Survey is part of Parks & Recreation’s Comprehensive Master Plan

Forsyth County Parks & Recreation is updating its Comprehensive Master Plan, a major planning process to set the blueprint for the future of the parks system in Forsyth County. The next step in the process is to hear the opinions of county residents through a mailed survey.

In the coming weeks, questionnaires will be mailed to a random sample of households in the county asking for feedback on the quality of parks, trails, open spaces and recreation facilities. 

The results of this resident survey, along with information gathered at stakeholder meetings, focus groups and public meetings, will be included in a final report that county officials will be able to use to guide future budget decisions and to get an overall sense of how residents feel about parks in Forsyth County.

“If you receive a survey in the mail, we sincerely hope you will take the time to complete and return it,” Director of Parks & Recreation Jim Pryor said. “The input and feedback from our residents is so valuable, and the results of this survey will play an important role in the development of our Comprehensive Master Plan.”    

The survey will be administered by National Research Center, Inc., an external, independent survey research firm. The questionnaire and survey procedures were designed based on the experience of hundreds of local governments, ranging in size from small to large. Scientific sampling and weighting of the responses in Forsyth County will ensure accurate and reliable results. Since the households receiving the survey are chosen at random, the final product will be a statistically valid survey.

About the Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan
The Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan will guide the county’s park system through 2021, and the process is expected to take approximately nine months to complete. In addition to the survey, the process includes public input meetings, a park and facility inventory and stakeholder meetings. This is the third Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan conducted by Forsyth County. The most recent one, for 2012 through 2017, was completed in 2012.

The Comprehensive Master Plan is being conducted by Alfred Benesch & Company. The company works with municipal and county agencies throughout the country to determine community park and recreation needs and develops plans to meet those needs.