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2007 CED Survey Results
Submitted by Webmaster on Mon, 03/19/2007 - 11:53am.
City Administration
The City of Marion recently invited citizens to complete a survey regarding Marion's possible expansion opportunities in the realm of culture and entertainment. Results from that survey are now available. Please click the "read more" below to see the full results.
| RANK | Q # | RESPONSE | # YES |
| 1 | 1 | Develop a community pedestrian, bike & fitness trail on the old raileroad tracks with downtown serving as the trailhead (include additonal stops downtown); expand the trail to connect with other trails. | 194 |
| 2 | 11 | Have a Farmers market/Flea Market uptown and have it open at 7 a.m. on Saturdays | 155 |
| 3 | 8 | Develop and implement a streetscape plan to enhance Marion's charm | 153 |
| 4 | 16 | Encourage sidewalk seating for restaurants, coffee houses and bars | 151 |
| 5 | 9 | Leverage existing events like Swamp Fox Festival by adding more activities | 140 |
| 6 | 10 | Host family-friendly events such as sidewalk chalk contest, bike rodeo, sand and/or ice sculpture contests, outdoor movies in the park, etc.) | 127 |
| 7 | 17 | Make more restrooms available | 123 |
| 8 | 6 | Encourage downtown and C&E businesses to adopt a "no smoking" policy | 111 |
| 9 | 12 | Host an Art-a-Thon featuring local artists at work in Marion Square Park, residents and visitors can serve as both participants and audience | 104 |
| 10 | 5 | Provide more youth activities (e.g. skate park) | 102 |
| 11 | 4 | Add street vendors offering refreshments | 100 |
| 12 | 7 | Create wall murals at various locations throughout the community | 97 |
| 13 | 14 | Encourage merchant sidewalk sales | 93 |
| 14 | 15 | Offer carriage rides between the Heritage Center and Granger House | 78 |
| 15 | 2 | Capitalize on Marion's railroad history with kiosks to inform and direct visitors to various points of interest. | 75 |
| 16 | 13 | Host a weekend motorcycle or bicycle rally | 52 |
| 17 | 3 | Introduce costumed people to entice audiences into special exhibits at the heritage Center/Granger House | 40 |
| 18 | 18 | Expand retail business hours (I.d. Sunday, Mondays and evenings) | 37 |
| 19 | 19 | Lengthen crosswalk time | 34 |
Respondent Demographics and Other Information
Age Range of Respondents
- 90 people - 40-55 Years Old
- 50 people - 25-39 Years Old
- 41 people - 55-65 Years Old
- 30 people - 65 Years or Older
- 27 people - 18 Years or Under
- 4 people - 18-24 Years Old
Respondents Years in Marion
- 69 people - More than 30 years
- 54 people - 5 Years or Less
- 49 people - 11-20 Years
- 26 people - 5-10 Years
- 21 people - 20-30 Years
Respondents not from Marion said they lived in either Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Anamosa, Springville, Alburnett, Atkins, North Liberty, Coralville, Rowley, Hiawatha or Central City.
Nearly all respondents (154 people) said they worked in Marion, compared to 58 who said they worked elsewhere.
A total of 275 surveys were completed -- 126 electronically and 149 traditionally.
