Lombard Park District

Lombard Park District 68 Chapter Three Recreation Program Needs Assessment Introduction This assessment includes an analysis of the Lombard Park District's program and service off erings. The report off ers a detailed perspective of recreation programs and events and helps to identify the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for future program direction. Program fi ndings were based on the statistically valid Community Survey, public input process, a review of program information, program assessment worksheets completed by staff , and interviews and meetings with the staff . The content of this section is organized as follows: • Household Survey Results Relating to Programs • Current Program Assessment • Future Programs • Marketing Approaches, Program Guide, and Website Household Survey Results relating to Programs The following section details Community Survey results as they apply to recreation programs and services. According to the Leisure Vision national database of park and recreation agencies, 34% of households participate in recreation programs and services. Within the Illinois database, 39% households participate in programs, on average. In Lombard, this percentage is 40%, which is slightly above the average of Illinois agencies. It is noteworthy that the Lombard Park District achieves the 40% participation rate with less indoor space than other Illinois communities. Along with program participation, households were asked to assess their level of satisfaction toward program quality. Nationally, 34% of households rate their programs as excellent. In Illinois, this percentage is 37%. In Lombard, this rate is 31%. Therefore, this should be a targeted improvement area. Program participants listed 1) program location, 2) fees charged for the class and 3) times programs are off ered as the top three reasons households participate in recreation programs and activities. As a result, it is important for the District to ensure easy proximity to programs. If program locations are far from residents, this will have a signifi cant eff ect on program registrations. Pricing of programs is also a signifi cant consideration as registrants view this as being important to choosing to register for a program. It is important for District staff to continuously monitor fee sensitivity for programs and services. The top three barriers to participation include: • Program or facility not off ered • Program times not convenient • Fees are too high This can be perceived as perplexing as two of the three attributes are also reasons why people choose to participate. As for fees, 54% of households consider this a primary consideration for program participation. Only 14% considered fees to be a barrier to participation. While fees as a barrier are the third most signifi cant barrier, this is greatly outnumbered by those who feel fees are attractive. This may relate to specifi c programs or services being perceived as higher priced, or there are some households who simply have greater fee sensitivity than others. The time programs are off ered has similar results. Those participating because of program times being convenient is 54%, while those feeling it is a barrier is 23%. It is always worthwhile to continuously assess program time off erings with ongoing feedback mechanisms with customers, including focus groups or program evaluations.

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