This is a historic document from the Village of Woodlawn 2003
DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS
The Village of Woodlawn is currently involved in major efforts to revitalize Springfield Pike, expand housing options, upgrade and expand its recreation facilities and relocate its Public Works Department to a larger and more accommodating facility.
In addition the Village has built a new Pool House facility that opened mid-June. This facility will be open year – round and will house not only locker and shower facilities for swimmers, but a weight room, party room, concession stand and offices for the Recreation/Community Services staff.
Also, due to a $253,000 grant from the State of Ohio Department of NatureWorks, Woodlawn is currently making major park improvements including the addition of new ballfield lights, a new restroom facility near the Shelter, and the completion of a paved pathway across its fields to connect to the Woodlawn Elementary School parking lot.
he Long Range Planning Committee began meeting as a group which grew out of a Leadership Workshop sponsored by the Village Council in April of 1997. That workshop resulted in agreement on two key action steps. The first step involved the commitment of a core team (led by resident Rowena Gillam) to mount and wage a campaign to ensure the extension of the Municipal Pool Levy, because Pool Levy operating funds had not increased since Pool construction in 1975. The Levy passed successfully, with a millage increase from one to two mills.
The second action step involved the commitment of a separate group of individuals to develop a vision for the Village and set its direction through a long-range or strategic planning process. This Long Range Plan is the end product which resulted from that commitment.
The Long Range Planning Committee was expanded from the original core group of volunteers and began meeting in July, l997. Initially, the Committee engaged in a visioning process utilizing the SWOT analysis technique to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the community. That analysis produced a Committee consensus of the eight key categories to be considered in the formulation of the strategic plan:
Business and Economic Development
Housing
Recreation
Social Services
Physical Infrastructure
Building and Zoning
Annexation Potential
Safety Services: Police, Fire and EMS*
Small groups of Committee members began brainstorming sessions addressing community needs. Each group worked on two to three categories, developing a future vision for each area. Lengthy discussions and frequent debates ensued as the vision took shape.
*This list was subsequently expanded to include Industrial District revitalization, and Governance and Charter review.
After several rounds of discussion, the Committee agreed that its perceptions of community need must be verified. Verification, it was agreed, could only occur effectively and successfully through a formal survey instrument. As a result of this consensus, the Village contracted with the University of Cincinnati’s Institute for Policy Research, which recommended a telephone survey to collect data on residents’ perceptions. Quantitative research was conducted in April, l998, with the resulting data providing baseline measurements of residents’ awareness of and satisfaction with Village services and programs as well as their visions for the Village’s future. A total random sample of 307 Village residents was surveyed by phone, with a sample deviation of +/- 5.6 percent.
The Committee agreed that a telephone survey was unlikely to produce sufficient in-depth data from which draw significant conclusions. Therefore, it was determined that a series of focus groups would be conducted to augment and enhance the process, creating greater reliability and validity. Several key Village populations were identified for their critical feedback, including parents, teens, senior citizens and homeowners.
Focus group facilitators included volunteers from the Long Range Planning Committee as well as Village staff members. All facilitators were trained prior to execution and standardized questions were provided. A scribe assigned to each focus group ensured that feedback was properly recorded, as an adjunct to the tape recording of the majority of the sessions.
Other data:
In addition to information provided by UC’s IPR survey, the Long Range Planning Committee utilized updated Census information provided by the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission as well as information gleaned from the review of the 1975 Master Plan. In addition, Department Heads were interviewed to obtain detailed visions of their respective areas’ evolution over the next five years.