Politics & Government
RA Survey Asks a Wide Variety of Questions
Community survey for selected Reston Association members looks beyond RA services at overall picture of life in Reston.
About 3,000 Reston Association households randomly selected for RA's comprehensive community survey should have received their mailings by now.
RA is conducting the survey to "help the association and its Board of Directors better set benchmarks for tracking the quality of services provided to residents," the survey materials say.
The cost of the survey was part of the Reston Association's 2012-2013 biennial budget. Reston Association budgeted $26,000 to cover survey costs. The association hopes to conduct a survey every three to five years to keep up with Reston's rapid growth and change, said RA CEO Milton Matthews.
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The six-page survey asks a variety of questions related to overall life in Reston. Some of the areas residents are asked to rate are well outside of RA's scope of responsibiilty, however.
For example, the survey asks how residents feel about the quality of utility companies, bus service, traffic signal timing and snow removal. It also asks how often you communicate with your neighbors, your commuting methods,and how often you are involved with civic activities such as visiting the library, recycling or participating in religious activities.
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Also asked: "How safe or unsafe do you feel from violent crime or property crime in Reston?" "What impact, if any, do you think the economy will have on you family income in the next six months?" and "Please indicate how much of each type of development (housing; small shops and businesses; large stores and office buildings; and manufacturing and warehouses) you would like to see in Reston in the next 20 years, as population grows.
The bulk of the survey does concentrate on RA services, though. Among the questions:
* Please rate the following categories of Reston Association performance (value of servies for the assessment paid; overall direction that Reston is taking; the job Reston Association does at welcoming involvement).
* How important, if at all are each of the following ideas towards making Reston a great place to live for you and future generations? (some of the selections - preserving open land; making the community more walkable; Enhancing public spaces, parks and trails; keeping a mix of all housing types).
* In the last 12 months, how many times have you or a household member participated in the following activities in Reston? (Some of the selections: visited a Reston park; Read RA news (email); Read RA magazine; Watched videos on RA's YouTube Channel; Used social media; attended an RA sponsored event).
* Please rate each of the following aspects of quality of life in Reston (some of the selections: Reston as a place to live; Reston as a place to raise children; Reston as a place to work; Reston as a place to retire; Reston as a place to get involved).
A complete copy of the survey is in the PDF attached to this story.
Have any opinions on some of these questions? Tell us in the comments. While it won't be counted as official survey answers, Patch is sure RA staff would still like the feedback.
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