In the fall of 2023, nearly 300 Northfield residents responded to a survey from the Community Center Task Force. The survey was available from September 15th through October 15th and was available around town as well as on social media. With help from data analyst Bob Keeley, the task force has reviewed people's responses about what they would like in a potential Northfield Community Center.
The Community Center Task Force is one of three that grew out of community meetings organized by the Vermont Council on Rural Development last spring. Co-chaired by Jeanne Bright and Cara Gauthier, the task force decided on a survey to help gauge community interest and preferences for a community center and guide the task force's work going forward.
Survey respondents selected organized events like the Labor Day Parade and Observances and the Farmers Market as their favorite existing activities. Hiking trails, the Brown Public Library, and Northfield's parks and pool also enjoyed strong support. Favorite places to gather were led by the Community Room at the Brown Public Library, listed by 163 people, followed by Depot Square and the Common. Northfield Middle High School earned the third-highest number of responses for where people like to congregate.
For what kind of activities they would most like to have at a community center, 131 people chose music, dance, and art lessons. Crafting lessons such as knitting and quilting were selected by 119 respondents. Other strong choices were indoor sports at 123 and outdoor sports at 104.
Two questions attempted to measure respondents' general preferences for what they wanted in a community center. Question 7 asked people "What type of activities does Northfield most need a new space to support?" Respondents could choose only one. All three options had solid support, with Indoor Athletic Recreational Activities at 93, Social gathering and meeting space at 85, and Arts and Education Activities at 80.
Question 8 was "Rank the following in order of priority (highest priority first):
a) An internet information hub with a paid administrator that offers a community calendar as well as information about all available community services, programs, activities, and events.
b) Renovation and enhanced usage of existing community spaces and resources
c) A paid parks and recreation director to manage current community spaces and resources as well as create new opportunities
d) A new community center
Organizing responses used a ranked-choice voting method, weighting a first-choice vote most heavily, followed by a second-choice, and so forth. Question 8 results did not reveal a strong preference:
Internet hub: 1274
Existing spaces: 1304
Paid director: 1288
New community center: 1230
One question on which people showed a strong preference was where a community center should be located: on or near Depot Square and the Common was the clear winner. Weekends and evenings also were clear winners for times people said they would most use a community center.
At upcoming meetings, the task force must now decide how to move forward. 81 survey respondents offered to help provide activities at a community center. The Community Center Task Force has been meeting one evening a month.
A community forum will be held at the Brown Public Library on Monday, February 19th from 6 to 8 pm to present and discuss the survey results and the next steps for the Community Center Task Force. All are invited and welcome to attend.
If you would like to be invited to upcoming meetings, make suggestions, or be in touch, please contact the task force at northfieldcommunitycenter@gmail.com or visit their website at https://sites.google.com/view/northfield-community-center/home.