Parks and Recreation Ontario’s Manual entitled Measuring Customer Value and Satisfaction for Parks and Recreation is a practical guide to supporting service evaluation work. As noted in the Manual, it is “intended to enable providers of parks and recreation to easily and consistently assess customer value and related issues. [It] includes a common set of core questions and an enhanced set of questions that can be used by providers to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs and services, as well as advice on approaches to administering surveys” (p. 1). The manual also includes a draft program survey that can be adapted and modified. Program evaluations can also help the Town to better understand accessibility (in terms of facilities, programs, equipment etc.) and equipment needs (quantity and state of repair, etc.). This will help to ensure that those interested in participating in recreation programs/activities are not denied participation due to broken or damaged equipment, especially for popular programs such as aquafit programs. Effective program evaluation can also help to inform the Town Strategic Asset Management Policy, which should include a comprehensive inventory of all equipment, condition of assets, ownership of assets (user group owned vs. Town owned), and recommended maintenance schedule. The ability to evaluate progress will require annual targets that can be measured. For example, a program objective for an upcoming budget year may be to introduce four new programs in areas of particular
interest emerging from the Master Plan’s consultation. As is the case now, each new program is essentially a pilot designed to optimize participation and should be evaluated upon completion to determine future options to continue - with any required adjustments - or discontinue. The results of each year’s programming would provide the basis for reporting on outcomes and planning for the upcoming year. Recommendations
PE 1. Continue to conduct recreation program evaluation procedures to document and track participant feedback. Continue to widely promote survey to the community through various channels and broaden accessibility of survey for diverse audiences. PE 2. Following the Town’s Strategic Asset Management Policy, the
Town should develop a strategy to track equipment used for programs in order to clarify equipment ownership, condition, repair needs, and maintenance schedule.
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Town of Tillsonburg | DRAFT Parks and Recreation Master Plan
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