Phone surveys have brought change to Powell

ThisWeek News – May 11, 2016

Powell officials are encouraging residents to stay on the line if a caller asks them to spend 10 to 15 minutes discussing their opinions about the city.

Columbus-based Saperstein Associates today, May 12, will begin conducting the city’s biennial community attitudes survey.

“The survey results assist (Powell) City Council and staff in establishing priorities for projects and funding,” City Manager Steve Lutz said in a statement. “We value the thoughts and opinions of our residents.”

City spokeswoman Megan Canavan said survey results have spurred action by city officials in the past.

She said ongoing concerns about traffic congestion in the city led to the creation of “Keep Powell Moving.” The ongoing city initiative aims to identify and implement potential short-term and long-term traffic solutions.

“That’s really an action item directly out of the community survey,” Canavan said.

Feedback about the city’s online presence from previous surveys was considered during the redesign of Powell’s website, which launched last summer.

Canavan said the survey also allows officials to gauge how satisfied residents are with city services and “make sure there aren’t any concerns.”

Saperstein Associates plans to interview about 400 residents for the survey over about a week. The survey’s results likely will be presented to council in the summer.

Saperstein Associates’ 2014 survey of city residents revealed concerns about development and traffic had led to what the firm called “a level of angst not seen in previous surveys” in a report on the results.

Even with those concerns evident, 96 percent of residents surveyed considered Powell an “exceptional” or “better than average” place to live.

The city will pay Saperstein Associates $18,300 for its work on this year’s survey.

The results of the 2014 survey can be viewed at tinyurl.com/powellcasurvey.