Providence Resident Survey RESULTS!

The results are in. The ETC Institute of Olathe, Kansas sent 1500 7-page, 52-question, multilingual questionnaires to residents asking their opinions on various city services. In all, there were 634 complete respondents. To view the full report click the link at the bottom of this article. Here's the the good:

• 66% of residents were satisfied with public safety services
• 79% and 75% of residents were satisfied with local fire protection and local ambulatory services, respectively
• 79% of residents felt safe in their neighborhood during the day
• 70% of residents were satisfied with trash collection and recycling services

Here's the bad:

• 24% of residents were satisfied with the maintenance of city streets and infrastructure
• 47% of residents felt safe in their neighborhood at night
• 40% of residents felt that rodents were a problem in their neighborhood
• 28% of residents felt satisfied with the city's snow removal service
• 49% of residents have lived in their home/apartment for only 1-5 years

Varied results for sure. Residents felt pretty safe during the day, not so at night. Two glaring problems are city maintenance (including potholes and snow removal) and rodents. Is anyone surprised? Here's what Mayor Cicilline had to say about the results:

"This is like a GPS, telling us where we are and where we need to go," said Mayor Cicilline. "As we set priorities immediately and for the next couple of years, we want to be sure we align those priorities with what concerns our residents most." - Feb. 28, 2005 Press Release, Mayor's Office

I completely agree with a strong recommendation to the mayor that he not forget about Education. Unfortunately, it appears that the mayor did not request educational services be surveyed. With the state scrutinizing the situation at Hope and 50% drop-out rates at various high schools, data collected on resident perspectives on Education would have been invaluable. Yet, I and you could continue to criticize what wasn't done in this report, but this report does give us an understanding of how we feel about maintenance, safety, and other important city services. I suggest everyone take a little time and browse through the report to see how your neighbors see our city. Further, I challenge City Council, the Mayor, and residents to take this data and do somethin' wit-it! Knowing the problem is half the battle, but let's not stop here. Download Survey Results