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^, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
The Greencastle Parks and Recreation Board conducts a monthly public meeting. This meeting is
scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month. The public is always welcome at these meetings and their
input is vital to the decisions made by the Park Board of Commissioners. The meetings are usually
covered by the local newspaper, The Banner Graphic. This allows the public to stay informed and add
additional ideas if they are not able to attend the monthly meeting.
On January 7, 1997, the Board arranged a special meeting session for final input and discussion of
the Five Year Master Plan before it is submitted to DNR. This meeting allowed anyone in the community
to express their hopes and expectations for the City of Greencastle's Parks Department. The Master Plan
has been on the agenda for discussion for several months but this was to discuss any changes or additions.
This meeting was attended by 25 individuals.
Besides the Public Meetings, in November 1997 a questionnaire was circulated throughout the
community. With the help of the Greencastle School Corporation the questionnaires were distributed to
two local elementary and one intermediate school. In addition, they were available throughout the City of
Greencastle at Putnam County Senior Center, the Putnam County Library, and Greencastle City Hall.
We had 276 questionnaires returned by the end of November. The respondents ranged from six
years to eighty-one years of age with the largest return from the 18-35 range (43%). Also a majority of
the responses came from families of 3 or more. The results of the questionnaires are as follows:
Question#1
•62% of the respondents use Greencastle Park facilities more than 10 times per
year.
Question#2
•76% of the questionnaires listed the Aquatic Center as one of the facilities that
they had visited during the year.
-The playground areas (57%) and the shelters (55%) were also used frequently.
Question#3
•The S.P.A.R.K. program(30%) and the swim lessons (29%) had participation
from the respondents
Question#4
•70% of the respondents are satisfied with the current programs and facilities
offered by the park department. However, over 90% of the individuals felt
the department should be providing additional facilities.
Question#5
• 54% of the questionnaires listed a recreation center as something they would like
the department to provide.
'More playground equipment was a close second at 52%. The last piece of
equipment added to Robe-Ann Park was in 1996 and was purchased by the
Friends of the Park Organization. Before that no new equipment had been
added since 1988.
•48% of the respondents had their wish fulfilled due the purchase of a seasonal ice
skating rink in December 1997.
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•A skateboard/rollerblade facility rounds out the top four responses at 44%. This
type of facility has become a salient issue since the Fall of 1997 when the
City Council attempted to ban skateboards from the downtown area. The
Greencastle School Board has successfully banned both rollerblades and
skateboards from their parking lots.
Question#6
•The number one program from the questionnaire was a Christmas Festival in the
Park with a 58% response.
•Teen and family programming were second and third respectively.
Question#7
•Adding more programming to the department's annual calendar was also
important to the respondents.
•79% of the respondents felt that the department should be providing year-round
recreational programming.
'With only one full-time year-round staff member (Director) and seasonal help
most of the programs are in the summer with just a few slated for off-
season.
Question#8
•This question was very important due to the amount of volunteer organizations
(soccer, softball, baseball, and football leagues) in the community
programming youth sports. In the past, the Greencastle Parks Department
has provided input but has not been directly involved in organized youth
sports.
•85% of those responding felt that the department should have a larger role in this
area. Also, feedback has been obtained from the Big Walnut Sports Park
Board (a board comprised of representatives from the different leagues
who manage the Big Walnut Facility) that they would like the department
to assist them in running the facility and the leagues.
Question#9
•57% of the respondents believe there is not enough land set aside for recreational
use in the community.
Thirty individuals commented on the back of the questionnaires. The majority of the comments
centered on the department providing more programming for the youth in the community. Several people
noted that it would be a positive step for the City Parks Department to assist the Big Walnut Sports Park.
Also mentioned were improving maintenance at the park and keeping Robe-Ann Park open year-round.
The data gleaned from the questionnaires support the ongoing work of the department and
demonstrates to the Board that the community desires more programming and facilities to meet the
recreational needs of our youth and families.
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