Community newsletter: Survey finds health, safety, sustenance are concerns

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Monday, December 21, 1998 3:00 AM CST

by Ron Thomas Executive Director, Sustainable Racine

Racine's heart the city center of the region is alive and in training for a great future.

There has been a lot of talk here (and more to come on the downtown plan).

But the surrounding residential neighborhoods also are a critical asset to creating a vital, healthy sustainable community.

One of the priorities for Sustainable Racine is to partner with the residents of the center city and our institutional partners such as the City of Racine, Racine Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC) and Downtown Racine Corporation (DRC).

The story begins, as it must, with the people who live, work, and raise their children in the traditional neighborhoods that surround downtown.

This fall, Sustainable Racine and a volunteer group of citizens called the Community Planning Group canvassed more than 600 households and completed over 200 detailed surveys in the center-city neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area to learn if their needs were being met.

This survey provided critical information regarding grocery and retail store availability, health care, housing, recreation and crime.

The responses of residents in this area will help decision-makers understand what services are lacking and what are most needed as they move to create of plan of action.

Following are some of the questions asked and the responses received:

Safety is greatest concern

The greatest concern among the surveyed residents were safety issues. In answer to the question of do you feel you have crime problems in your neighborhood, 74 percent said yes and 26 percent replied no.

A large majority, 87 percent, said they would be willing to work with their neighbors to make the neighborhood safer. To correct the crime problem, 45 percent said foot patrols were needed, and 33 percent said bike patrols would help make the area safer. This willingness has been demonstrated by the growing participation we have had at the neighborhood meetings we began this fall. We will announce future meetings in the Community Calendar in February.

Health care access

Another major issue revealed by the survey area was health care. The survey asked if residents felt the need for better access to health care in their neighborhood. Seventy-three percent said yes, and 28 percent answered no.

A health-care center was suggested by 70 percent, and 30 percent said a mobile clinic was needed. In response to this concern, members of the Community Planning Group are working to form a partnership with the existing health-care providers to develop an additional health-care clinic in under-served areas.

Grocery store choice

When asked where do you buy most of your groceries, 34 percent said Piggly Wiggly, 15 percent Pick-N-Save and 16 percent Randall's. The remaining 35 percent shopped at various other locations.

The reasons these residents cited for shopping at Piggly Wiggly were good prices, variety and quality selections.

In response to how often they shopped at these locations, 40 percent answered once a week, 29 percent said two or three times a week, 21 percent said less than once a week, 7 percent shopped at their grocery store almost every day and 3 percent said four to six times a week.

While the nearest Piggly Wiggly is less than a mile away, most residents go outside their residential area to shop.

To get there, 68 percent of respondents travel by car, 21 percent walk and 11 percent cited public transportation.

About half of the residents surveyed do not own cars, meaning someone must be available to take them to the store.

With this clear need identified, the full partnership is working together to find if we can attract a full-service grocery store to locate in the center-city area. And don't be confused when you hear that there is a plan for a specialty grocery to be located downtown.

We are all cooperating to get both a full-service grocery to serve the residential neighborhoods and a specialty, deli-type grocery downtown.

Downtown trips

The survey also sought to learn residents' opinions of downtown Racine. Of those surveyed, 51 percent traveled downtown less than once a week, 21 percent said almost every day, 14 percent two or three times a week and 14 percent once a week.

Of those visiting downtown, 26 percent went to walk, window-shop or sightsee. Another 25 percent went to shop, while 21 percent went downtown to use the bus service.

When rating the downtown area, 3 percent said excellent, 8 percent very good, 27 percent good, 31 percent said fair, 27 percent rated it poor and 8 percent stated it was unacceptable.

In answer to the question of what is the name of the store you usually buy your clothes and where is it located, 27 percent answered Regency Mall, and 73 percent said outside the Racine area.

Sustainable Racine and the Community Planning Group will partner with residents in this area to develop a detailed action plan addressing these concerns and other issues identified in the survey.

Together we can make Racine a better place for all people to live. If you have questions or concerns, or want information on how to become involved, you're invited to call Milton F. Dockery at 632-6440, ext. 23

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