HomeMy Public PortalAboutSUPPL.THREE ASSESSMENT SURVEY SUPPLEMENT THREE :
Colin Batko ' s
Community Center
_ Survey Instrument
Colin Batko ' s Needs
Assessment Survey
L)
U
U
SUPPLEMENT THREE :
Colin Batko ' s
Community Center
Survey Instrument
Colin Batko ' s Needs
Assessment Survey
Informed Consent
This survey will be used to determine the recreational interests of the community
as well as determine levels of participation at park facilities and in programming. The
results will be analyzed and considered for possible construction of new facilities and/or
administration of new programs offered by the Greencastle Parks and Recreation
Department.
By answering the questions on this survey you are giving consent to the
Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department and DePauw University to use this data for
research purposes only. This survey is completely anonymous. In no way will your name
be associated with the data you provide when it is being analyzed, presented, or
distributed. The data collected from this survey will be used to better the above
organizations' understanding of the community's recreational needs.
If at any time you feel uncomfortable with the questions being asked you may
discontinue the survey at any time without penalty.
If you have any further questions concerning this survey or the results of the
survey please contact Colin Batko at CBatko@depauw.edu or Adam Cohen at
ACohen@depauw.edu or by phone at (765)658-4119.
The information collected from these surveys will be used
for the future development of a Community Center in Putnam
County. Questions concerning this project can be addressed to
Adam Cohen at ACohen ar depauw.edu or by phone at
(765) 658-4119
Statement:This study has been approved by the DePauw University Institutional Review Board.If you
have any questions concerning your rights as a human subject,please contact Academic Affairs at DePauw
University,Harrison Hall 305.(765)658-4355.
Needs Assessment Survey for Putnam County
Survey Summary
This survey will be used to determine the recreational interests of the community as well
as determine levels of participation at park facilities and in programming. The results will
be analyzed and considered for possible construction of new facilities and/or
administration of new programs offered by the Greencastle Parks and Recreation Dept.
1. Age of person completing this survey
2. Sex of the person completing this survey: Male Female
3. How many people live in your household,by age:
Less than 5 years old:
5-17 years old:
18-25 years old:
26-45 years old:
46-65 years old:
Older than 66 years of age:
4. Do you reside within the municipal limits of Greencastle? Yes No
5. If not, in which town do you live?
Greencastle but not within municipal limits
Fillmore Russellville Reelsville Cloverdale
Roachdale Bainbridge Other
6.Which Putnam County school district do you live?
Greencastle Community School Cloverdale Community Schools
North Putnam Community Schools South Putnam Community Schools
7. Do you feel your community does a good job providing the following?
Strongly Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly
agree disagree
Facility and ground
maintenance
Natural features
Recreational facilities
Picnic shelters and
facilities
Multi-purpose
pathways and
connections
Other features, such
as lighting,
restrooms,public
telephones, etc.
W
w
w
8. Do you currently own a membership to a community, recreation, or fitness
center? Yes No
9. The following is a list of FACILITIES that could be offered by a Cultural
Community Art and Recreation Center. Please place an X next to the 7 potential
facilities that are most important to you.
Community/Meeting Rooms Weight/Exercise/Fitness Area
Teen Center Running/Walking Track
Pool-Play Area Ping Pong, Foosball, Pool Tables
Pool-Whirlpool Climbing Wall
Locker Rooms Racquetball Courts
Offices Playground
Snack Area Sauna/Stream Room
Theater Basketball Courts
Dance Room Tumbling Room
Computer Information Center
Other Facilities:
10. The following is a list of PROGRAMS that could be offered by a Cultural
Community Art and Recreation Center. Please place an X next to the 12
potential programs that are most important to you.
Computer/technology instruction Soccer
Basketball leagues Cooking Classes
n Teen Center Activities Martial Arts
Swimming Lessons Outdoor Challenge Course
Child Care Sledding
Personal Training Babysitting Certification
Volleyball First Aid/CPR
Badminton Board Games
Dance Knitting
Aerobics Music
Camps Quilting
Scrapbooking Pottery
Yoga Softball
Golf Tennis
Other Programming:
11.Would you be willing to support a tax increase to fund a Community Center?
Yes No
12. Would you be willing to use tax dollars to offset the cost of memberships?
Yes No
41gio
13.What is the highest dollar amount you would be willing to pay ANNUALLY
for a membership to a Community Center with the potential facilities and
programming listed above?
Less than $100 $201-$250 More than $350
$101-$150 $251-$300 Not Interested
$151-$200 $301-$350
14. How far would you be willing to drive to a Community Center
15. Are you satisfied with the current programs and facilities offered by the
Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department? Yes No
If no please explain:
16. Please rank these Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department facilities in
order of importance to you - 1 being the most important and 8 being the least
important.
Barbeque Grills
Recreation and Fitness Center
Additional Playground Equipment
n Additional Neighborhood Parks
Community Center
Additional Skateboard and Bicycle parks
Pet Parks
More Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails
17. When you and/or your family visit the Greencastle park facilities,which
parks do you use?
Robe-Ann Park Big Walnut Sports Park
Jaycee Park Mary's Field Park
Calbert Way Park People Pathways Trails
Maple-Berry Park Westside Park(Courthouse annex)
Rokicki Community Park None of these parks
18. When you and/or your family visit the Greencastle parks which facilities
within the parks do you use?
Aquatics Center Softball Diamonds at Big Walnut
Basketball Court Baseball Diamonds at Big Walnut
Emerald Palace Playground Tennis Courts
Little Tikes Playground Skate park
Picnic Shelters Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails
Softball Diamonds at Robe-Ann Soccer Fields at Big Walnut
19.Which of the following park programs have you or your family members
participated in during the last year?
S.P.A.R.K. Women's Softball League
Learn-To-Swim Lessons Coed Softball League
Tennis Lessons Mommy and Me Program
Santa Claus Woodcarving Contest Arts and Craft Programs
Gingerbread House Contest July 4th Activities
Men's Softball League Mike Rokicki Memorial 5K Road
Annual Easter Egg Hunt Run/Walk
20. How interested are you in seeing the following programs being instituted by
the Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department?
Programming Very interested Semi-Interested Not Interested Indifferent
Arts and Crafts
Classes
Pre-School
Programming
Youth
Programming
Teen
Programming
Adult
Programming
Senior
Programming
Family
Programming
Aerobics and
Fitness Classes
Special Events
Sports
Tournaments
Christmas
and/or Holiday
npa•ntn1dap7T uayoIW
``.J
Needs Assessment Survey
For a Potential Community Center in
Putnam County
,.� By: Colin Batko
Kinesiology Senior Seminar- Spring 2007
DePauw University, Greencastle, IN
�-. Abstract
A recent needs assessment of Greencastle evaluated Greencastle Parks and
Recreation facilities and programming and found there was a growing interest in
having a Community Fitness and Recreation center somewhere in Putnam County. It
was necessary to conduct another needs assessment with question specifically
pertaining to the construction of such facilities.Needs assessments can benchmark
and track perceptions of residents relating to programs and facilities that already exist
and their interest in seeing new services.Needs assessments also answer questions
concerning funding for such a facility. The data collected from needs assessments can
be used to see what obstacles may threaten the construction of such a facility and also
win enough public support to get the building funded. The needs assessment
conducted for this study found that there was a significant interest in seeing such a
facility in Putnam County. There is great interest in seeing facilities such as; a teen
center,weight/exercise/fitness areas, a running and walking track, and basketball
courts. There was also interest shown in programming such as; computer/technology
instruction, swimming lessons,teen center activities, aerobics, personal training, and
first aid/CPR training. In terms of funding,there was significant support shown for a
tax increase to fund the construction of a Community Fitness and Recreation center as
well as support for a tax increase to offset membership fees. Data collected from this
survey as well as research of the impact of Community Centers on communities have
show that Putnam County and its residence could greatly benefit from the
construction of such a facility.
Acknowledgments-Thank you to the residence of Putnam County who took the time
to fill out these surveys and return them so their voices could be heard. Thank you to
the members of The Community Center Task Force for taking surveys and spreading
them throughout Putnam County so I could have some data to present. Thank you to
Dr. Babington who guided us through seminar. Thanks to Adam Cohen for being my
advisor and making this whole study and the thought of a Community Center in
Putnam County a reality. Thanks to Mayor Nancy Michael for her support. Lastly,
thanks to my fellow seminar classmates for listening to me talk about the same things
over and over again.
n
Table of Contents
II. Manuscript
A. Introduction
B. Methods
a. Introductory Paragraph
b. Subjects
c. Instruments
d. Testing Procedures
e. Statistical Analysis
C. Results
D. Discussion
E. References
III. Appendices
A. The problem
a. Research question
b. Experimental hypotheses
c. Assumptions
d. Delimitations
e. Operational Definitions
f. Limitations
g. Significance of the Study
B. Literature Review
C. Additional Methods
a. Informed Consent Form
b. Needs Assessment Survey
c. Data Collection Sheets
d. Specific Testing Procedures
e. Graphs
f. Table of Raw Data and Statistical Analysis
D. Recommendations for Future Research
II. Manuscript
A. Introduction-A recent needs assessment of Greencastle evaluated
Greencastle Parks and Recreation facilities and programming and found there
was a growing interest in having a Community Fitness and Recreation center
somewhere in Putnam County. It was necessary to conduct another needs
assessment with question specifically pertaining to the construction of such
facilities.Needs assessments can benchmark and track perceptions of
residents relating to programs and facilities that already exist and their interest
in seeing new services.Needs assessments also answer questions concerning
funding for such a facility. The data collected from needs assessments can be
used to see what obstacles may threaten the construction of such a facility and
also win enough public support to get the building funded. Research has
shown that a Community Fitness and Recreation facility can have a number of
positive effects on all members of a community. Community Centers can offer
much needed programming and facilities for adolescents. These facilities
serve to give young adults and children a place to go after school to help fill
any void of time between school sessions. Childhood obesity is higher than
ever. Such a center may promote a less sedentary lifestyle for children which,
studies have shown, may represent their level of activity as adults.
Community Centers also provide beneficial programming for senior citizens.
With the"baby boomer" generation growing older, it seems there is a higher
demand for facilities and programming geared towards the elderly to help
prevent a sedentary anti-social life. These programs are becoming more
prevalent and studies have shown that there has been a decrease in symptoms
associated with aging which can save money in terms of health care.
Community Centers are beneficial to a community's economy. Studies have
shown when workers have had membership to such facilities,they become
more pleasant and productive. A Community Center can be an attractive
prospect for highly qualified prospective employees of the many businesses
located within Putnam County. With the right funding, a Community Center
membership can be something everyone can afford which can be beneficial to
the overall well-being of a community physically and mentally.
B. Methods
a. Introductory Paragraph-A sufficient lack of Recreational and
Fitness facilities and a recent surge of public interest necessitated a
needs assessment to be conducted of Putnam County residents to
determine if there was indeed enough interest to have such facilities
n
constructed within the county limits. There are many questions that
arise when the concept of building a new facility for the use of a
community is brought up. What a needs assessment does is attempts to
find the preferences of present and potential users of Park and
Recreation Facilities.Needs assessments can benchmark and track
perceptions of residents relating to programs and facilities that already
exist and their interest in seeing new services.Needs assessments also
answer questions concerning funding for such a facility. It is necessary
to know to what extent residents would be willing to support a tax
increase for additional services and facilities offered by the county.
The data collected from needs assessments can be used to see what
obstacles may threaten the construction of such a facility and also win
enough public support to get the building funded. It was crucial that
I
•
enough surveys were administered and data collected to get an
accurate representation of the overall needs of the community.
b. Subjects- There were a total of 199 participants in this study. 148 of
them were female and the other 51 were male. There were no
limitations placed on the subjects that chose to participate in this study
except it was required of the participant that they must live within the
municipal limits of Putnam County. There were no restrictions placed
on age, gender, or race. Anyone who was able to read and write was
able to take this survey. The subject sampling was completely random.
Surveys were distributed throughout Putnam County to be filled out by
subjects and returned to an administrator,the Greencastle City Hall, or
e-mailed to Adam Cohen or myself. Although this survey originated in
Greencastle,there was a significant number of participants (n=97,
48.7%)that did not classify themselves as living within the municipal
limits of Greencastle.
c. Instruments- Since this study was a survey,the only instruments
necessary for participating was a pencil and the survey itself
d. Testing Procedures-Much of the surveying was done without the
presence of an administrator. For the few participants that I was able to
survey,the procedure went something like this. The subject was asked
if they would be interested in participating in a survey concerning the
possible construction of a Community Center in Putnam County. If the
subject said they were interested they were given a survey and asked to
read the informed consent. After they were done, they were asked if
they understood everything that they just read. If there were no
questions the subject was allowed to move to the actual survey. They
were notified that if they had any questions they were able to ask them
at any time. The subject was then allowed to take the test at a
respectable distance from the administrator so they would not feel like
their answers were being looked at. When they were finished they
returned the survey to the administrator to be recorded in an Excel
Spreadsheet for analysis. If an administrator was not there to collect
the survey,they should have been notified to give it back to whoever
supplied them with the survey,bring it to the Greencastle City Hall, or
e-mail it to Adam Cohen or Myself.
e. Statistical Analysis- After surveys were collected they were entered
into a database on an Excel Spreadsheet for analysis. Questions were
n
analyzed based on the nature of the question and what would be most
beneficial in presenting the information. For questions dealing with a
large sampling of different numbers, an average was found with a
standard deviation. A new number of participants was taken into
account each question because sometimes participants did not answer
all the questions. Most of the analysis involved tallying the results
from what participants indicated as their preferences.
C. Results- The following are the tabulated results from the 199 surveys filled
out by Putnam County residents. Questions requiring an average were also
given a standard deviation to show the range of answers. Questions requiring
tallying of results were given a percentage next to the tallied result
representing the fraction of people answering that particular question with that
particular answer.
Needs Assessment Survey for Putnam County
SURVEY RESULTS
1. Age of person completing this survey Average: 43.7 SD: 16.13
2. Sex of the person completing this survey: 51 (25.6%)Male 148 (74.4%)Female
3. How many people live in your household,by age:
46 Less than 5 years old:
166 5-17 years old:
56 18-25 years old:
181 26-45 years old:
135 46-65 years old:
42 Older than 66 years of age:
4. Do you reside within the municipal limits of Greencastle?102(51.3%)Yes
97(48.7%)No
5. If not, in which town do you live?
53(50.5%)Greencastle but not within municipal limits
9(8.6%)Fillmore 0 Russellville 8 (7.6%)Reelsville 12(11.4%)Cloverdale
5(4.8%)Roachdale 3(2.9%)Bainbridge 15(14.3%)Other
6. In which Putnam County school district do you live?
53(62.6%)Greencastle Community School 6(3%)Cloverdale Community Schools
22(11%)North Putnam Community Schools 46(43.8%)South Putnam Community
Schools
7.Do you feel your community does a good job providing the following?
Strongly Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly
agree disagree
Facility and ground 37 96 30 12 9
maintenance
AVG: 2.27 SD: 1.09
Natural features 27 97 41 12 7
AVG: 2.34 SD: .99
Recreational facilities 19 62 36 55 10
AVG: 2.89 SD: 1.3
Picnic shelters and 25 103 30 29 5
facilities
AVG: 2.41 SD: 1.27
Multi-purpose 36 106 17 28 5
pathways and
connections
AVG: 2.27 SD: 1.3
Other features, such 17 57 50 57 7
as lighting,
restrooms, public
telephones, etc.
AVG: 2.89 SD: 1.03
8. Do you currently own a membership to a community, recreation, or fitness
center? 49(25.8%)Yes 141(74.2%)No
9. The following is a list of FACILITIES that could be offered by a Cultural
Community Art and Recreation Center. Please place an X next to the 7 potential
facilities that are most important to you.
81 Community/Meeting Rooms 162 Weight/Exercise/Fitness Area
109 Teen Center 141 Running/Walking Track
86 Pool-Play Area 50 Ping Pong, Foosball, Pool Tables
69 Pool-Whirlpool 40 Climbing Wall
64 Locker Rooms 45 Racquetball Courts
7 Offices 59 Playground
39 Snack Area 55 Sauna/Stream Room
51 Theater 99 Basketball Courts
33 Dance Room 35 Tumbling Room
61 Computer Information Center
Other Facilities:
10.The following is a list of PROGRAMS that could be offered by a Cultural
Community Art and Recreation Center. Please place an X next to the 12
potential programs that are most important to you.
107 Computer/technology instruction 50 Soccer
99 Basketball leagues 89 Cooking Classes
142 Teen Center Activities 58 Martial Arts
125 Swimming Lessons 79 Outdoor Challenge Course
80 Child Care 34 Sledding
112 Personal Training 70 Babysitting Certification
78 Volleyball 110 First Aid/CPR
34 Badminton 38 Board Games
71 Dance 24 Knitting
119 Aerobics 75 Music
82 Camps 32 Quilting
41 Scrapbooking 68 Pottery
74 Yoga 58 Softball
39 Golf 61 Tennis
Other Programming:
11. Would you be willing to support a tax increase to fund a Community Center?
149(77.2%)Yes 44(22.8%)No
12.Would you be willing to use tax dollars to offset the cost of memberships?
135(70.3%)Yes 57(29.7%)No
13. What is the highest dollar amount you would be willing to pay ANNUALLY
for a membership to a Community Center with the potential facilities and
programming listed above?
52(26.4%)Less than$100 25(12.7%)$201-$250 10(5.1%)More than$350
47(24.9%)$101-$150 14(7.1%)$251-$300 9(4.6%)Not Interested
29(14.7%) $151-$200 11(5.6%)$301-$350
14. How far would you be willing to drive to a Community Center
AVG: 11.52 SD: 8.11
15. Are you satisfied with the current programs and facilities offered by the
Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department? 73(43.5%)Yes 95(56.5%)No
If no please explain:
16. Please rank these Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department facilities in
order of importance to you- 1 being the most important and 8 being the least
important.
AVG: 5.99 SD: 1.89 Barbeque Grills
AVG: 2.42 SD: 1.64 Recreation and Fitness Center
AVG: 4.16 SD: 1.6 Additional Playground Equipment
AVG: 4.28 SD: 1.84 Additional Neighborhood Parks
AVG: 2.83 SD: 1.76 Community Center
AVG: 6.66 SD: 1.55 Additional Skateboard and Bicycle parks
AVG: 5.96 SD: 1.93 Pet Parks
AVG: 3.59 SD: 1.94 More Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails
17. When you and/or your family visit the Greencastle park facilities,which
parks do you use?
181 Robe-Ann Park 92 Big Walnut Sports Park
30 Jaycee Park 11 Mary's Field Park
3 Calbert Way Park 81 People Pathways Trails
3 Maple-Berry Park 4 Westside Park(Courthouse annex)
5 Rokicki Community Park 7 None of these parks
18.When you and/or your family visit the Greencastle parks which facilities within
the parks do you use?
87 Aquatics Center 29 Softball Diamonds at Big Walnut
39 Basketball Court 22 Baseball Diamonds at Big Walnut
110 Emerald Palace Playground 43 Tennis Courts
51 Little Tikes Playground 26 Skate park
116 Picnic Shelters 82 Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails
47 Softball Diamonds at Robe-Ann 43 Soccer Fields at Big Walnut
19.Which of the following park programs have you or your family members
participated in during the last year?
18 S.P.A.R.K. 9 Women's Softball League
18 Learn-To-Swim Lessons 21 Coed Softball League
6 Tennis Lessons 7 Mommy and Me Program
3 Santa Claus Woodcarving Contest 11 Arts and Craft Programs
4 Gingerbread House Contest 93 July 4th Activities
23 Men's Softball League 16 Mike Rokicki Memorial 5K Road
40 Annual Easter Egg Hunt Run/Walk
How interested are you in seeing the following programs being instituted by the
Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department?
Programming Very interested Semi-Interested Not Interested Indifferent
Arts and Crafts 52 58 39 19
Classes
AVG: 2.17
SD: 1.0
Pre-School 46 43 38 30
Programming
AVG: 2.35
SD: 1.1
Youth 91 54 8 14
Programming
AVG: 1.69
SD: .94
Teen 95 51 9 10
Programming
AVG: 1.62
SD: .88
Adult 73 62 20 15
Programming
AVG: 1.86
SD: .94
Senior 50 62 27 25
Programming
AVG: 2.16
SD: 1.03
Family 87 59 6 12
Programming
AVG: 1.65
SD: .86
Aerobics and 119 45 10 5
Fitness Classes
AVG: 1.45
SD: .73
Special Events 78 66 7 11
AVG: 1.69
SD: .84
Sports 62 58 18 21
Tournaments
AVG: 2
SD: 1.04
Christmas 62 60 21 24
and/or Holiday
AVG: 2.06
SD: 1.06
D. Discussion- This study showed that there was county wide interest in seeing a
Community Fitness and Recreation facility built. When constructing the
questions for this survey, we tried to ask questions and provide answers in
such a way that would force participants to give us a straight forward answer.
For example, on question 16, instead of asking participants "Which of these
Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department facilities you would like to
see?" We asked them to put all the facilities in the order of importance to
them. This allowed us to see what was really important to the subject. In that
question we saw that the two facilities that were consistently marked as being
of the highest importance to the participant were Recreation and Fitness
Centers and Community Centers. Traditionally we think of Recreation and
Fitness centers as being essentially the same thing as Community Centers. We
used these two terms as a check to see if participants were actually ranking in
order of importance or just writing random numbers down to get through the
survey. We thought that if both terms had a similar average ranking,be it high
or low, it would be an indicator as to the validity of the answers of participants.
As it turned out,the average ranking for both Recreation and Fitness Center
and also Community Center were 2.42 and 2.83 respectively. Out of eight
facilities offered,those two were ranked as being the most important to
develop in Putnam County. Out of the 199 surveys that were taken in Putnam
County only 9 people (4.6%) said that they were not interested in seeing the
construction of a Community Center at all. This could be due to the fact that
people who are interested in seeing a Community Center would be more likely
to fill out a survey than those who are not in support of construction. The
survey also showed that only 25.8% of participants currently owned a
membership to another community, recreation, or fitness center. This leaves
74.2%of the surveyed population without a membership to any kind of
recreational or fitness center. The market for a Community Center in Putnam
County is potentially huge if you consider all the residents that were not
surveyed. When asked if participants were satisfied with the current programs
and facilities offered by the Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department
there was a split. 56.5%of people were dissatisfied with the current conditions
and 43.5%were satisfied. This number is too close and the sample size too
small to consider this the overall feeling of the community. But it does slightly
indicate that it may be time for a change. We phrased the questions
concerning the types of facilities and programming participants would like to
see in the Community Center much like question 16. Participants were given a
large sample of possible facilities and programming and asked to pick only the
ones that were most important to them. For example, on question 9 the
participants were given 19 possible facilities to choose from but they were
only allowed to indicate the 7 that were most important to them. This forced
subjects to show us which facilities and programs were most important to
them rather than just asking them to place a check next to as many as they
wanted which would inevitably end up with all of them being checked. The
results showed that the most requested facilities were weight/exercise/fitness
area, a running/walking track, a teen center, basketball courts, and community
meeting rooms. The most requested programs were teen center activities,
swimming lessons,personal training, basketball leagues, aerobics, and first
aid/CPR training. When asked about funding the facility there was quite a bit
of support for the use of tax dollars. 77.2%of participants said they would be
willing to support a tax increase to fund a Community Center. This includes
the construction fees and operating costs. 70.3%of residence said they were
willing to use tax dollars to offset the cost of memberships. Of course, saying
you support is quite different from actually supporting something. Once
someone sees what kind of tax increase is involved they might retract their
previous statement of supporting a tax increase. When asked what one might
expect to pay annually for a membership to such a facility the most common
answer was obviously the lowest, which was less that$100. There was an
inverse relationship between selected fee and membership price. As the price
of membership went up,the number of people who selected that fee went
down. This seems typical though.Nobody wants to pay more for a service
when it can be offered for less. One thing to consider when looking at all these
results is the fact that approximately 51.3% of the surveys came from
residence currently living in Greencastle. The other 48.7%came from a
number of different cities scattered throughout Putnam County. There may be
a bias towards people who live in Greencastle compared to other cities
because this survey originated in Greencastle and was most accessible to its
residence. Another thing to consider is the prospective plots to build the
Community Center on are located in or close to Greencastle so its residence
would be most affected by the results of the survey. Another thing to consider
when looking at the results of the survey is that 74.4%of the participants were
female. This could have some bearing on the final results considering men and
women can potentially have quite different tastes, especially when it comes to
recreation. Another thing to consider when analyzing the results is the large
number of parents filling out the survey. Parents will tend to answer questions
based on what in their family's best interest. 19.6%of participants had at least
one child living with them that was less than five years old. 48.2%had a child
living with them between the ages of 5 and 17. This can have a significant
impact on results considering the number of questions concerning prospective
facilities and programming.
E. References
1. Annesi, James J., Wayne L. Westcott, Avery D. Faigenbaum, and Jennifer L.
Unruh. "Effects of a 12-Week Physical Activity Protocol Delivered by YMCA
After-School Counselors (Youth Fit for Life) on Fitness and Self-Efficacy
Changes in 5-12-Year-Old Boys and Girls." Research Quarterly for Exercise and
Sport 76 (2005): 468-476.
2. Atilano, Daniel R. "Squeezing Fitnes Facilities Into Small Markets." Parks and
Recreation 40 (2005): 52-59.
3. Boon, Caitlin S., and Fergus M. Clydesdale. "A Review of Childhood and
Adolescent Obesity Interventions." Critical Reiews in Food Science and Nutrition
(2005): 511-525.
4. De Lisser, Eleena. "Kids Work Out, Fight Flab At Their Own Health Clubs." The
Wall Street Journal 4 Aug. 1998, Eastern ed.
5. Glassner, Barry. "Fitness and the Postmodern Self." Journal of Health and Social
Behavior 30: 180-191.
6. Glenn, Jim. "Austria Plans Gym Discounts to Help Citizens Get Fit." The Lancet
367 (2006): 1563.
7. Graham, Scott. "From Fat to Fit." Canadian Business 79 (2006): 100-101.
8. Helm, Jocelyn B., and Kathleen L. Gill. "An Essential Resource for the Aging:
Dance Therapy." Dance Research Journal 7 (1975): 1-7.
9. Kraus, Richard. "Providing for Recreation and Aesthetic Enjoyment."
Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science 29 (1969): 90-102.
10. Levine, Harry A. "Community Programs for the Elderly." Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science 279 (1952): 164-170.
11. Morgan, Les. "Town Halls, Through Modern Leisure Professionals, Will Lead to
Healthy Cities." The Statistician 39 (1990): 263-265.
12. Neer, Don L. "Industry." Annals Of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science 313 (1957): 79-82.
13. Powell, Kenneth E., Marshall W. Kreuter, Thomas Stephens, Bernard Marti, and
Lothar Heinemann. "The Dimensions of Health Promotion Applied to Physical
Activity." Journal of Public Health Policy 12 (1991): 492-509.
14. Quinn, Jane. "Where Need Meets Opportunity: Youth Development Programs for
Early Teens." The Future of Children 9 (1999): 96-116.
15. Ready, A E., B J.Naimark, R Tate, and S L. Boreskie. "Fitness Centre
Membership is Related to Healthy Behaviours." The Journal of Sports Medicine
and Physical Fitness 45 (2005): 199-206.
16. United States. Special Committee on Aging. United States Senate. Fitness and
Nutrition: the Prescription for Healthy Aging. 2003.
III. Appendices
A. The Problem
a. Research Question- There is really one main research question in this
study followed by a number of secondary question relating to the main
issue. This survey followed a recent survey administered by the
Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department. Although not directly
related to the issues confronted in the DePauw survey,the Greencastle
n
Parks and Recreation survey showed that there had been some interest
in the construction of a Community Recreation and Fitness Facility.
The survey for the DePauw study's main question is; is there enough
support and interest in Putnam County, Indiana to necessitate the
construction of a Community Recreation and Fitness Facility? If so,
what facilities and programming would the citizens, and possible
patrons of such a facility, be interested in seeing at this center? Also,
what would be the best way of funding the construction and operating
costs of this facility? Would it be best to use tax dollars, federal grants,
or mostly private donations? What would people be willing to pay for
an annual membership to such a facility? How far would people be
willing to go to enjoy the facilities and programming offered by this
center? Lastly, if given the opportunity to choose which facilities were
most important in being implemented in Putnam County, which
facility would you choose to be built first?
b. Experimental Hypothesis-Although no technical experiment is being
conducted in this survey, I do have some expectations as to how
participants might answer the questions posed. My hypothesis is that
there will be a large amount of support for the construction of a
Community Center in Putnam County. I avoided using questions that
directly asked people if they would support the construction of a
Community Center in Putnam County because most people that take
the time to fill out this survey will inevitably answer yes. Instead I
asked questions that, if answered in a certain way would show their
support for a Community Center. For example, on question 16,
participants are asked to rank a number of facilities in order of
importance to them. If they are genuinely interested in having a
community center,they will rank it as being more important than the
rest of the facilities offered. I expect the Community Center and
Recreation and fitness facilities to rank high in that question. I also
hypothesize that we will see a large number of people choosing certain
facilities that they would like to see in a Community Center. I think the
facilities people would most like to see at this center are fitness areas,
basketball courts,pool area, and a track. These are pretty standard at
close by community centers and YMCA's and people attending public
meetings have expressed interest in those facilities. As far as
programming goes, I expect to see a lot of interest in teen center
activities, soccer, aerobics, basketball leagues, and softball. Again,
these are programs offered by other close by community facilities with
similar economic status and people have expressed some interest in
these programs at public meetings concerning the Community Center.
I hypothesize that a slight majority of people will support a tax
increase to construct a Community Center in Putnam County.
However, I predict that fewer people will be likely to support a tax
increase to offset the cost of membership. At the public announcement
of the Community Center,there were many mixed feelings on the
issue of funding. Some people thought taxes were already
astronomical and needed to be lowered. Others saw no problem in an
increase to support a Community Center. As far as how much
participants would be willing to pay annually to own a membership to
a community center; I believe there will be a large range of answers to
this question because people from this county have such diverse
economic backgrounds. I predict that people will be most likely to say
they will pay between$151-$200 annually. It seems like a somewhat
reasonable price for the facilities and programming offered by this
center and if people are unwilling to support a tax increase to offset the
cost of membership this price could be the result. Although Putnam
County itself is large, I do not anticipate anyone willing to drive more
than 10-15 miles to come to a Community Center. Especially since
some people may live closer to an already existing Community Center.
I expect that most of the surveys will come from Greencastle since this
study is based out of Greencastle and the scattering of surveys
throughout the county will not be an easy task. I predict that about
85%of the surveys completed will be by Greencastle residence.
c. Assumptions- It is assumed that everyone participating in this needs
assessment has read and/or understands everything discussed in the
informed consent on the front of the survey. They should understand
that the data used from these surveys will be used to determine the
recreational interests of the community as well as determine levels of
participation at park facilities and in programming. They should also
understand that if at any point they feel uncomfortable answering the
questions being asked of them in the survey they may discontinue the
survey at any time without penalty. It is assumed that the participant
knows that the survey is completely anonymous and results will be
presented as an analysis of the data as a whole. If they have any
questions concerning the survey they may contact my seminar advisor
Adam Cohen or myself at our corresponding e-mail addresses. This is
all assumed because I will not be administering most of the surveys
face to face and will not be able to read the informed consent and ask
if there are any questions. It is also assumed that all participants in this
study read and fully understand all the questions that are being asked.
It is also assumed that the participants will answer all questions and
that any answer that is unable to be interpreted will be void. These
things must be assumed for the same reasons as stated above, I will be
absent from the testing atmosphere and unable to answer any questions
about the survey. It is assumed that participants will answer all
questions honestly and will not be influenced by environmental factors
such as noise, multitasking (doing other things while taking the
survey), or persuasion of people watching them take the survey. It is
assumed that people will take the survey in privacy and that they have
as much time as they need to complete the survey. It is assumed that
people know that they can return surveys to the Greencastle Town Hall,
the person administering the survey, or they may submit it
electronically and e-mail it to Adam Cohen or myself. It is also
assumed that the people participating in this survey currently live
within the municipal limits of Putnam County since this survey
directly pertains to those citizens.
d. Delimitations- This study is relevant to the citizens of Putnam County,
Indiana. These will be the only people taking the survey because the
results of the survey will be analyzed and considered for possible
construction of new facilities and/or administration of new programs
offered by the Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department. Since,
the results directly affect the citizens of Putnam County it would make
no sense to give this survey to people outside the county limits or to
students that only live here nine months a year for four years of their
lives unless they are from Putnam County. The only equipment
necessary for this study is a pen/pencil and the needs assessment itself.
This is not a traditional study in which there is a test being done on
participants. It is only a test of the interests of the citizens of Putnam
County.
e. Operational Definitions- There are not many things that need to be
defined here considering the lack of equipment being used. However,
some people may not be familiar with what is being used to gauge
public interest.Needs assessment- As defined by the previous needs
assessment conducted in Greencastle; A Survey which is used to
determine participation rates and to gamer citizen input regarding
specific recreation issues and interests. The results can be analyzed to
contribute toward determining the level of service the community
demands with regard to the provision of recreation facilities and
services.
f. Limitations- There are a number of limitations that must be taken into
consideration when analyzing the results of this needs assessment of
Putnam County. First of all,the inability to effectively distribute the
number of surveys we wanted to the numerous regions of Putnam
County. Putnam County's current population is 30,000 and contains
over 500 square miles of land. This is not exactly a small area to cover.
We did the best we could spreading the surveys as far as they could go
to as many people as we could but a large sample of people will
remain unaccounted for. Another limitation was getting surveys back.
Getting surveys out to the people was on us, but getting them back was
put on the participant taking the survey. They had several options; they
could either drop it off or mail it to the Greencastle Town Hall,they
could give it to the person administering the survey, or they could e-
mail it back to Adam Cohen or myself. Obviously, it would be
inconvenient for people living far away to drop it off, mailing it would
cost time and money, sometimes the administrator was not around to
collect the surveys, and not everyone has access to the interne to mail
it back. Obviously,there were bound to be problems getting surveys
back but they did steadily roll in. Another unexpected limitation was
the way people answered the questions, or didn't answer the questions.
I felt like most people would take the survey seriously and answer
every question sincerely. It seemed that if people didn't feel like
answering a question they had no problem skipping right over in and
moving on. I saw a number of unanswered questions while tabulating
the results. When we designed the questions, we tried to make it hard
for people to skim through and answer the questions on a whim. I
thought I had it figured out, but I was wrong. Especially on questions 7
and 20. These questions asked participants place a check in box
indicating their level of satisfaction or interest. Most of the time people
just ran down the same column x-ing every box the same way. This
told me that they didn't want to think about these questions and just
answered them haphazardly. This could skew the results for those
questions. Another limitation was the fact that some people either
didn't understand directions or didn't read them. On questions 9 and
10 participants are asked to place a certain number of x's next to the
facilities and programs that they would like to see. Many people did
not mark the specified number and some people went through and put
an"x"next to everything. This is what we were trying to avoid by
asking these questions. Questions like these force people to pick
what's really important to them rather than asking them if they want
s^� something or not in which you might expect them to check everything.
Another problem with directions that may skew results was on
question 16. Participants were asked to rank 8 facilities in order of
importance to them. A lot of people took that to mean"give each
individual facility a ranking between 1 and 8." This is not what I
intended and may have an effect on the results. Another limitation that
I didn't expect was the lack of male response to the survey. A great
majority of females filled out the survey which may skew results
considering the interests between sexes is generally somewhat
different. Another limitation I did not expect was the number of
completed survey I ended up with. There were more than I had
initially expected, after I saw how many were coming in from outside
Greencastle I thought it would be easy to survey anyone living in
Greencastle by setting up at the local Kroger or Wal-Mart.
/"
Unfortunately, after speaking to the managers of both stores,they told
me that they were interested in seeing a Community Center in Putnam
County,but they weren't sure if all of their customers were. They
thought it might hurt their business and/or reputation if I was sitting
outside surveying customers as they entered and exited their
businesses. I have a feeling that would have been a lot more surveys
from a generally diverse population.
g. Significance of the Study- This study is significant because it has a
direct effect on a community. All the results and data analyzed in this
needs assessment will directly impact the recreational needs of Putnam
County. The results of the study and data collected will be used in the
planning and construction of a facility in Putnam County potentially
costing$10-$15 million dollars. It would be a huge waste of finances
#110
*10
410
and resources if a Community Center were constructed that had none
of the facilities or programming that people wanted. Also, the issue of
funding has been brought up throughout the entire conception of a
Community Center. It seems that if enough people show support for
the financial backing of this project,then the idea of a Community
Center may become more of a reality than some whimsical concept
brought up by a small group.
B. Literature Review
Introduction
The purpose of this review of literature is to inform the reader of the health,
economic, and social issues associated with communities lacking sufficient fitness and
health facilities. Community health and recreation facilities can contribute to the overall
health and well-being of a community as well as the economy. As of recently, Putnam
County has found that there is an interest in building such a facility within the
Greencastle municipal limits. The benefits of such a center far outweigh the negative
outcomes. This review of literature will present the issues and proposed solutions in this
order: (1) Childhood obesity and ways of avoiding it(2) Obesity interventions (3)
Lifestyles associated with fitness center membership and Development of a Health and
Recreation Center(4) Active lifestyles for the elderly(5) Community well being.
Body
Childhood Obesity and Ways to avoid it
Over the years childhood obesity has grown exponentially. In the most recent
Statistics Canada study, approximately 1/3 of children between the ages of 12 and 17
were deemed overweight. This percentage has more than doubled since 1979. 9%of
those deemed overweight were classified as obese. This is three times the statistic in 1979.
(Graham, Scott 2006). According to the National Center for Health Statistics 6%of
r••
•
children(between the ages of 6 and 11) in 1970 were overweight.Now the number has
been bumped to 14%. (de Lisser, Eleena, 1998). Most States require students to be
enrolled in some sort of physical education course. Most Elementary schools require
some form of physical education at least two times a week. However, schools are
beginning to reduce the required number of P.E. classes taken by students.
Approximately 40% of students in America are not enrolled in a P.E. course (Annesi et al.
2005). But does a P.E. class have that much effect on a child's physical activity outside
of school? Will P.E. persuade children to exercise more and eat right? Studies have
shown that childhood physical fitness test score,participating regularly in extracurricular
sports activities, and what grade a child receives in school P.E. are reliable indicators to
determine if a child will continue a healthy lifestyle in adulthood(Powel et al. 1991).
Numerous statistics have shown that a greater percentage of children are
becoming overweight. Lifestyles have changed since the 1970's and people are becoming
more sedentary. This is partially due to television and video games. People are starting to
realize this growing problem and doing something about it. The fitness-club industry has
recently shown a increase in participation among youngsters. According to a 2005 report
by the international Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, fitness-club
memberships for 18 year olds and under have grown 178% since 1990. (Graham 2006).
Many entrepreneurs have begun ceasing the young market by making fitness centers for
children. Holly Bond is one of these entrepreneurs who created a gym that has interactive
games for children that allow them to get their video game fix while exercise. They play
games such as Dance Dance Revolution and interactive cycling games(Graham 2006).
Others have gotten involved in youth fitness through strength training for adolescents.
Strength training,previously thought of as dangerous for children has been shown to have
benefits in moderation(de Lisser 1998). Their emphasis is not as much on strength
training as much as it is on getting kids to be active and create a support system.
Obesity Interventions
According to new BMI definitions, 55.9%of American adults are overweight and
30.5%are obese. One theory as to why this is because of the increased number of obese
children today. It is thought that the best place to overcome the obesity epidemic is to
treat childhood obesity and prevent obesity from occurring in the first place with
preventative measure is early schooling(Boon and Clydesdale 2005). One popular
intervention method is school based interventions. It deals with exercise and diet
education and intervention strategies. This intervention has not led to significant changes
in behavior of adolescents in terms of diet or exercise (Boon and Clydesdale. 2005).
Other interventions include after school and summer camp interventions. This deals with
having programming at local facilities and parks that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors
in children. Studies provide hope that intensive camp programs,through fairly short in
length, can serve as an initial point for weight loss among adolescents (Boon and
Clydesdale 2005). There are also medical community interventions. This includes clinical
treatment programs for severely overweight children. Studies show that at least minor
improvements can be achieved when physicians and other health professionals hold
discussion with young children and their parents (Boon and Clydesdale. 2005).
Intervention data available does not provide one overall cure to childhood obesity but
studies have shown that some interventions can be effective in preventing childhood
obesity and promote healthy lifestyle to prevent obesity when at an older age. It is
thought that the true solution to the obesity epidemic will probably be expensive,require
major lifestyle changes, and be directed by the weight of scientific evidence.
Lifestyles Associated with Fitness Center Membership
A study done by the Health Leisure and Human Performance Research institute
found that members of a fitness center lead an overall healthier lifestyle (Ready et al.
2005). Members from health clubs and non-members from communities were given
surveys to complete and return to the researchers for the data. Fitness center members
were 30%more likely to rate their health status as better than non-members. The
prevalence of health problems did not differ between groups. However,the fitness center
members did see a physician more regularly than non-members. This was attributed to
the fact that fitness club members lead a healthier lifestyle and would go to the physician
as a preventative measure. Members from the fitness center were also more likely to rate
themselves as very fit or extremely fit. They also exercised at higher intensities than non-
members. Self-rated health status was significantly better in the fitness center members
than in the non-members (Ready et al. 2005).
Although there are many benefits to having a community fitness and recreation
center,there are many challenges that administrators must get past to get the actually
facilities built. These challenges are; limited revenue and tax cap limits, limited funding,
large boundaries and multiple community agency and local competition, local opposition,
and available land (Atilano 2005). Good planning for a community center includes
conducting a market analysis or research of the service area. Information will identify
competitors and what a community center should have to offer to keep up with other
centers. Key questions to ask in a needs assessment are; what are the community needs?,
how much are they wiling to pay for membership?,will they financially support the
proposed capital improvements. (Atilano 2005). The top three reasons people use
community recreation center are; exercising at a fitness center, taking instruction program,
and recreation and leisure programs. Needs assessments are important according to Rod
•
S
Aiken"A professionally prepared and administered survey can take the guesswork out of
facility master planning. You can identify or reaffirm expressed community needs,
discover which amenities are most or least important, determine the community's
willingness-to-pay threshold, and create a sense of`buy-in' with those who are asked to
participate..." (Atilano 2005). The needs assessment is very important to the
development of a fitness and recreation facility.
Active Lifestyles for the Elderly
Currently it seems that there has been more and more thought given to the elderly
population of the United States which seems to be getting larger. However little
consideration has been given to the types of activities offered to senior citizens that will
give them a sense of belonging and usefulness. Only a small percent of the elderly
population hold a part time job to keep them occupied. But what of the majority of the
population that can't hold a job because they won't be hired or they are unable to because
of their physical condition. Some communities have implemented programs geared
toward seniors called"golden age clubs." These clubs are usually sponsored by
businesses or professional groups. "Golden age clubs and other community programs are
a beginning movement of recognition and acceptance of the older person." (Levine 1952).
These clubs have been successful in promoting a social atmosphere that Senior citizens
can feel comfortable in and be active leading to a better quality of life.
As time passes the "Baby Boomer" generation continues to grow older. With new
research we have found way to slow aging through active lifestyle. The facilities
currently available to senior citizens are either inadequate or out of their price range.
"Currently 10% of our population is 65 years or older. Most of them live independently,
but the quality of their living is greatly restricted by low-income,poor housing,poor
nutrition, and poor health which critically affect freedom, individuality, usefulness, and
independence." (Helm and Gill 1975). These types of lifestyles that the elderly are
doomed to live could be avoided if there was sufficient programming and facilities that
offered them an affordable effective way to stay active and avoid depression that many
senior citizens go through as they grow older. "Helplessness and hopelessness often
become over-whelming, and with these,the ability to cope with the contingencies of
everyday life. It is easier to become less and less visible-to vegetate-to shrink into
stillness and death." (Helm and Gill 1975). A Community Center can give a sense of
belonging and create a social atmosphere that people may look forward to every day.
Future populations could benefit from the research being done on active elderly citizens
and see what works for them and implement these types of programs into society to
create a better sense of community well-being.
On March 11, 2003 Dr. Judith Salerno,the Deputy Director of the National
Institute on Aging(NIA), spoke before the special committee on aging in the United
States Senate. She talked about what was necessary for living a healthy life after 50. She
brought up a lot of typical things you would expect about living a healthy lifestyle like
diet, exercise, and stretching. She also brought up some very interesting statistics.
"Exercise, in conjunction with other common sense interventions was able to reduce falls
among older people by 44% in a study by Dr. Mary Tinnetti at Yale University. The
intervention strategies cut health care costs for each high risk individual by $3,700,
potentially saving millions of dollars in health care costs." (Salerno, 2003).
Community Well Being
Overall, Community Fitness and Recreation centers can have a tremendous effect
on the well-being of a community. Centers can have an impact on the economy of a small
town or county because it creates jobs not only during its construction but to sustain its
existence. The health business is quite lucrative, "Health clubs grossed $5 billion in 1987,
4110
040
exercise equipment $738 million(up from $5 million ten years earlier), diet foods
grossed $74 billion, and vitamin products $2.7 billion." (Glassner 1989). As you can see
there is plenty of money being spent on physical well-being and there is sure to be more
spent in the near future.
One major problem with a Community Fitness and Recreation center in a small
rural community is money. There are fewer jobs for people and many of the people that
reside in the community have lived there their whole lives. "The poor are, of course,
largely shut out from recreational opportunities in the private sector. Since this is the case
and since it has been recognized that important human needs are met by constructive
recreational experiences, one might expect that in large cities special efforts would have
been made by their governments to meet the leisure needs of those incapable of
purchasing recreation independently." (Kraus 1969). If recreation is an essential part of a
successful community, it stands to reason that everyone should be able to enjoy the
facilities and programs offered. This can be a problem when dealing with a center that
has been privately funded. Privately funded facilities tend to have higher annual
membership fees because they are unable to use federal tax dollars to offset the cost of
membership. What some centers try to do is receive the majority of operating cost funds
through grants which may reduce the rate of membership. Sometimes this does not work
and the poor are at a disadvantage. There are some private programs such as the"Wear
Fit" campaign which is responsible for a massive increase in participation in both health
and fitness programs in communities. They are also involved in health and education
authorities. They provide and receive sponsorship from private and voluntary sectors
(Morgan 1990). There is indeed a need to provide recreational opportunities without
segregation in a community. Recreation must be available to all ages, classes, and races
of a community.
Another important thing a Community Fitness and Recreation center does is
provide programming for children and adolescents so they have something to do after
school. Many young people want and need programs during non-school hours. They want
safe places to go where they can be with other kids their age, learn, grow, and work
(Quinn 1999). As of right now it seems there is a lack of sufficient programming for
adolescents and this void of time between school days is sometimes being filled with
sedentary behaviors and/or destructive behaviors. Some recreation programs have been
provided already but were unspecific as to what they were providing for teens and
children. "Past recreation programs saw their purpose as providing fun and preventing
harm, but today youth development programs are more intentional about teaching young
people new knowledge and allowing them to practice useful life skills." (Quinn 1999).
These programs were provided to a wide variety of groups of adolescents for both private
and public use. A good example of a Parks and Recreation department that realized a
need for such programming was in Chicago. They were able to identify a need for
programs available to children after school. They established 40 programs serving over
4,500 children annually(Quinn 1999). Adolescent programming promote positive youth
development and help social awareness by interacting with other kids their age that have
similar interests. This means they may be less likely to be socially awkward in the late
years of adolescents which are so hard for so many teens. Since we know kids will go to
these after school programs why don't we see more participating? "...The issue of
participation is closely related to that of access. Major barriers to participation that
especially affect youths living in low-income areas include transportation, location of
services (which includes safety considerations), and whether or not there are fees for
services or for required items like uniforms." (Quinn 1999). We see many of the same
issues stated here that we have talked about before. Specifically the issues of availability
and funding. Some questions concerning the creation of a Community and Recreation
center are hard to answer. But one thing that is for certain is community youth programs
can most definitely provide adolescents with protection, guidance, support, and
opportunities that will allow them to lead a more productive lifestyle.
A Community Fitness and Recreation center also draws people to the area where
it is located. People may be less likely to move to or visit a community that does not have
sufficient recreation and fitness facilities. This could be detrimental to the local
businesses, especially DePauw University who are always trying to recruit the most
qualified professionals to teach on their campus. Putnam County Hospital is trying to
attract the best doctors to work for them for the sake of the community's health. It is
difficult to attract people to these jobs when there is no place for them to perform leisure
time activities which is suggested to relieve stress. "Participation in recreation programs
tends to improve physical and mental health, cultivate leadership, stabilize employment,
strengthen community relations, democratize associations, relieve tensions in the factory
climate, and strengthen morale. As leisure increases, management must become even
more active in providing programs and facilities." (Neer 1957). With so many positive
effects on local businesses, it seems silly not to have a membership to a Recreation
Center to offer to prospective employees. It is thought by some people that recreation is
the"backbone"of a good community relations (Neer 1975).
Summary
The implications of this research show that childhood obesity is more prevalent
today than it has ever been. Studies show that childhood obesity has a huge correlation
with being obese later in life. More and more children are getting involved in fitness
centers for kids due to the growing popularity of fitness center memberships. Further
studies have shown that people who have memberships to fitness centers often lead
healthier lifestyles than non-members. A Community Fitness and Recreation center can
have a number of positive effects on many citizens in a community regardless or gender,
race, age, or economic status. It can improve the well-being of the citizens and improve
the economy by increasing productiveness at work and attract the most qualified
individuals to this community. There are many factors that go into the development of a
Community Fitness and Recreation facility and a needs assessment can answer a lot of
questions about how to fund the facilities making it available to all and what the interests
of the future patrons of the facility are.
C. Additional Methods
a. Informed Consent- See attached
b. Needs Assessment Survey- See attached
c. Data Collection Sheets- Filled out surveys.
d. Specific Testing Procedures- If the participant was present for the
testing procedure: The subject was asked if they would be interested in
participating in a survey concerning the possible construction of a
Community Center in Putnam County. If the subject said they were
interested they were given a survey and asked to read the informed
consent. After they were done,they were asked if they understood
everything that they just read. If there were no questions the subject
was allowed to move to the actual survey. They were notified that if
they had any questions they were able to ask them at any time. The
subject was then allowed to take the test at a respectable distance from
the administrator so they would not feel like their answers were being
looked at. When they were finished they returned the survey to the
administrator to be recorded in an Excel Spreadsheet for analysis. If an
administrator was not there to collect the survey,they should have
been notified to give it back to whoever supplied them with the survey,
bring it to the Greencastle City Hall, or e-mail it to Adam Cohen or
Myself.
e. Graphs-
Male vs. Female Participants Surveyed n=199
160 -
= 140 Lill:
CO 120
f 100
co o Male Participants
a g0
o •Female Participants,
L 60
E40
Z• 20 -
0
Gender
1.1- This graph shows that there were more than twice as many women
• surveyed for this study than men. There may be a bias towards
women's interests when looking at this study.
Do you currently own a membership to a
community, recreation, or fitness center? n=190
160 --
140
a 120
a 100
c 80 ❑Yes
60 •No
E
40
20
0
Answer
1.2- This graph shows the number of participants surveyed that do not
currently own a membership to a community, recreation, or fitness center.
Would You be willing to support a tax increase to
fund a Community Center? n=193
160 — — -
w 140
0 120 -
a 100 oYes
80 •No
2 60
E 40
Z 20
0 -
Answer
1.3- This graph shows the amount of support for a tax increase to fund
a community center which includes construction costs and
operating costs.
Would you be willing to use tax dollars to offset
the cost of membership? n=192
160 -- —
w 140
IA 120
0.w 100 p Yes
0 80
:It 60 ■No
E 40
Z 20
0 .
Answer
1.4- This graph shows that a majority of people are willing to use tax
dollars to bring down the cost of Community Center membership
annually.
How much would you pay annually for a membership to a
Community Center?n=197
60 —
a 50
a 40
30 Potential Members
Interest
° 20
z 10
0
<$100 $101- $151- $201- $251- $301- >$350
$150 $200 $250 $300 $350
Price Range
1.5- This graph shows the inverse relationship between cost of
membership annually and willingness to pay. As price of
W
u
membership rises, less and less potential members are interested in
joining a Community Center.
f. Table of Raw Data and Statistical Analysis- See attached Excel
Spreadsheet and Results above.
D. Recommendations for Future Research- I think this needs assessment
provided a good stepping stone for the Greencastle Parks and Recreation
Department as well as The Community Center Task Force in getting further
information on building a Community Fitness and Recreation Facility. Now
we have basic information about what facilities and programming the
community would like to see, as well as a rough idea of what people are
willing to pay for memberships and how to fund the center. Now, further
research is necessary to get at the specifics of each issue touched upon in this
needs assessment. Perhaps one more survey is necessary to obtain all the
critical information needed to obtain the support needed to finance and build a
Community Center in Putnam County.