CCU Swain Scholars partner with county to assess recreational needs
The survey is designed to determine how area residents are spending their recreation time and which improvements they would most like to see. Questions concerning indoor recreation versus outdoor play areas and water recreational areas are on the survey, along with queries concerning how residents currently spend their free time.
Does the county need more programs for seniors or the disabled? Is signage adequate? Are more security measures needed? Where should the money come from to pay for new amenities?
Researchers hope some of those answers will come from this wide-ranging survey which is available on the county's website, horrycounty.org. The survey asks about everything from nature parks to dog parks to boat landings.
Though the survey will only continue through April 10, the entire project could take up to a year to complete and will include input from a variety of stakeholders, according to Leigh Wood Kane, a senior planner with Horry County government, who is working with the Swain Scholars -- Briana Nicole Laws, DeVariay Levon White and Christina Auth. Health promotion professor Sharon Thompson advises the student scholars.
Kane said the last recreational needs assessment was in 1999, and since then, more than 100,000 people have moved into Horry County.
Focus groups will come from the South Strand, Conway or Loris, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach. The students will make presentations to various government boards after the survey results are studied.
Swain Scholars are junior-level students from the College of Science selected through a competitive process for the unique scholarship program that fulfills the wishes of donor Kenneth E. Swain. Scholarship recipients conduct student-driven community health outreach and research projects designed to improve the health of Horry County residents.
The survey can be accessed at: http://snap.coastal.edu/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=141763750261