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popular; financing is the major sticking point. Participation in recreation programs was also at relatively high level . Thirty-two s gpercent of th reported children participatingin ae households the past year. The most popular prgram was usocth cer, amresult rogram nunique to this community. Satisfaction with youth was virtually unanimous. By ten-to-one, residents alsograms felt that current offerings met the needs of their households. Youth programs, then, are both well utilized and well regarded. A similar pattern emerged in the evaluation of adult recreational programs. Twenty percent of the sample reported participation during the past twelve months. Softball was the most popular program. Dissatisfaction with any offering was almost non-existent. And, seventy-six percent of the residents felt that the programs met their needs. This is one of the strongest evaluations the researchers have found to date. It should be no surprise that a two-to-one majority, sixty-one percent to thirty percent, favor a joint agreement with the School District for providing, programs rather than the City offering programs on its own. Consistent with the high regard of local recreational programs, only eleven percent of the sample reported household members travelled elsewhere to recreate. This "leakage" is between one-half and one-third the norm. Anoka County sports programs seemed to be the out-of-town draw. But, even so, almost eighty percent of the users of out-of-Elk River programs would transfer to city-sponsored offerings if they were comparable. These results, however, should not be construed as indicating that residents used Elk River facilities exclusively: sixty-one percent of the sample reported visiting other county parks during the past year. And, a fifty-one percent to thirty-two percent majority feel that Sherburne County should develop a regional park system to augment other nearby facilities. While venturing to facilities at other locations, then, residents clearly prefer their local facilities to other offerings. A series of facilities which could be added to the park system was listed to gauge residential interest. A nature trial with explanatory sign posts engendered the most interest, with seventy-four percent indicating members of their households would be "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to use it. An outdoor swimming pool drew an interested level of sixty-five percent. A nature area with an educational interpretive center ranked next with sixty-six percent of the households expressing interest. And, play equipment was the fourth most popular facility at forty-four percent likelihood to be used. These preferences are clearly consistent with the household recreational patterns discussed earlier. IIP Attitudes toward the value of a park and recreational system are very strongly held. Seventy-four percent of the citizenry felt that a good city park and recreational system would increase 134