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03/19/2020 12:01 AMThe results are in! Thanks go to the nearly 500 citizens who took the time to respond to the Beach & Recreation Department 2019 End of Year Survey. Beach & Recreation Department staff and members of the advisory Beach & Recreation Commission have heard the public’s comments and would like to provide a brief summary of results and some updates.
The facilities respondents use most often are the town’s beaches: Surf Club Park (87 percent), East Wharf (61 percent), and West Wharf (42 percent). Bauer Park is frequented by 29 percent of respondents and Salt Meadow Park by 21 percent of survey participants. More than half the respondents reported using these facilities weekly.
On our scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), 60 percent of respondents rated their overall satisfaction with the services provided by the Beach & Recreation Department a 3 or 4. When asked to rate the level of customer service provided by the Beach & Recreation staff, 53 percent gave a response of 4 or 5.
The majority of respondents (71 percent) gave the programming provided by the Department a rating of 3 or 4. Asked to specify which programs they use, respondents covered the full spectrum of the programs offered, from sports to nature programs to open gym to garden plots. Concerts, summer camps, boat racks, and sailing lessons were also frequent responses. The Before/After School program is another very popular program.
There were more than a few requests for expanded open gym hours on the weekend. The department is also looking into other ways to streamline the gym pass system as it is important that we have a system in place to account for those in the building should an issue arise, i.e. fire, active shooter incident, etc.
Asked to rate the user experience of navigating the Beach & Recreation Department website, the most frequent rating (30 percent) was 1. In the long answer section for this topic, many respondents stated that the website is difficult to navigate and the search function does not always get the user to the program they are trying to find. The department is currently working with the software provider and the Town Technology Department to improve the Beach & Rec website, strengthen the search function, and make it easier to navigate. residents can expect to see a new interface soon.
Asked how the department can best communicate with participants, almost all who answered stated a preference for email updates. The department will investigate the best way to provide information by email. In the meantime, the department does have a Facebook page (facebook.com/BeachRec) and a Twitter feed (Twitter.com/MadisonSurfClub).
People asked about the status of restrooms and the planned kayak launch at Salt Meadow Park. Purchase of a pre-built pavilion with restrooms is currently underway, with site preparation to occur this spring as weather permits. Installation of the pavilion should be completed over the summer and the facility will be operational for next fall. Building a kayak launch over the marsh at Salt Meadow has been determined to be too costly because of the distance to the river, however, flexible thinking by the Salt Meadow Advisory Committee and town departments has revealed an option to add a kayak launch site on town property just south of Route 1 on Cottage Road. Plans have been submitted to the State Department of Energy & Environmental Protection for approval and must go to the Planning & Zoning Commission for its approval as well before Beach & Rec can begin working on the site.
The survey received a lot of free-response comments about beach parking passes, lifeguards, and gate guards. The department and commission are working hard to provide a system that is efficient, user-friendly, and enforceable. The Beach & Recreation Commission recently voted to authorize the first selectman to terminate the town’s agreement with the provider of last summer’s system. The department will issue a parking pass sticker as it has in years past and will continue to provide the customer service point of sale at the Surf Club during the summer season that was added last year.
An online pass renewal option is being developed. The department budget request for 2020-’21 will include funds for staffing improvements, lifeguards, and gate guards. A waterfront coordinator has been hired to oversee lifeguard recruitment and management. (Experienced lifeguards are welcome to apply—contact Davide Mendonca at RH1@snet.net.) When the full system is finalized, the department is committed to communicating the process to residents in a clear and concise manner.
While this summary only touches on a few of the major themes of the results, rest assured that department staff and commission members have read through all responses and appreciate the feedback provided. The Beach & Recreation Department and the Beach & Recreation Commission share the goal of providing quality programming and well-maintained facilities.