A second survey of residents within the Central Cariboo recreation boundary shows a high level of awareness and support of the proposed project to renovate the Sam Ketcham Pool. The first survey was conducted in January of this year and served as a benchmark study for the project.
The current survey of 400 residents in the City of Williams Lake and portions of the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Electoral Areas D, E, and F found that 83 per cent of people indicated they were familiar with the proposed project to renovate the pool, including the replacement of the main pool tank and the addition of a three-lane leisure pool featuring a lazy river and waterslide. Sixty-nine per cent of respondents said they support major renovations to the pool.
The statistically valid surveys, conducted by Discovery Research found the following:
· Public awareness of the pool project has risen substantially from 75 per cent in the January study to 83 per cent.
· Sixty-nine per cent of residents indicated they support the project, which is also up from 64 per cent recorded in the benchmark survey.
· The benchmark survey showed that 75 per cent of respondents indicated that they or someone in their family had used the facility. The current survey showed that 81 per cent responded positively when asked the same question.
· A large change in awareness of the borrowing referendum was observed in the second survey. When the benchmark survey was conducted in January, 37 per cent indicated they were aware of the referendum. In the recent study, that number grew to 59 per cent.
· A notable change was observed when residents were asked “If the referendum was held tomorrow, do you feel you have adequate information about the proposed renovations to make an informed decision?” In the January research, only 27 per cent of the respondents said they had enough information. The current survey reports that 50 per cent indicated they had adequate information to make an informed decision.
Thirty-five per cent of respondents were in the 19-39 age-group, 45 per cent were in the 40-65 age group, and 20 per cent were in the 66+ age group. Respondents were represented equally by gender.
To view the surveys, survey summaries and more information about the proposed Sam Ketcham Pool renovation and upgrade, visit us online at the following websites:
Cariboo Regional District – cariboord.bc.ca
City of Williams Lake – williamslake.ca
Cariboo Memorial Complex - activewilliamslake.com
A Facebook page dedicated to helping provide information to residents and an opportunity for residents to ask questions can be found at facebook.com/SamKetchamPool. A Twitter feed can also be found at @SKPReferendum. Leading up to the November 15 referendum, information will be distributed through various channels including the media, social media, the internet, the mail system and advertisements.
The referendum, which will be held on Nov. 15, 2014, will ask voters if they approve borrowing up to $10 million over 20 years. The remainder of the cost of the approximately $11.3 million project will need to be made up from grants, fundraising and capital reserves. Proceeding with the project would result in a taxation increase for Central Cariboo Recreation services of approximately $40/$100,000 of residential assessment, including operating costs of the expanded facility.
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