With a new manager of recreation services for the town last year, and some changes to the operations of the Golden Municipal Pool, there was a data collection and user feedback program launched at the end of the 2012 operational season.
The information was collected through daily user statistics, recorded daily by staff, and an online survey completed by members of the public on a voluntary basis.
There were approximately 6,600 separate pool visits recorded between May and August of 2012 (not including daily visits by the Swim Club).
Of those visits, 64 per cent were Golden residents, 22 per cent were from Area A, and 14 per cent were from elsewhere. The afternoon public swims received the highest average weekly attendance rates, followed by the weekend public swims, and then the swimming lessons.
The voluntary survey, completed by 83 people (97.5 per cent of whom live in either Golden or Area A) in a four-week period, revealed that nearly half of the respondents visited the pool daily, and more than a quarter visited the pool more than once a week.
Of the people who responded, 42.2 per cent said that they find the Swim Club to be the most valuable program at the pool, and 22.9 per cent said the public fun swims were the most valuable to them, with the majority of people preferring the participate in those swims either between 1 and 5 p.m., or after 5 p.m.
When asked if they thought the recreation opportunities in the community were promoted effectively, 43 per cent said no, and 34 per cent said yes, while the rest had no opinion. And 68.8 per cent agreed that the operational expenses at the Golden Swimming pool should be supported by regional tax dollars. The pool is currently supported with municipal tax dollars.
The satisfaction rates found in the survey were quite high, with 94 per cent of respondents saying they were satisfied with the value of the services they paid for, and 95 per cent saying they would recommend the Golden Swimming Pool to friends and family.
The information collected through this process will be a major component of future review of recreational services and budget proposals, and similar data will be collected for other recreational facilities including the Golden and District Arena, and Keith King Memorial Park.
