Alexandria Chinquapin Aquatic Survey

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA: 

Dear Alexandria eNews subscriber,  

The City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities has authorized Brailsford and Dunlavey to conduct an informational survey as a part of the Chinquapin Aquatic Center Feasibility Study.  RPCA is conducting this feasibility study in order to determine the best method to modify/expand their pool facilities at the existing Chinquapin Center. This email contains a link to the survey for each household to complete.  The primary purpose of this survey is to understand you and your household’s level of participation in swimming/pool based activities. Your participation in this survey will have a direct impact upon the findings associated with the Chinquapin Aquatic Center Feasibility Study! Please note that your contact information will not be utilized for any other purpose in addition to this survey.

To access the survey please click here. If the survey does not open automatically, please copy and paste the following link to your internet browser's address bar: 

http://studentvoice.com/p/?uuid=d431555d3f6e4bb090d31657c09254be

If you have any questions about this study, please email jmontemayor@programmanagers.com.

Thank you for your contribution to this feasibility study!

Sincerely,

Laura Durham, 
Open Space Coordinator
City of Alexandria
Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities (RPCA)

For Immediate Release: May 16, 2014

Alexandria Park and Recreation Commission Seeks Nominations for the 2014 CIVIC Awards

The Alexandria Park and Recreation Commission is seeking nominations for the 2014 CIVIC Awards. The annual awards program recognizes the unsung volunteer efforts of Alexandrians who are involved in their communities and who have provided a valuable service to Alexandria in meeting recreation, park, or cultural needs. Nominations must be received by Thursday, June 12.

Individuals can nominate an Alexandria resident, group, club, organization, or corporate neighbor. Nominees for the award should be volunteers who have contributed their time, talent, or resources in an exemplary fashion and who reside or are located in the City. The volunteer contribution can involve activities such as removing invasive plants, coaching youth, or providing program support at City nature and recreation centers. Youth nominations are encouraged.

The CIVIC Awards are presented at the City’s Annual USA/Alexandria Birthday Celebration on July 12 at Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison St. A nomination package is available online at www.alexandriava.gov/Recreation, or by calling 703.746.4343.

Mail nominations to Park and Recreation Commission, c/o William Chesley, Deputy Director, 1108 Jefferson St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Nominations may also be faxed to703.684.6826, or submitted online at http://www3.alexandriava.gov/forms/recreation/civicawards.

For more information on the 2014 CIVIC Awards, call William Chesley, Deputy Director, at703.746.4343 or e-mail william.chesley@alexandriava.gov.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the City’s Human Rights Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation, or to request materials in an alternative format, call William Chesley, Deputy Director, of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703.746.4343 (Virginia Relay 711).

2013 Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Needs Assessment Findings Are In!

The City of Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities conducted a citywide Needs Assessment survey during Summer/Fall 2013. The purpose of the survey was to establish priorities for the future development of Alexandria’s parks, recreation, cultural facilities, programs and services based on identified community needs. The City of Alexandria, with a consultant, Leisure Vision, designed and administered the survey to obtain statistically valid results from households and to benchmark findings against the 2011 Needs Assessment results.

The Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities conducts a short-version survey (2013) every other year and a long-version survey (2011) every five years in order to assess change in residents' needs over time and strategically plan the future park and recreation system.

Significant Findings include:

• Visitation of Parks. Eighty-two percent (82%) of respondents visited the City of Alexandria Parks within the past 12 months. This is higher than the national benchmark of seventy-eight percent (78%). Of those, eighty-two percent (82%) of respondents who visited the parks, twenty-three percent (23%) of respondents rated the parks as being in “excellent” condition. Other condition ratings include: Sixty-one percent (61%) “good,” fifteen percent (15%) “fair,” and only one percent (1%) rated the condition of the parks as “poor.”
• Participation in Recreation or Cultural Programs or Special Events. Forty-eight percent (48%) of respondents said that they have participated in the City of Alexandria programs or activities within the past 12 months, which reflects a 2% increase since the 2011 needs assessment. City of Alexandria respondent participation in programs at forty-eight percent (48%) is significantly higher (by a margin of 18%) than that of the national average at thirty percent (30%).
• Need for Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Facilities. Eighty-one percent (81%) of respondents (representing 54,874 households) have a need for “walking trails.” Other similar needs include: Natural areas and wildlife habitats (67% representing 45,887 households), biking trails (53% representing 36,015 households) and indoor exercise and fitness facilities (52%; representing 35,062 households). Based on the sum of respondents with a need for facilities, sixty-seven percent (67%) of respondents with a need for “walking trails” has a rate of 75% or more of their needs being met. Respondents whose needs for facilities are being met 50% or less include: natural areas (representing 21,200 households), indoor exercise and fitness facilities (representing 21,143 households) and indoor swimming pools (representing 19,286 households).
• Need for Recreation and Cultural Programs. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of respondents (representing 52,083 households) state they have a need for Farmer’s Market programs. Other household needs include: Cultural special events, i.e. concerts, movies (59% representing 39,964 households), adult fitness and wellness programs (44% representing 29,820 households) and outdoor public art (42% representing 28,594 households). Respondents’ unmet needs for programs only being met around 50% or less include: Adult fitness and wellness programs (representing 20,188 households), adult continuing education programs (representing 18,991 households), outdoor public art (representing 18,186 households), cultural special events (representing 17,904 households) and natural programs and environmental education (representing 17,336 households).
• Actions Household are Most Willing to Support with Tax Dollars. Based on the sum of respondents’ top four choices, forty-eight percent (48%) of respondents said that they would be most willing to fund the improvement of trails that connect parks, which is the highest response of all choices. Other actions respondents are willing to fund with their tax dollars include: purchase land to preserve natural areas (41%), develop new trails that connect parks (40%) and improve existing passive use neighborhood parks (31%).

Visit www.alexandriava/recreation to view the full results.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the City’s Human Rights Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation or to request materials in an alternative format, contact Dana Wedeles at 703.746.5590(Virginia Relay 711) or e-mail dana.wedeles@alexandriava.gov.

Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Needs Assessment Findings Are In!

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA: 

2011 Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Needs Assessment Findings Are In!

The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities conducted a Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Survey during May and June of 2011. The purpose of the survey was to establish priorities for the future development of parks, recreation, cultural facilities, programs and services within your community. The survey was administered by a consultant, Leisure Vision, through a combination of mail and phone and was designed to obtain statistically valid results from households throughout the City of Alexandria. Leisure Vision worked extensively with the City of Alexandria officials in the development of the survey questionnaire. This work allowed the survey to be tailored to issues of strategic importance to effectively plan the future system.

Major findings include:

•                Visitation of Parks. Eighty-five percent (85%) of households indicated that they have visited any of the City of Alexandria parks during the past year. This is considerably higher than the national benchmark of seventy-two percent (72%). Of the 85% of households that have visited a park, 86% rated the physical condition of all the city parks visited as either “excellent” (23 %) or “good” (63%). The remaining households rated the parks as follows: “fair” (13%) and “poor” (1%).

•                Participation in Recreation or Cultural Programs or Special Events. Forty-six percent (46%) of respondent households indicated that they had participated in any recreation or cultural programs or special events offered by the City of Alexandria during the past 12 months. This is considerably higher than the national benchmark of thirty percent (30%). Of the 46% of respondent households that indicated that they have participated in any recreation or cultural programs or special events, 90% indicated that they would rate the overall quality of the recreation or cultural programs or special events their household has participated in as either “excellent” (30%) or “good” (60%). Of the remaining respondent households, 9% rated them as “fair” and only 1% rated them as “poor”.

•                Need for Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Amenities. There are five parks, recreation, and cultural amenities that over 55% of households have a need for: walking trails (84%), natural areas and wildlife habitats (67%), biking trails (62%), picnic shelters/areas (57%), and indoor exercise and fitness facilities (55%).

•                Most Important Parks, Recreation and Cultural Amenities. Based on the sum of their top four choices, the parks, recreation, and cultural amenities that households rated as the most important are: walking trails (57%), biking trails (34%), and natural areas and wildlife habitats (30%). Playgrounds were the top priority for households with children under 10; walking and biking trail were the top priority for households with children 10-19 (soccer/lacrosse fields were a close 2nd priority); walking and biking trails were the top priority for empty nester households.

•                Need for Recreation and Cultural Programs. The recreation and cultural programs that the highest percentage of households have a need for include: farmers’ markets (84%) and cultural special events (61%).

•                Most Important Recreation and Cultural Programs. Based on the sum of their top four choices, the recreation and cultural programs that households rated as the most important include: farmers’ market (59%) and cultural special events (37%). Learn to swim programs were the top priority for households with children under 10; youth athletic programs were the top priority in households with children 10-19; farmer’s markets were the top priority in empty nester households.

For additional information, and to view the final report, visit www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.

Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities' Fall 2011 Program Guide Now Available

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA:  Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities' Fall 2011 Program Guide Now Available The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities’ Fall 2011 Program Guide is now available. The program guide highlights City classes, programs, activities and special events occurring late August through December 2011. Registration for fall classes and activities begins at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, August 17 for City residents, and Friday, August 19 for nonresidents. Individuals who subscribe to receive the program guide by mail will receive it by Monday, August 8. Individuals who did not subscribe can download a free copy by visitingalexandriava.gov/recreation or pick up a printed copy at the following locations Monday, August 8: Department of Communications & Public Information, City Hall, 301 King St. Charles Barrett Recreation Center, 1115 Martha Custis Dr. Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe St. Chinquapin Park Recreation Center, 3210 King St. Cora Kelly Recreation Center, 25 W. Reed Ave. Dr. Oswald Durant Memorial Recreation Center, 1605 Cameron St. Jerome “Buddie” Ford Nature Center, 5750 Sanger Ave. Mount Vernon Recreation Center, 2701 Commonwealth Ave. Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center, 1108 Jefferson St. Patrick Henry Recreation Center, 4643 Taney Ave. William Ramsay Recreation Center, 5650 Sanger Ave. Barrett Branch Library, 717 Queen St. Beatley Central Library, 5005 Duke St. Burke Branch Library, 4701 Seminary Rd. Duncan Branch Library, 2501 Commonwealth Ave. Program guides are mailed to subscribers three times each year: Fall Programs (August); Winter Programs (December); and Spring and Summer Programs (March). To sign up for a free subscription to the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities’ Program Guide, visit alexandriava.gov/recreation or call 703.746.4343.

Alexandria Fall Park & Recreation Activity Guide Available 8/8

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA: 

Fall 2011 Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Program Guide Available Online Monday, August 8

Subscribe by July 29 to Receive Program Guide by Mail
Subscribers to the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities will receive the Fall 2011 Recreation Program Guide by Monday, August 15 and the guide will be posted online Monday, August 8. Registration for Fall 2011 classes begins on Wednesday, August 17 for City residents and Friday, August 19 for nonresidents.
As part of the City of Alexandria’s Eco-City Initiative, the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities has reduced the number of printed program guides and no longer automatically mails them to all households. Only individuals who have subscribed will continue to receive the program guide by mail.


To be added to the mailing list for the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities’ Program Guide, individuals may request a free subscription online or by telephone. Requests must be received by Friday, July 29 to guarantee receipt of the Fall 2011 Program Guide by mail. 

The program guide will continue to be produced three times each year: Fall Programs (August); Winter Programs (December); and Spring & Summer Programs (March).
By August 15, printed copies of the Fall 2011 Program Guide will be available to the public at City Hall, recreation centers, and public libraries located throughout the City. 


Individuals can also download a free copy online at www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.
www.alexandriava.gov/recreation or call 703.746.4343