8.1. SR 07-18-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MARKET ANALYSIS City of Elk River, MN Feasibility Study * Page 48 stronger marketing position through an association with a medical organization and a user group that will provide a solid and consistent revenue stream for the center. This is enhanced by the fact that most therapy use times occur during the slower mid-morning or afternoon times in the pool and the facility. Despite the recent emphasis on recreational swimming and therapy, the more traditional aspects of aquatics (including swim teams, instruction and aqua fitness) remain as the foundation for many aquatic centers. The life safety issues associated with teaching children how to swim is a critical concern in most communities and competitive swim team programs through United States Swimming, high schools, and other community based organizations continue to be important. Aqua fitness, from aqua exercise to lap swimming, has enjoyed strong growth during the last ten years with the realization of the benefits of water-based exercise. The placement of traditional instructional/competitive pools, with shallow depth/interactive leisure pools and warm water therapy pools in the same enclosure has been well received in the market. This idea has proven to be financially successful by centralizing pool operations for recreation services providers and through increased generation of revenues from patrons willing to pay for an aquatic experience that is new and exciting. For many centers, the indoor aquatic complex has become the focal point for the facility and has expanded markets and ultimately revenues. As with fitness, the City’s partnership with the YMCA affords Elk River Residents access to an aquatic center and as a result there is no need to duplicate an aquatic center in the community. Non-Sport Participation Statistics: The parks and recreation facility inventory in the Primary Service Area focuses on more active/physical pursuits. However, it is important to note that inclusion of non-sport activities is necessary to provide a community a well-rounded experience. Participation in a broad range of passive activities and cultural pursuits is universal and essential to a well-rounded center. This information is useful in determining some of the program participation and revenue in the operations section of the report. While there is not an abundance of information available for participation in these types of activities as compared to sports activities, there are statistics that can be utilized to help determine the market for cultural arts activities and events. There are many ways to measure a nation’s cultural vitality. One way is to chart the public’s involvement with arts events and other activities over time. The NEA’s Survey of Public Participation in the Arts remains the largest periodic study of arts participation in the United States, and it is conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau. A large number of survey respondents – similar in makeup to the total U.S. adult population – permits a statistical snapshot of American’s engagement with the arts by frequency and activity type. The survey has APPENDIX B