Survey shows residents are happy with Naperville Park District

The bad news is that Naperville Park District users likely would not support any new tax increases for facilities or programs. The good news is that those same users don't feel a referendum is necessary because they're mostly happy with that is already offered.

According to the 2009 community survey, during which 500 Naperville heads of household were surveyed, 81 percent of respondents indicated the district "represents excellent or good value overall" for the approximately $350 the average homeowner pays annually in taxes to the district.

The 500 residents were surveyed during the evening and weekend hours between May 26 and June 4.

The survey also showed that 90 percent of those surveyed used a district park or facility in the last year, primarily The Riverwalk and Centennial Beach.

Three quarters of those respondents also were unable to suggest any new programs or activities not currently offered by the district.

"What this says to me overall is that we should stay the course," commissioner Ron Ory said. "And maybe improve the quality of what we're doing in just a few areas."

The district does have some work to do, as the survey highlighted the district's need to provide more programming in the southern part of the district, offer more adult programs on evenings and weekends and make an effort to reach out to more seniors.

Executive Director Ray McGury was also pleased by the survey, which is conducted once every three years. He said it should be a reminder that district should always be looking for growth opportunities to provide open space.

"This survey makes crystal clear to me that we must be cautious to not take opportunities when they present themselves from the business side of things," McGury said. "So that three years from now we're not saying 'that land was available and we should have purchased that' or 'We had an opportunity to do X and we didn't.

"This is going to be the guiding light for us as we move through the strategic plan but I don't want to get so myopic that we shut out any peripherals that may come to us or opportunities to increase our efficiency."

Much of the full survey is expected to be available Friday morning on the district's Web site.

Ory, however, made the request to remove the negative comments given by some respondents that were attached to the survey results.

"For all of the individual verbatim comments, those are kind of to each his own," he said. "Some of them are just blatantly wrong or erroneous in some fashion."

A sample of those comments provided Thursday include suggestions that the district doesn't maintain some of its property very well, that they spend too much money and that some programs are more costly than similar programs offered in public sector.

President Mike Reilly suggested publishing the entire report, minus the appendix containing the comments from residents, and making that part available by request by clicking a link on the Web site.

"Maybe we just make it as accessible as possible that way," he said. "I think the vast majority of people, if they go through half these slides I'd be surprised. They'll say 'there's no real issue and I've got other things to do.'"