INC NEWS - Durham Appearance Survey Results Presented to City Council Today

[RW Pickle]

If you were at the City Council work session meeting on Thursday at 3:30,
then you heard this presentation first hand. This was the first time it
was made public and I'm sure you're going to hear more about it in the
months to come as it is presented across town to other organizations. It
is the first time Durham has completed a survey like this so this sets the
baseline for what happens from here on out to address the problems. If you
missed it, it is now online (43 pages of it). The PR is below. One of
INC's Past President's headed this apperance survey team, Cheryl Shifflett
is to be congratulated for a job well done. Now we'll see if there is any
follow through on the part of the governments to make it all look better.

RWP
27 Beverly


Results Indicate Respondents’ Areas of Highest Concern


Durham, N.C. – Improving Durham’s appearance should be a priority for
funding according to a recent survey conducted by the Durham City-County
Appearance Commission.

This survey, conducted late last year with the assistance of the Durham
Convention & Visitors Bureau, documented residents’ opinions about
Durham’s appearance, collected suggestions and pinpointed areas for
improvement.  “This survey helped the citizens of Durham communicate their
opinions, which we have now passed on to elected City and County officials
and staff to use in their future budget deliberations to help prioritize
projects,” said John Felton, chairman of the Durham City-County Appearance
Commission.  “Through this survey, many of our residents let us know what
their concerns are and how they feel City and County funding should be
used to address appearance issues in Durham.”

The survey, which measured the responses of 387 citizens, indicated that
these respondents were generally supportive of appearance improvements in
Durham.  According to the survey summary, more than three-quarters of
respondents consider these appearance improvements top priorities for
funding by the City and County.  Areas of highest concern among
respondents included downtown, rental properties in single-family
neighborhoods and Alston Avenue.  In addition, most respondents noted
overall issues in Durham were litter and maintenance followed closely by
trees and landscaping.

According to Felton, the commission used the survey results to make the
following recommendations to both Durham City Council and the Durham
County Board of Commissioners:

·         Continue support of Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc.

·         Re-examine and expand both City and County General Services’
maintenance programs. Provide funding for additional staff and equipment.

·         Develop public-private partnerships or sponsorship programs to
help fund expanded and/or additional maintenance programs.

·         Create and implement a marketing plan to boost downtown’s image
and promote the current downtown streetscape improvements.

·         Continue streetscape improvements in all of downtown and
dedicate funds to ensure proper maintenance.

·         Develop strategies for improvements to specific areas such as
Alston Avenue.

·         Address standards for maintenance of street trees, as they are a
valuable and significant community resource.

·         Promote high-quality design in the built environment in
high-visibility areas.

·         Provide funding for the preservation of natural and historic
resources.

For a copy of the full survey results, visit the City’s website at
http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid/pdf/2005com_app_survey_results.pdf.
For more information on the survey results, contact Felton at (919)
833-6413, extension 150 or via e-mail at JohnF at clinedesignassoc.com or
Sara Young, urban designer and senior planner with the Durham City-County
Planning Department, at (919) 560-4137, extension 256 or via e-mail
sara.young at durhamnc.gov.



About the Durham City-County Appearance Commission

The purpose of the Durham City-County Appearance Commission is to enhance
and improve the visual quality and aesthetic character of Durham. The
Commission consists of 15 members, seven members appointed by the City
Council and eight members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. 
To learn more about this commission, visit the City’s website at
http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/clerk/boards.cfm.