Residents really appreciate all that the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District offers. A survey taken by nearly 475 residents showed nine out of 10 residents gave high marks.
Results show 36% gave the highest ranking, 28% gave a great rating, 28% gave a good rating, 4% were neutral and 5% gave a poor ranking. For every one person who responded negatively, 18 were overall happy with the parks, said Jeff Andreasen, president of aQity Research & Insights, Inc., who presented the findings to park commissioners at the Feb. 18 board meeting.
The survey was conducted Nov. 20 to Jan. 6 as part of the park district’s work on a new strategic plan.
Andreasen said park programs received the most favorable ranking. People commented on the variety of programming for all ages.
Parks management, identified as good staff and community relations, was ranked second. “That’s something you don’t see very often. Responses showed people recognized the work of staff,” he said.
The parks came in third place. H-F Park District has many and varied parks. Respondents were asked to identify which park they’d visited in the last year. The most-visited park was Irwin Park in Homewood with 57% of respondents indicating they went there, followed by Millennium Park at 48%, Patriots Park at 40%, Apollo Park at 38%, Irons Oaks Park at 34%, Lions Club Park at 30%, Dolphin Lake Park at 28%, Indian Trails Park at 22%, Flossmoor Park at 22%, Leavitt Park at 18%. Other parks mentioned were Orchard, Woodborough, Flossmoor Hills, Cedar, Ballantrae, Goldberg, Heritage, Butterfield, Homewood Estates, Rover’s Run Dog Park and Highlands.
Respondents were split by age, gender, race, length of time in the district, children in the household, and whether they owned their home or were renters; 64% lived in Homewood, 33% in Flossmoor and 3% in Glenwood.
In the past year, more than half of the respondents had visited the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club, followed by the Irwin Community Center, Wiley’s Grill, Coyote Run Golf Course, Millennium Park Splash Pad, H-F Sports Complex, The Clubhouse at Dolphin Lake, Irons Oaks indoor facilities, Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena and the Goldberg Center.
When asked for opinions on a scale of 1-10 for rankings for the parks, playgrounds, natural areas and facilities: Overall experience – 8.1; access to parking, paths, entrances/exits – 8.6; safety – 8.4; overall cleanliness, maintenance and upkeep – 8.2; quality of service provided by park staff – 8.2; sufficient staffing/ease of finding staff – 7.7.
The survey did identify several areas of concern:
- The H-F Racquet & Fitness Club had a 35% dissatisfaction rate. The building is old and tired and using the facility is costly.
- Irwin Park has limited parking. Continue with updates at the Irwin Center. Playground equipment is old. After the survey the park board learned that it received a state grant to update the playground equipment.
- Lions Club Pool needs updates; the kiddie park is often closed; it costs too much. The park board is aware of the age of the pool. A question in the survey asked whether to make structural and mechanical repairs. In addressing the question: “I am willing to pay higher pool fees or shift funds from other programs/facilities to make the most needed repairs to keep a safe public pool,” 29% strongly supported and 13% highly supported. From all surveyed, 74% supported pool repairs.
Adreasan said when asked what was negative about the parks, the responses generally were cost of programs and racquet club needs.
Andreasen compared the H-F responses to a 2022 statewide park survey for the Illinois Association of Park Districts. When using data for 22 parks in the South Suburbs, H-F had “strong scores, especially when compared to those around you.” Numbers show H-F with a 91% favorable rating compared to 67% with neighboring parks and 68% statewide.
