Results from a survey conducted to assess residents’ views on whether they desire a new community center are available online at the City of Rockville’s website.
The “City of Rockville Community Interest Survey” was conducted Jan. 8-Feb. 7 and was sent to households within the general area proposed for the new center — west of I-270 and south of Hurley Avenue.
The results can be viewed at www.rockvillemd.gov/2018communitycentersurvey. Consultants EurekaFacts will present the survey results to the Mayor and Council at their April 9 meeting. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.
The survey found that 66.7 percent of respondents support or strongly support a new community recreation center in the area.
The survey also asked all respondents to identify their priorities for recreation spaces in the survey area.
- 46 percent placed a high priority on more natural areas (e.g., green spaces).
- 30 percent placed a high priority on improvement to existing park and recreation facilities.
- 26 percent placed a high priority on greater access to facilities for outdoor sports (e.g., soccer, baseball, basketball).
- 25 percent placed a high priority on additional community recreation centers.
Respondents who support or strongly support a new center weighed in on their preferred location. The most preferred location was the vicinity of the Wootton Parkway and Falls Road intersection. The top requested amenity of a new center was a “fitness/wellness center.”
The possibility of a new community center will be part of the city’s ongoing discussion on the Fiscal Year 2019 budget. The Mayor and Council will hold a hearing for the public, on the FY 2019 budget, on Monday, April 9. A work session on the budget will be held April 23.
Comments on the budget are welcomed. Submit testimony in writing to [email protected] or the City Clerk’s Office/Director of Council Operations, City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850. The public record remains open until Friday, April 13.
Meetings are broadcast live on channel 11 on county cable systems, live streamed at www.rockvillemd.gov/rockville11 and available a day after the meeting at www.rockvillemd.gov/videoondemand. Find the proposed budget at www.rockvillemd.gov/budget.