The Exponent


09-17-2003	Previous edition: 09-16-2003

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Resident survey aids area development

By Abby Gustus
Staff Writer

With the help of Purdue students, West Lafayette residents will be able to give their opinion about how to improve Sagamore Parkway.

Asking questions such as, "How do you feel about traffic congestion on Sagamore Parkway?" and, "How frequently do you take a walk to reach a destination on the stretch?" a new survey attempts to improve understanding of how residents feel about improving the stretch of Sagamore Parkway.

The survey, sent to area residents on Sept. 5, focuses on issues such as pedestrian accessibility, traffic flow, retail development, public spaces, landscaping and financing.

Beverly Shaw, West Lafayette's redevelopment and neighborhood planner, said questions were aimed at achieving better comprehension of what people want in terms of restaurants, entertainment venues or parks.

Mayor Sonya Margerum urged citizens who received the survey to take time to complete it. The input from residents is important to new development.

"As a citizen-driven effort, the Sagamore Parkway Task Force is depending on thoughtful feedback from the public. I urge citizens to take five or 10 minutes to complete and return the surveys to City Hall," Margerum said in a statement.

Citizens seem to be doing just that, as responses to the survey begin to come in.

Margerum said city officials had received 120 surveys back from the public. As the surveys come in, city officials are entering the information into computers for the tallying of results.

Shaw is one of two city officials entering data. The city officials will send the data to Purdue statistics students who also helped create the questionnaire. These students will help the city officials to accurately analyze the data.

Shaw said improvements to the parkway can start right away. Businesses are urged to hang banners together to encourage public response. Shaw said that when people tend to see the message over and over again, it is better received due to repetition.

However, Shaw said, bigger changes will take time to complete. These projects will require many diverse people working together, including engineers. Pending the results, construction on the parkway will begin in November.

City officials expect to receive a 30 percent response of approximately 300 surveys returned. With this number, city officials feel they can make an accurate interpretation of what the public wants to see in the possible improvements of Sagamore Parkway, Shaw said.

At 7 p.m. Thursday there will be a public meeting at City Hall addressing issues concerning Sagamore Parkway.

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Resident survey aids area development

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(765) 743-1111 ext. 250

City editor: Kaitlin Vanderpool

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