a group shelter or picnic area (for
group event)
Used a skate park
Played at a playground
NO
Child(ren) child(re
in HH n) in HH
NO
Older older
adult(s) adult(s)
in HH in HH Female Male Overall
53% 61% 43% 63%
52%
22% 33%
64% 59%
32%
50% 53%
44% 32%
31% 38%
4% 8%
30%
52%
35%
Participated in a nature program 16% ! 13%
Played baseball
Played softball
Played field sports (e.g., soccer, football,
rugby, field hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate
Frisbee)
Played tennis or took tennis lessons
Played court sports or took lessons (e.g.,
basketball, volleyball)
Played golf or took golf lessons
Played shuffleboard
Used an outdoor swimming pool for swim
lessons or water exercise
Used an outdoor swimming pool for "open
swim" (drop -in)
Used an indoor swimming pool for swim
lessons or water exercise classes
Used an indoor swimming pool for "open
swim" (drop -in)
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event
at a reservoir or lake
Swam, fished, relaxed or had a social event
at a beach
Went motorized boating at a marina
Went non - motorized boating at a marina
Participated in a fitness class (e.g., yoga,
aerobics, pilates, weight training, etc.)
17%
4%
11% 15% 13% j 15%
11%
9%
9 %! 11%
9% 3%
23% 23%
23%
17% ; 11% 14% 13% 9% 16% 13%
7%
14% 1 25%
3%
6%
13%
9%
25%
17%
18% 14%
21%
25%
4%
7%
3%
12%
22%
5%
25% 21% 25% 23%
29% ! 29% 28% 29%
19% 18% 20% 19%
15% 15% 11% ! 18% ; 15%
36% 42% 30% ! 44% 35% 46% 41%
49% 57% ! 44%
29% ! 30% 26%
14% 27% 16% 26%
31 %! 26 %!
44% 31%
33%
55%
30%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 78
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Please indicate whether you or anyone in
your household has participated in any of
these activities in the past 12 months at a
City of Clearwater park or facility, or at
another park or facility (either a private
facility or one belonging to another
jurisdiction).
Percent doing somewhere else
NO
NO Older older
Child(ren)! child(re ! adult(s) adult(s)
in HH n) in HH ! in HH ! in HH Female Male Overall
"Dropped -in" for exercise (weights,
exercise machines, etc.)
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12) arts
or recreation program
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) arts or
recreation program
Participated in an adult arts or recreation
program
33% 26% 29% 28% 22% 33% 28%
9%
6% j 5% 6% 4% 5%
8% j 16% 14% 14% 13% 15% 14%
Participated in a senior arts or recreation
program
Participated in a children's (age 0 -12)
sports program or team
Participated in a youth (age 13 -19) sports
program or team
Participated in an adult sports program or
team
Participated in an adult exercise, fitness or
wellness program
Participated in senior exercise, fitness or
wellness program
Participated in a therapeutic recreation
program 12% 13%
2%
6% 5%
11% 7% 10% 6% 8%
5%
3% 7% 3% 8% 6%
7 %' 15%
29% ! 24% 23%
8%
Participated in a community event 41% 41%
Attended an event at a performing arts
center such as Ruth Eckerd Hall
Attended an event at a major league
stadium such as Bright House Networks
Field
44% ; 44%
41%
48%
13%
27% 25%
12% 10%
11% 15% 13%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 79
•••••••••••••••••••••••••0004)••••••••••••••
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Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 73: Question #9 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
How important, if at all, do you believe it
is that the City of Clearwater offer each of
the following activities or facilities to the
community? NO Older
Percent of respondents rating as Child(ren) child(re li adult(s)
"essential." in HH n) in HH in HH
The Pinellas or Ream Wilson Trail
Parks and nature parks
Places to exercise pet(s) in a park or nature
park 28% 35%
A group shelter or picnic area (for group
NO
older
adult(s)
in HH Female Male Overall
58% ! 59% 58%
65% 58% 62%
32% 35% 33%
event) 42% 37% 33% 40% 41% 35% 38%
A skate park _ of ...:
Playgrounds 55% 55% 55/ + o 55%
�x
Nature programs 27% 23% ■ 22% 25% 27% 21% 24%
Baseball and softball fields 23% 29% 28% 27% 27% 27% I 27%
Field sports fields (e.g., soccer, football,
rugby, field hockey, lacrosse, Ultimate
Frisbee) 28% 27% 30% 27% _ u. 27% 27%
28/ 27/ 22/ 30/ 27% 27/
Tennis courts and complexes 20% 25%
Gymnasiums for court sports
basketball, volleyball)
Golf courses 13% 20% 13% 20%
Shuffleboard courts 5% 8% 6% 8% !
Outdoor swimming pools 25% 25% ' 19% 27%
Indoor swimming pool 24% 24% 18% 26%
Beach facilities for swimming and
recreation 61% 61%
Beach facilities for boating (Marina) 37% ! 47%
Fitness classes (e.g., yoga, aerobics, pilates,
weight training, etc.) 22%
Exercise facilities (weights, exercise
machines, etc.)
Children's (age 0 -12) arts or recreation
programs
Youth (age 13 -19) arts or recreation
programs 46%
Adult arts or recreation programs 28%
24%
16% 1 21% i 18%
6% 8 %.� 7%
27% : 22% 25%
23%
28%
24%
27%
23% ! 27% 25% 27%
25% ; 24%
65% E 61%
43% 47% 45%
29%
24% 26%
27% ! 25% 26%
Senior arts or recreation programs
Children's (age 0 -12) sports programs or
teams 48% ! 42%
Youth (age 13 -19) sports programs or
teams 45% 43%
Adult sports programs or teams 15% 22%
24%
37%
22% 21% ! 24%
29%
25%
29%
15%
23%
40%
40% 39% ! 40%
25% 22% 23%
29% 26% 28%
43% 44% 43%
41% 46% 43%
18% 23% 20%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 8o
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
How important, if at all, do you believe it
is that the City of Clearwater offer each of
the following activities or facilities to the NO
community? NO Older older
Percent of respondents rating as Child(ren)' child(re adult(s) E adult(s)
"essential." in HH ! n) in HH i in HH in HH Female Male Overall
Adult exercise, fitness or wellness
programs
Senior exercise, fitness or wellness
programs
Therapeutic recreation programs
Community events
Ruth Eckerd Hall
Bright House Networks Field
27% 31% j 29% 31% 30% 31% 30%
31%
17% 22% 20%
48% 46%
49%
47 %!
29% 31% 29% 29%
22% 20% 21%
49% 44% 46%
49% . 53% 51%
50% I 57% 53%
22%
52%
55%
48%
53%
Table 74: Question #11 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
The City of Clearwater is exploring ways to
fund parks and recreation in the future.
Please indicate the extent to which you
agree or disagree with each of the
following funding options.
Percent of respondents rating as "strongly Child(ren
agree." in HH
NO Older
child(re i adult(s)
n) in HH in HH
NO
older
adult(s)
in HH Female Male Overall
Recreation programs must pay for
themselves through user fees
Profitable or popular programs (such as
sports leagues and swimming lessons) can
help pay for less profitable programs (such
as therapeutic, senior and youth programs)
The City should supplement the costs of
operating recreation programs by using
different revenue sources, such as grants,
donations, and taxes
The City should supplement the costs of
operating facilities by using different
revenue sources, such as grants, donations,
and taxes
Individuals living outside Clearwater should
pay higher fees for participating in
recreation programs
7%
13%
14%
11%
13%
11%
12%
47% ! 52%
52% 55%
45%
54%
48% 56% 51%
54% „' 55% 54%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 81
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
Table 75: Question #12 by Presence of Children in Household, Presence of Older Adults in Household and
Respondent Gender
The City of Clearwater, like the rest of the
nation, is facing difficult budget decisions.
Please indicate your level of support for or
opposition to each of the following
options for reducing the Parks and
Recreation budget. NO Older
Percent of respondents "strongly Child(ren) child(re adult(s)
support "ing j in HH n) in HH ! in HH
Reducing beach maintenance 5% 2%
Reducing park maintenance 1% 2%
Reducing athletic fields maintenance
Eliminating some athletic fields
Reducing operating hours of recreational
facilities 10% 14%
Closing a recreational facility 6% 5%
Eliminating some community events 15% 17%
Reducing programs that serve senior adults 4%
Reducing cultural programs 15% 17%
NO
older
adult(s)
in HH Female Male j Overall
Reducing landscape maintenance in areas
such as medians 15% 18% 13% 19% 16% 18% 18%
i
Allowing other entities to operate City
facilities even if the programs are more
expensive 9% 10% 6% 11% 10/
K °
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 82
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
APPENDIX E: SURVEY METHODOLOGY
Developing the Questionnaire
The questionnaire for the 2013 survey was largely based on the 2009 survey, with some
additional questions added by the staff of the City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation
Department to obtain the information currently needed for the update of the Parks and
Recreation Master Plan.
Selecting Survey Recipients
All households located in the City of Clearwater were eligible to receive the survey. Because
local governments generally do not have inclusive lists of all the residences in the jurisdiction
(tax assessor and utility billing databases often omit rental units), lists from the United States
Postal Service (USPS), updated every three months, usually provide the best representation of
all households in a specific geographic location.
NRC used the USPS data to randomly select a sample of households within zip codes that serve
the City of Clearwater. Attached units were over sampled as residents of this type of housing
typically respond at lower rates to surveys than do those in detached housing units. This list
was then geocoded to exclude those addresses outside the City of Clearwater city limits. From
the remaining addresses, 3,000 were randomly selected to receive the survey.
An individual within each household was randomly selected to complete the survey using the
birthday method. The birthday method selects a person within the household by asking the
"person whose birthday has most recently passed" to complete the questionnaire. The
underlying assumption in this method is that day of birth has no relationship to the way people
respond to surveys. This instruction was contained in the cover letter accompanying the
questionnaire.
Survey Administration and Response
Each selected household was contacted three times. First, a prenotification announcement was
sent, informing the household members that they had been selected to participate in the City
of Clearwater Parks and Recreation Survey. Approximately one week after mailing the
prenotification, each household was mailed a survey containing a cover letter signed by the city
manager enlisting participation. The packet also contained a postage paid return envelope in
which the survey recipients could return the completed questionnaire directly to NRC. A
reminder letter and survey, scheduled to arrive one week after the first survey was the final
contact. The second cover letter asked those who had not completed the survey to do so and
those who have already done so to refrain from turning in another survey.
The mailings were sent in October 2013. Completed surveys were collected over the following
weeks. About 17% (-500) of the 3,000 surveys mailed were returned because the housing unit
was vacant or the postal service was unable to deliver the survey as addressed. Of the
approximately 2,500 households who received a survey, 490 completed the survey, providing a
response rate of 20 %.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 83
. . . . • . • . . . . . • . • . • . . . . . . . • • • • . • • . • . • . . . . . . . .
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
The 95% confidence interval (or "margin of error ") quantifies the "sampling error" or precision
of the estimates made from the survey results. A 95% confidence interval can be calculated for
any sample size, and indicates that in 95 of 100 surveys conducted like this one, for a particular
item, a result would be found that is within ±4 percentage points of the result that would be
found if everyone in the population of interest was surveyed. The practical difficulties of
conducting any resident survey may introduce other sources of error in addition to sampling
error. Despite best efforts to boost participation and ensure potential inclusion of all
households, some selected households will decline participation in the survey (referred to as
non - response error) and some eligible households may be unintentionally excluded from the
listed sources for the sample (referred to as coverage error).
While the 95 percent confidence level for the survey is generally no greater than plus or minus
4 percentage points around any given percent reported for the entire sample, results for
subgroups will have wider confidence intervals. For each subgroup from the survey, the margin
of error rises to as much as plus or minus 17% for a sample size of 32 (in the smallest, zip code
33764) to plus or minus 5% for 375 completed surveys (in the largest, households without
children).
Survey Processing (Data Entry)
Mailed surveys were returned to NRC directly via postage -paid business reply envelopes. Once
received, staff assigned a unique identification number to each questionnaire. Additionally,
each survey was reviewed and "cleaned" as necessary. For example, a question may have asked
a respondent to pick two items out of a list of five, but the respondent checked three; NRC staff
would choose randomly two of the three selected items to be coded in the dataset.
Once all surveys were assigned a unique identification number, they were entered into an
electronic dataset. This dataset is subject to a data entry protocol of "key and verify," in which
survey data were entered twice into an electronic dataset and then compared. Discrepancies
were evaluated against the original survey form and corrected. Range checks as well as other
forms of quality control were also performed.
Survey Analysis
Weighting the Data
One of the first steps in the data analysis was to statistically adjust the survey results so that the
demographic profile of the respondents mirrors that of the population as a whole. This process
is known as "weighting" the data. The primary objective of weighting survey data is to make the
survey sample reflective of the larger population of the community. This is done by:
1) reviewing the sample demographics and comparing them to the population norms from the
most recent sources and 2) comparing the responses to different questions for demographic
subgroups. The demographic characteristics that are least similar to the known demographic
profile and yield the most different results are the best candidates for data weighting.
The demographic characteristics of the survey respondents were compared to those found in
the 2010 Census estimates for adults in the city. The variables used for weighting were
respondent age, sex and whether or not household included children. The "raking" add -on to
SP55 was used to create the weights. (Raking uses mathematical algorithms to calculate the
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 84
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
appropriate weights.) Other discrepancies between the whole population and the sample may
also aided by the weighting due to the intercorrelation of many socioeconomic characteristics.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 85
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• • • • • • I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
The results of the weighting scheme are presented in the table below.
Percent in Population
Characteristic Population Norm* Unweighted Data Weighted Data
Age
18 -34 years of age
35 -54 years of age
55+ years of age
Sex
Female
Male
Presence of Children in Household
One or more children
No children
23%
77%
*Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and 2011 American Community Survey
Analyzing the Data
The electronic dataset was analyzed by National Research Center, Inc. staff using the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). For the most part, the percent positive (i.e., "excellent"
or "good," "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree," "strongly support" and "somewhat support ")
are presented in the body of the report. On many of the questions in the survey, respondents
could give an answer of "don't know." The proportion of respondents giving this reply is shown
in the full set of responses included in Appendix A: Frequency of Survey Responses. Also
included are results by geographic subarea (Appendix C: Responses to Selected Survey Questions
by Geographic Area) and other respondent characteristics (Appendix D: Selected Survey Results
by Respondent Characteristics). Chi - square or ANOVA tests of significance were applied to these
breakdowns of selected survey questions. A "p- value" of 0.05 or less indicates that there is less
than a 5% probability that differences observed between groups are due to chance; or in other
words, a greater than 95% probability that the differences observed in the selected categories
of survey respondents represent "real" differences among those populations. Where
differences between subgroups are statistically significant, they have been marked with grey
shading in the appendices.
25%
33%
42%
53%
47%
16% 23%
84% 77%
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 86
Clearwater, FL Parks and Recreation Survey • December 2013
APPENDIX F: SURVEY MATERIALS
The following pages display the questionnaire and other survey materials for the 2013
Clearwater Parks and Recreation Survey.
Report of Results (12 -09 -2013) • 87
• . . . . . S . . . . . . . . . . . . . • S S S • • • • I I • I • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • I • • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Park Inventory
Appendix D: Level of Service
Contents
Park Inventory 2
Outdoor Facility Workshop Survey 7
Outdoor Facility Maps 8
1
Park Inventory
LEGEND
IIIII COMMUNITY PARKS
j NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS
.7 —] ENVIRONMENTAL PARKS
OM OPEN SPACE PARKS
MI SPECIAL FACILITIES
1
i.
1
i-- .•�„ :.�._.....
1
1
1
CLEA R4'JATER BOUNDARY
STREETS
TRAILS
WATER BODIES
LAND MASS I
c,—.11
1 MRM
1 r...T.r
lame, rarr i4
Zia
alias%Y
F
TrUMI
■
1
.0.11111 u•
1 4% e R I.W1l
1"."'" r I.T....p1.111-
1 I...,,
` .IOya�.� . .._
Laat&Ms
I
i
aIM M.allw
rnifTrru.a
miles 0
2
4
N
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Outdoor Facility Maps
PARK NAME ACREAGE
[ i COMMUNITY PARKS 96.07
1 CLEARWATER REACH RECREATION CENTER 15,78
2 COUNTRYSIDE COMMUNITY PARK 4.13
3 THE LONG CENTER 22.16
4 N. GREENWOOD REC. & AQUATIC COMPLEX 5,91
5 ROSS NORTON RFC.IAQUATICIFXTREME PARK -FD WRIGHT 47.49
NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS
1 DAY PARK ON SAND KEY
2 BELMONT PARK
3 CHARLES PARK
4 CHARTER OAKS PARK
5 CHERRY HARRIS PARK
6 COACHMAN RIDGE PARK
1 COUNTU HOLLOW PARK
6 CREST LAKE PARK
9 DEL ORO PARK
10 EDGEVJATER DRIVE PARK
11 FOREST RUN PARK
12 GARDEN AVENUE PARK
13 MANDALAY PARK
14 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMUHn CENTER
15 MARVMONT PARK
16 MCKAY PLAYFIELD
11 MONTCLAIR PARK
18 MORNINGSIDF PARK
19 NORTHW00D PARK
20 PLAZA PARK
21 SOULE ROAD PARK
22 STATION SQUARE PARK
23 SUNSET SAM PARK AT ISLAND ESTATES
24 VALENCIA PARK
25 WOOD VALLFi RECREATION CENTER
26 VJ00DGATF PARK
162.91
3.55
2.69
1.00
1.14
2.54
9.90
4.90
38.35
22.20
6.17
20.90
0.21
5.02
1.00
5.13
1.68
4.90
733
1.00
1.23
4.92
0,40
0.41
3.70
1.56
9.48
3
PARK NAME
1) ENUIROHMENTAI PARKS
ACREAGE
754,00
1 ALLEN S CREEK PARK 18.64
2 ALLIGATOR LAKE PARK 37.4
3 DAYNIFW PARK 4.41
4 CLEARWATER PUBLIC REACH 12.90
5 CLIFF STEPHFNS PARK 48.00
6 COOPER'S BAYOU PARK 8.89
1 COOPER'S POINT PARK 157.09
8 COURTNFV CAMPBELL CAUSEWAY 46.61
9 CYPRESS BEMO PARK 17.36
10 CYPRESS POINT PARK 3.35
11 GLEN OAKS PARK 27.74
12 GLEN OAKS PARK NORTH 3.94
13 GLENWO00 PARK 1.31
14 KAPOK PARK 36.75
15 LAKE CNAUTAUQUA EQUESTRIAN AND NATURE PRESERVE 27.04
16 LAKE CNAUTAUQUA PARK FAST 41.10
17 LAKE CNAUTAUQUA PARK SOUTH 5.87
18 LAKE LUCILLE PARK 639
19 MEMORIAL CAUSEm 24.60
20 MOCCASIN LAKE NATURE PARK 52 77
21 NORTH CLEARWATER NATURE PARK 30.32
22 PROSPECT LAKE PARK 7.34
23 SAND Ku BRIDGE PARK 2.68
24 SAND KB' COUNT'' PARK 104.29
25 SPRING LAKE PARK 6.36
26 STATE STREET PARK 6.29
21 TOWNPIACF PARK 10.98
28 WELL SITE 3.21
4
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••o
PARK NAME ACREAGE
OPEN SPACE PARKS 52.41
1 ANN CIRCLE PARK
2 ATRIUM PARK
3 BAY FSPLANARE /FLRORADO MEDIAN
4 BAY ESPLANADE /NARCISSUS MEDIAN
5 BAYSHORE EASEMENT
6 CEDAR BROYES PARK
1 D.D. DAVIS PARK
8 DREW PLAZA PARK
9 HARDING PLAZA PARK
10 HIBISCUS LAKE PARK
11 HILLCREST PARK
12 IMPERIAL PARK
13 LAKE NOBART SOUTH PARK
14 MCL:ENNAN CIRCLE
15 MISSOURI wen
16 OYFRBROOK PARK
17 SALTS' LAKE PARK
10 SKYi RIST PARK
19 SHAKEPIT OPEN AREA
20 ST. CROIX PARK
21 SUNBURST PARK
22 SUNSET POINT ISAR PUIVE111
23 TERIIACE LAKE
0.40
0.30
0.26
0.15
3.68
1.54
3.75
0.36
0.38
2.29
3.45
5.90
0.87
0.22
10.30
2.39
2.21
2.54
2.55
2.83
0.11
3.38
2.55
5
PARK NAME ACREAGE
I= SPECIAL FACILITIES 643.04
1 CARPENTER FIRD 40.54
2 CHI -CHI RODRIGUEZ GOLF COURSE 130.68
3 CLEARWATFR COUNTR',` CLUB 105.62
4 CLEARWATEH EXECUTIVE GOLF COURSE 70.15
5 CLEARWATFR MARINA 12.53
6 COACHMAN PARK & BPY'FRONT TENNIS 11.04
7 COUNTRYSIDE SPORTS COMPLEX 12.36
8 EDDIE C. MOORE M. COMPLEX 1-4 24.52
9 EDDIE C. MOORE REC. COMPLEX 6-7 41.34
10 EDDIE C. MOORE REC. COMPLEX 8-9 5,00
11 ENTERPRISE DOG PARK 20.44
12 FRANK TACK PARK 16.06
13 HENRY MCMULLEN TENNIS COMPLEX 2035
14 HOLT AVENUE CENTER 1.00
15 JACK RUSSELL STADIUM 11.20
16 JOE DIMAGGIO HEWS 32.32
11 KINGS HIGHWAY RECREATION CENTER [ART2 4 LIFE] 5.58
18 IJW1N BOWLS & SHUFFLEBOARD COMPLEX 5.510
19 MAGNOLIA STREET BOCK 0.Ui6
2O NORTHEAST COACHMAN PARK 16.16
21 PIER 60 PARK AND PARKING LOT 10.23
22 PHILLIP (ONES FIELD 3.91
23 RUTH ECKERD HALL 4.24
24 SAILING CENTER 3.84
25 SEMINOLE DOCKS 5,75
26 SIB LICKTON 16.134
27 TURNER STREET BOCK 0.30
28 WALTER 0.CAMPBFLL /BUCCANEER FIELD 5.68
6
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Outdoor Facility Workshop Survey
Importance of Providing Recreational Activities
Community Centers
Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails
Playgrounds
Multipurpose fields (Soccer/ Football/
Lacrosse)
Swimming Pools- outdoor
Swimming Pools - indoor
Nature Trails
Basketball Courts
Picnic Tables
Softball and Baseball fields
Dog Parks
Tennis Courts
Golf Course
Volleyball Courts
Equestrian Trails
18%
78%
38%
32%
29%
26%
25%
63%
60%
57%
43%
32%
31%
58%
55%
38%
26%
31%
22%
26%
31%
6%
43%
42%
60%
71%
77%
83%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of Respondents
® Essential ❑ Important
7
Outdoor Facility Maps
N
Clearwater
Basketball Courts
ii
i
n
! 9
!
BASKETBALL
KEY PARK NAME OUTDOOR INDOOR
COURTS COURTS
Coachman Ridge Park 1
2 Del Oro Park 1
3 Morntngside Park 1
4
Forest Run Park 1
Wood Valley Rec. Center 1
6 Valencia Park 1
7 Marymont Park 1
8 Montclair Park 1
9 Woodgate Park 1
N. Greenwood Rec. &
10 Aquatic Complex
Clearwater Beach Rec.
11 Complex
n Luther King Jr.
12 Community Center
13 Countryside Community
Park
14 Ross Norton 1
15 Long Center 3
TOTAL: 15 7
TOTAL COURTS: 22
0
4
2
! 14
1»_.Ar=d_._.
I
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Basketball Courts
co
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Clearwater
Recreation Centers
lo■Mt• ••■•■■ • ■•■111,11•1116
5
RECREATION CENTERS
KEY PARK NAME
I.
1 ' \
! \ !
! \ !
! *,■ I
! t
1 \ !
1 Ross Norton Rec. Center
2 N. Greenwood Rec. &
Aquatic Complex
3 The Long Center
Clearwater Beach Rec.
4
Complex
Countryside Community
5
Park
6 Kings Hwy Rec. Center
7 Wood Valley Rec. Center
LEASED
FACILITIES
Legend
Clearwater Parks
111111 Recreation Centers
Leased
lf)
Clearwater Diamond Fields
(Baseball/ softball)
.—
DIAMOND FIELDS
KEY
PARK NAME
FIELDS LEASED
1 Eddie C. Moore Rec. Complex 9
2 Frank Tack Park 2
Ross Norton Rec. & Aquatic
3 2
Cmplx. & Extreme Park
4 Sid Lickton 7
5 Carpenter Field 4
6 Joe DiMaggio Fields 2
7 Countryside Community Park 5
8 Marymont Park 1
9 Jack Russel Stadium 1
10 Brighthouse Networks Field 1
TOTAL
0
0
i
i
—13
i
e <{
3"
=21
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Diamond Fields
Leased Diamond Fields
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Clearwater
Dog Parks
Enterpri';' Jog Park
C
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Dog Parks
DOG PARKS
KEY PARK NAME # OF PARKS
1 Crest Lake Park 1
2 Enterprise Dog Park 1
3 Sand Key County Park 1
TOTAL 3
Q
Sand Kity Park
N
L.
Clearwater
Golf courses
learwater'Ex tine Golf Course
Chi -Chi R
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Golf Courses
off Co
r`-
t;
GOLF COURSES
KEY PARK NAME # OF HOLES
1 Clearwater Country Club 18
Clearwater Executive Golf
2 Course 18
Chi -Chi Rodriguez Golf
3 Course 18
TOTAL 54
N
N
NJ
• • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Clearwater Multipurpose
Square Fields
(Soccer/ Football/ Lacrosse)
}
N
1
SQUARE MULTIPURPOSE FIELDS
KEY PARK NAME
1 Countryside Sports Cmplx
2 The Long Center
Eddie C. Moore Rec. Cmplx -
3 Fields 1 -4
4 Glen Oaks Park
5 Joe DiMaggio Fields
Walter C. Campbell /Bucs
6 Field /Jack Russell Stadium
7 Philip Jones
TOTAL
# OF FIELDS
4
2
3
2
4
2
1
1H
G
/
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Square Fields
I
N
Lk)
Clearwater
Playgrounds
PLAYGROUNDS
I KEY
PARK NAME
R OF
PLAYGROUNDS
Northwood Park '.
Pier 60 1
Cherry Hams Park
Coachman Ridge Park.
Del Oro Park
Mnrmngside Per (.mplx
CFadoA Park 1
Alen s (rye k Part .. t
Cress Lake Park
Forest Run Park
Wood Valley Rec. Ctr.
Sunset Sam Park at Island Ls' I
Valencia Park 1
Atarymont Park 1
M.:ntnIairPark
Woodilate Park 1
Ross Norton Rec, CI(
IA N. Greenwood Rec. & Aquatic Crept..
Io McKay Mayfield
2II hay Park on land key
2I the Long Center
22 Soule Road Park S
23 Glen Oaks Park
2a Garden Avenue Park
2:, Marten Luther King 1r, COmmunity Center
21 Sand Key County Park
27 Countryside Community Park
TOTAL: 27
Legend
Playgrounds
Clearwater Parks
• i._._ _._.l`1_._._. oar
_._._•_._.._._... _._._._._._. moo ._._._._•_•_•_._.1
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Clearwater
Pool Facilities
trt
._.
LI
ri
4
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Pool Facilities
POOL FACILITIES
KEY PARK NAME POOLS INDOOR
1 Clearwater Beach Rec. Complex 1
N. Greenwood Rec. & Aquatic
2 Complex
Ross Norton Rec & Aquatic
3 Complex 1
4 The Long Center 1 YES
S Morningside Park 1
TOTAL POOLS 5
141
A
Clearwater
Tennis Courts
I
! ' i
! i
0 i
1 ,010
i
L.—. —.—. I
•
J r-Th
48
1/41
L1131t,•••111•011•1•1• ••••• ••••• saw wow. •■■=0 •■•• ••O• • • • • •
!TENNIS COURTS
' KEY PARK NAME
# OF COURTS
1 Coachman Ridge Park 2
2 Del Oro Park 2
3 Morningside Rec. Complex 4
4 Forest Run Park 2
5 Wood Valley Rec. Center 2
6 Valencia Park 2
7 Ed C. Wright Park 2
8 Woodgate Park 2
9 Country Hollow Park 2
10 Bay Park on Sand Key 2
Clearwater Beach Rec.
11 Complex 3
12 Soule Road Park 2
Henry L. McMullen Tennis
13 Complex 15
Martin Luther King Jr.
14 Community Center 3
15 Bayfront Tennis Complex 4
TOTAL COURTS: 49
1411113
4 3 _
Legend
Clearwater Parks
El Tennis Courts
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Clearwater
Volleyball Courts
L rt.
■•■ ••••• ••■•■■•••••• •••• e]
Legend
Clearwater Parks
Volleyball Courts
VOLLEYBALL
KEY PARK NAME # OF COURTS
1 Clearwater Public Beach 4
TOTAL 4
r
A
irroor■ • r=j1.4r. 40= •■••••,.... • !frown,*
v
Clearwater Pedestrian
and Bicycle Trails
N
CO
Legend
Existing Bike Trails
Park (Natural) Trails
Clearwater Parks
TYPE
Natural Trails
Bike Trails
Existing
(Miles)
16.45
14.77
N
•
•
•
•
•
• Appendix E: Park and Community Engagement Factor Tables
•
•
• Contents
•
•
•
Park Factors 2
• Community Engagement Factors 3
• Improvement Suggestions 5
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1
Park Factor (P) Community Parks
Nam !f k Population Age of Comfort
Served Facilities
N. Greenwood Rec. & Aquatic Cmplx 4
5 3 12
The Long Center 5 3 3 11
Countryside Community Park
5 3 11
Ross Norton Rec. & Aquatic Cmplx. & 3 5 3 11
Extreme Park + Ed Wright Park Complex
Clearwater Beach Rec. Complex
2 3 3 8
Park Factor (P) Neighborhood Parks
Name of Park - Population Age of Comfort P Scor€
Served Facilities
Charter Oaks Park 5 5 3 13
Station Square Park
5 5 3 13 1
Belmont Park
5 13
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center
Marymont Park
Wood Valley Recreation Center
5 3 13
5 3 13
13
Country Hollow Park
5 3 12
Northwood Park
5 3 12
Charles Park 3 5 3 11
Garden Avenue Park 5 5 1 11
Cherry Harris Park 5 5 1 11
Coachman Ridge Park 5 5 1 11
Crest Lake Park
1 11
Del Oro Park
3 11 1
Montclair Park
1 11
Soule Road Park
Valencia Park
Forest Run Park
11 1
5 3 3 11
5 1 10
Plaza Park 3 5 1 9
Edgewater Dr. Park
5 1 9
Mandalay Park 1
Woodgate Park 5 3 1 9-7
Sunset Sam Park at Island Est. 1
Bay Park on Sand Key 1 3 3 7
McKay Playfield 1 5 1 74
Morningside Park 5 1 1
2
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Community Engagement Factor (CE) Community Parks
Name of Park
% of respondents
indicating park
they frequent the
.. ,t
z
O
a
% of
respondents
that indicate
improvement
Total C
O Points> >.
a
Countryside Community Park
7%
2%
3
8
Clearwater Beach Rec. Complex
1%
3
0%
1
4
Ross Norton Rec. & Aquatic Cmplx.
Extreme Park + Ed Wright Park
Complex
1%
3
0%
The Long Center
0%
1
0%
1
2
N. Greenwood Rec. & Aquatic
Cmplx
0%
1 0%
1
2
3
Community Engagement Factor (CE) Neighborhood Parks
Name of Park
Crest Lake Park
Martin Luther King Jr.
Community Center
Morningside Park
Cherry Harris Park
% of
respondents
indicating park
they frequent
the most
22%
17%
U,
I
z
O
5
5
% of
respondents that
indicate
improvement
47%
11%
4
Total CE Points
10
9
10%
28%
5
9
4%
2%
2
Woodgate Park
1%
4%
Del Oro Park
4%
3
0%
1
Coachman Ridge Park
5%
3
0%
Mandalay Park
7%
3
0%
1
Forest Run Park
1%
2%
Garden Avenue Park
1%
0%
1
3
Country Hollow Park
1%
2
0%
Edgewater Dr. Park
1%
2
0%
1
3
McKay Playfield
1%
0%
Northwood Park
1%
2
0%
Plaza Park
2%
0%
Sunset Sam Park at Island Est.
2%
2
0%
1
3
Marymont Park
0%
2%
Wood Valley Recreation
Center
Charter Oaks Park
Charles Park
0%
1
2%
2
3
0%
0%
1
2
0%
1
0%
2
Station Square Park
0%
0%
1
2
Bay Park on Sand Key
0%
1
0%
1
2
Belmont Park
0%
0%
1
2
Montclair Park
0%
1
0%
1
2
Soule Road Park 0% 1 0%
Valencia Park 0% 1
0% 1 2
4
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•
•
•
•
• Improvement Suggestions from the Community Workshop
• Are there any specific improvements you would Boys & Girls Club:
• like to see at one of the neighborhood parks?
• Needs Basketball Court & outside
• CrestLake Park: playground
•
• • Restrooms All Parks :
• • Exercise Equipment • Splash parks and water pads for kids
• • Working Fountains • Restrooms
•
lb • Splash Park • Removal of homeless
• • Improved Security
S
• • Better lighting
• • Better playgrounds
•
• • Remove alligators /improve fishing
• Better grassed areas
•
•
Morningside Pool :
• • Longer Hours
•
• • Extended Season
• • Lighted Tennis Courts
•
• • Restrooms
S Morningside Recreation Center:
•
• • New Complex
• Marymount Park :
• • Provide Water Fountains
1
• Martin Luther King:
• Better Play ground and green space
•
S
S
•
• . • . • . + . s . . . . . . . . . . S . . . . . . . . . . S . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix E: Park and Community Engagement Factor Tables
Contents
Park Factors 2
Community Engagement Factors 3
Improvement Suggestions 5
1
Park Factor (P) Community Parks
N. Greenwood Rec. & Aquatic Cmplx
Population Age of Corn.
Served Facilities
4 5
The Long Center 5
3 3
11
Countryside Community Park
5 3
11
Ross Norton Rec. & Aquatic Cmplx. & 3
Extreme Park + Ed Wright Park Complex
5 3 11
Clearwater Beach Rec. Complex 2 3 3 8
Park Factor (P) Neighborhood Parks
Population` Age of Comfort P Score
Served Facilities
Charter Oaks Park 5
5 3 13 1
Station Square Park
5 5 3 13
Belmont Park
13 1
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center 5 5 3 13
Marymont Park
3 13
Wood Valley Recreation Center 5 5 3 13
Country Hollow Park
5 3 12
Northwood Park
Charles Park
Garden Avenue Park
5 3 12
5 3 11
5 1 11
Cherry Harris Park
1 11
Coachman Ridge Park
ii 1
Crest Lake Park
1 11
Del Oro Park
11 1
Montclair Park
11
Soule Road Park
5 5 1 11
Valencia Park 5
Forest Run Park
11
4 5 1 10 1
Plaza Park
9
Edgewater Dr. Park
Mandalay Park 1 5 3
Woodgate Park
Sunset Sam Park at Island Est. 1 5
Bay Park on Sand Key 1 3 3
McKay Playfield 1 5 1
Morningside Park 5 1 1
2
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• . • . • . . . . . • . . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . • . • • . . . • • . • . • • • •
Community Engagement Factor (CE) Community Parks
Name of Park
14�ms�
iof respondents
ndicating park
they frequent the
% of
respondents
that indicate
improvement
Total CE
Points
Countryside Community Park
Clearwater Beach Rec. Complex
7%
2%
3
1%
0%
1
Ross Norton Rec. & Aquatic Cmplx.
& Extreme Park + Ed Wright Park
Complex
1%
3
0%
1
4
The Long Center
0%
1
0%
1
2
N. Greenwood Rec. & Aquatic
Cmplx
0% 1 0% 1 2
3
Community Engagement Factor (CE) Neighborhood Parks
Name of Park
Crest Lake Park
% of
spondents
indicating park
they frequent
the most
22%
I
O
a
5
% of
respondents that
indicate
improvement
47%
Total CE Points
10
Martin Luther King Jr. 17% 5 11% 4
Community Center
Morningside Park 10% 4 28% 5
Cherry Harris Park 4% 3 2% 2
9
Woodgate Park
1%
2
4%
5
Del Oro Park
4%
3
0%
1
Coachman Ridge Park
5%
0%
4
Mandalay Park
7%
0%
1
Forest Run Park
1%
2%
4
Garden Avenue Park
1%
2
0%
1
3
Country Hollow Park
1%
0%
Edgewater Dr. Park
1%
2
0% 1 3 —I
McKay Playfield
1%
0%
3
Northwood Park
1%
2
0%
1
3 —I
Plaza Park
2%
2
0%
3
Sunset Sam Park at Island Est.
2%
0%
1
Marymont Park
0%
1
2%
2
Wood Valley Recreation
Center
Charter Oaks Park
Charles Park
Station Square Park
Bay Park on Sand Key
0%
1
2%
2
3
0%
1
0%
0%
0%
1
2
0%
1
0%
1
2
0%
1
0%
1
Belmont Park
0%
0%
1
2
Montclair Park
0%
1
0% 1
Soule Road Park
0% 1
0% 1 2
Valencia Park 0% 1 0% 1 2
4
. . . . • . • . • • • • • • • • . . • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • . . . . . . . . . .
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Improvement Suggestions from the Community Workshop
Are there any specific improvements you would Boys & Girls Club:
like to see at one of the neighborhood parks?
• Needs Basketball Court & outside
CrestLake Park: playground
• Restrooms All Parks :
• Exercise Equipment • Splash parks and water pads for kids
• Working Fountains • Restrooms
• Splash Park • Removal of homeless
• Improved Security
• Better lighting
• Better playgrounds
• Remove alligators /improve fishing
• Better grassed areas
Morningside Pool :
• Longer Hours
• Extended Season
• Lighted Tennis Courts
• Restrooms
Morningside Recreation Center:
• New Complex
Marymount Park :
• Provide Water Fountains
Martin Luther King:
• Better Play ground and green space
5
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Appendix F: Proposed Trail Map
Clearwater Pedestrian
and Bicycle/Trails
TYPE
Natural Trails
Bike Trails
Existing Proposed
(Miles) (Miles)
16.45 n/a
14.77 25.82
Total Projected
16.45
40.59
tAt
E
-J
Legend
Existing Bike Trails
Proposed Trails
Park Trails
Ream Wilson Trail
Clearwater Parks
Ileair Trail
N