The majority of Airdrie residents, 86 per cent, think their neighbourhood is a good place to live, according to the results of the 2014 Community Needs Assessment (CNA) presented to Airdrie City council on Oct. 6.
The survey was conducted along with the municipal census from April 1 to June 1. A total of 3,065 surveys were completed online.
Residents were asked to indicate how often they accessed City services and facilities and how satisfied they are with them. The survey also asked some key questions about how residents feel about living in Airdrie.
Team Leader of Community Development and Social Planning Clay Aragon said a highlight of the report for him was that it showed people moving to Airdrie are planning to stay.
“Overall it’s a good news story, knowing that the investment the City makes into their facilities and programs and services in the community are aligned with what the needs are of our community,” he said.
“Knowing that people who are moving to Airdrie are staying here is a very good indicator of success (because) people are actually staying because they like the services, they love the facilities that are here.”
Aragon said City staff learned a few interesting things from this year’s assessment.
“One of the things we learned was, there are always facilities that are perceived to have capacity issues, like Genesis Place and the aquatic programs,” he said.
“However, what prevented people from using a lot of the services, programs and even the facilities is the lack of information about (them). They didn’t know that, that program existed, or (about) the facility at Genesis Place or all those things that we offer to the community. That was a big learning for us; we really need to evaluate and learn how we communicate programs and services to our residents.”
“It’s a reflection of the growth in our city. There’s always new families moving into Airdrie and so if you’re new, you might not know what’s available.”
While Aragon said it is too early to say how the City plans to improve on their communication, some preliminary plans have been made.
“What we’re going to do with the results of the CNA is work with our various departments here at the City to look at where we can further strengthen some of the good things that we’re doing and then identify the service gaps and see where we can make those changes,” he explained.
“We’re going to be working with Corporate Communications as well to really look at how we reach out to our community so they know what’s available to them.”
Aragon said the survey is conducted every three years by Banister Consulting from Edmonton. The first survey was done in 2008 and a second in 2011. The cost to conduct the 2014 survey was $9,000, and was funded through the City’s operating budget.
Results of the 2014 CNA are available online at airdrie.ca
