Airdrie City council was presented with the results of the Indoor and Outdoor Recreation Facilities Needs Assessment Study during a regular meeting on March 7.
The study, undertaken by third-party consulting company HarGroup Management and Consultants, was intended to gauge the public’s need and preference for various recreational facilities in Airdrie. The City intended for the survey to act as a tool to determine the various offerings for a future southwest multi-purpose recreational facility, as well as a northeast regional park.
“Having this broad expression of interest was to help inform council in terms of facilities that are scheduled to be developed in the community,” said John Hartenberger, principal of HarGroup Management and Consultants.
Hartenberger added the various undertakings of the assessment included surveying and interviewing members of the general public and key stakeholders within the community.
The study included resident engagement surveys with various households in Airdrie, engaging stakeholders and service providers in online surveys and telephone interviews, and gathering other internal input from recreational staff, including user statistics and financial information.
“We also conducted a comparative review of six other communities throughout Canada that have similar demographic characteristics to Airdrie,” Hartenberger said, adding it was challenging task as Airdrie has a unique demographic compared to other communities of its size across Canada.
The two random surveys of households in Airdrie received 476 respondents, while the open engagement survey where any resident could provide input received 880 responses.
In addition to that, 37 service providers gave their input in an online survey, along with interviews conducted with members from both local school divisions, the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, and high-level sports organizations.
“When we looked at the results of all of the surveys, we took into account what we heard from everybody,” Hartenberger said. “All of the information has been used to put together a high-level expression of needs for [Airdrie.]”
He added while some information received through the survey was given more relevance than others, HarGroup Management and Consultants gave utmost consideration to ensure a fair and equitable expression of need for recreational facilities in the community.
According to Hartenberger, the City’s constantly growing population and youthful demographic had a clear influence on the findings of the assessment.
“I think it is safe to say the population growth over the past decade in particular has really influenced our findings of the need for recreation facilities in the community,” he said. “We feel it is important to recognize the distinct characteristics of the community in terms of its demographics. And in particular the younger population of the community.
Hartenberger said of all the communities the consulting firm looked at across the country, Airdrie has the highest proportion of residents under the age of 20 – essentially one in three residents.
He added Airdrie is also home to many young families.
“From our perspective, we see this continuing and feel the findings we present need to reflect that younger population,” he said. “It impacts the types of facilities needed in the community.”
According to the findings, recreation is of utmost importance to Airdronians, as almost every respondent indicated recreation is an important contributor to their quality of life. Though Airdronians felt the city’s current facilities were in good or acceptable condition, there were a variety of areas where they were less satisfied with the current offerings.
Eight out of ten households indicated a desire for a multi-use recreational facility in southwest Airdrie, and two-thirds of respondents said they would make use of a northeast regional park.
Likewise, approximately half of service providers indicated the need for more facilities to provide programs and services currently, with nine out of ten indicating they will need additional space in the coming years.
“There are a wide range of gaps within the community,” Hartenberger said. “A lot of this is fuelled by the population growth the community has experienced over the last decade.”
He added the survey asked respondents a hypothetical question: if given $100, how would they split the funds between indoor and outdoor facilities? Participants in the survey indicated they would spend $70 out of the $100 on indoor facilities, and $30 on outdoor facilities.
“I think that gives you a sense of where the priorities are among residents for indoor and outdoor facilities within Airdrie,” Hartenberger said.
Survey respondents also indicated the top three demands for indoor recreation facilities included flat-water aquatics, indoor boarded ice, and indoor leisure aquatic facilities. The demands for an outdoor facility included a ball diamond, rectangular sports field, and tennis/pickleball courts.
Indication for the desire for novel amenities including climbing walls, playgrounds, multi-purpose rooms, and community gardens were also recorded.
"We appreciate the opportunity to come in to your community and have a discussion with your residents as well as service providers and stakeholders,” Hartenberger said.
