APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – What would you like to see from Outagamie County-owned parks, trails and recreational areas in the coming years?
The county is asking for the public’s input through an online survey. The 10-question survey asks citizens how they use the parks, what activities they would like to have available in the future and how the parks can best serve people of various age groups.
“This is our opportunity to ask the public what they think of our parks system, what we might be lacking, and try to plan for the future at the same time,” said Parks Director Loren Dieck. “We also ask what we’re lacking. That’s probably the most important piece. We want to be able to plan for the future and we want everybody’s opinion on what they would like to see.”
Dieck points out that they really have no idea what exactly to expect, but says that’s the beauty of the survey.
“Are they going to ask for more boat launches? For more reserved forest areas? Those types of things. It’s kind of a crapshoot, and it’s anybody’s guess at this point,” Dieck said.
With people getting outside more amid the pandemic, Dieck thinks right now is the perfect time to get useful responses.
“They’re enjoying it, but they’re enjoying it differently than we’re used to seeing…We’re seeing increased park usage at record levels, so I think right now it’s prime because people have parks recreation in their minds. They’ve been getting out a lot and obviously enjoying what we have to offer,” Dieck told WTAQ News. “It’s really hard to quantify, simply because we’re not actually out in the field like we normally would be and directly interacting with the people, given the pandemic. It’s just what we notice on a daily basis as we’re taking care of maintenance issues in the parks as we normally would.”
The survey is part of Outagamie County Parks’ five-year Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.
“Every 5 years we’re required to complete this plan in order to be eligible for state and federal funding, and in some cases, local funding as well,”
The survey is open through March 12.
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