Lake Johnson Park

“Wolfpack Warriors”

Lizzie White, Stephen Louis, Max Rohskopf,

Andre Brown, Gabriella Richard

PRT 380: Analysis and Evaluation in Park and Recreation

Date: June 19, 2016

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Table of Contents

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Fi`nal Report Components Page Number

Executive Summary 3

Background of Organization 4

SWOT Analysis Matrix and Summary 6

Description of Problem 9

Study Design 11

Findings 15

Conclusions 20

Recommendations 21

References 22

Executive Summary

Lake Johnson Park is one of over 200 Parks that belongs to the City of Raleigh Parks,

Recreation and Cultural Resources Department. The mission of the City of Raleigh Parks

and Recreation program is to connect and enrich the community through providing the

City of Raleigh with opportunities to engage in exceptional experiences (City of Raleigh,

2016). The department maintains over 9,000 acres of parkland and runs a Greenway

Program that was created to complete a network of interconnected trail throughout the

city of Raleigh. Lake Johnson has both an East and West Loop. The Lake Johnson East Loop

is composed of 2.8 miles and there is also a 2.1mile loop trail around the west side of Lake

Johnson. The City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department works

towards their mission by offering a network of public open spaces and recreational trails

which provides for activities such as walking, jogging, hiking, bird watching, nature study,

fishing, picnicking and outdoor fun.

The target market of Lake Johnson Park, owned and operated by the City of Raleigh

is the community of Raleigh and triangle area as a whole. Lake Johnson is classified as a

Lake and Natural Resource Park on the RaleighNC.gov website. On the website they have

clearly outlined park rules, amenities, programs, site rentals, trail information, and shelter

locations to thoroughly communicate to the target market all the park is able to provide

them with to help create a memorable and exceptional experience!

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Introduction and History of the Organization

Lake Johnson Park located on Avent Ferry Road in Raleigh, NC was established in 1952.

Lake Johnson operates from dusk to dawn seven days a week. Lake Johnson is one of many

parks and facilities that is managed and maintained by the City of Raleigh Park, Recreation and

Cultural Resources Department.  The park is made up of over 300 acres of land that surrounds a

150+ acre lake. There is a total of 3.5 miles of well-marked paved greenway trails within the

park, 2.8 miles being the circumference of the central lake. The west side of the park consists of

1.9 miles of unpaved trail. Biking is permitted on both paved and unpaved trails. There is no

parking or admission fee, but you are charged for boat and picnic shelter rentals on a per hour

basis. Lake Johnson Park (Lake Johnson Park, n.d.).  

Lake Johnson has a variety of rules, regulations and programs. All dogs must be under

control and on a leash and pet owners must clean up after their pets, doggie bag dispensers can

be found dispersed around the trail and mainly at the front facility. Alcohol is only permitted at

special events that have applied for a City of Raleigh Alcohol permit. Smoking is only permitted

in the parking lot and so therefor nowhere beyond to limit waste and trash. Biking is allowed

only on the paved greenway and the woodchip trail leading to the boardwalk at the headwaters of

the lake. Swimming is not allowed in the lake but there is a swimming pool in the vicinity. Bank

fishing is prohibited but fishing is permitted from our boardwalk, rental boats, or personal boats

and a current NC fishing license is required to fish at Lake Johnson. Lake Johnson allows non-

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trailer, electric motorized boats to be launched sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week, year-round,

unless the park or lake is closed. All boats must be off the water 30 minutes prior to sunset. They

may only be launched at the designated launching site. Lake Johnson has a Tackle Loaner

Program where in exchange for an ID you can borrow a rod and reel from the park for free. They

also offer other public programs that include: sailing lessons, summer fitness, paddle boating.

“Kritter Kids,” and “Nocturnal Nature” were the most recent nature education programs offered

at Lake Johnson during the summer season. (Lake Johnson Park, n.d.)

Lake Johnson wants to promote spending time outdoors as well as providing educational

experiences to park users. The size of the park allows for a wide variety of activities, which

makes the park appealing to a broad and diverse group of people. There is an activity for every

type of person to enjoy! Raleigh is a busy city and it can be hard to find the proper place to let go

of your tension and anxiety. Lake Johnson provides many adequate places to help reduce tension.

For example, you can go on a jog through the nature trails or sit on the rocking chairs looking out

over the Lake. These are just a few examples of experiences at Lake Johnson that promote a

more stress free life.

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SWOT Analysis

Summary of SWOT Analysis

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Internal* External**

Positive

Strengths

1. Plenty of opportunities for various recreational activities

2. Public programs3. Well-marked trails4. Accessible to disabled5. Variety of amenities6. Clean facility

Opportunities

1. Exercise on the greenway trail

2. Escapism from everyday life

3. Foster sense of community4. Development of social

circles

Negative

Weaknesses

1. Parking - accessibility2. Security/Supervision3. Marketing and public

programing

Threats

1. Animal waste and litter2. Disrespect for rules and

regulations put in place by the park

3. Overcrowding4. Weather5. Other lakes and parks

The strengths of Lake Johnson Park include the size of the Park itself, providing space for

plenty of opportunities for various outdoor recreation activities. Other strengths of Lake Johnson

include the public programs offered, the well marked greenway trails, the cleanliness of the

facility, it is accessible to all people including those with disabilities, and provides a large variety

of amenities. The natural setting has provided Lake Johnson the ability to remain a popular

outdoor recreation space. Even though there are over 300 acres of land throughout the park, it is

very navigable thanks to the use of marked trails and it is also easily accessible for the disabled

with designated ramps and 3.5 miles of paved paths. The park provides a variety of public

programs for all ages as well as a space for almost any type of outdoor activity. Throughout the

park visitors can find themselves in a clean and relaxing area to experience the fresh air.

This venue has many great aspects to it, but it also has a couple of weaknesses that limits

its ultimate success. Parking is one of the biggest weaknesses of Lake Johnson. The lack of

parking spaces limits the park to having a certain amount of visitors at a given time. While the

greenways, trails and lake can accommodate a high capacity of visitors; the lack of parking

spaces keeps visitors from staying to enjoy the experience. The absence of supervision/security is

another weakness presented by Lake Johnson Park. Lake Johnson Park is large facility, which

includes several miles of trail ways and other recreational areas. These areas are not being

monitored by any supervision, which leaves opportunity for vandalism, people getting hurt, or

the breaking of other rules. The final weakness presented is the lack of marketing. Lake Johnson

offers tremendous amounts of recreational opportunities for any person to enjoy, but the only

way the public knows about the programs is by accessing the website or word of mouth. Though

this facility has so much to offer, it is rare to see any marketing strategies being used in the

Raleigh area to get more guests to visit.

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There are a plethora of external opportunities that Lake Johnson Park has the ability to

partake in. People that partake in either group or individual activities at the park have the

opportunity to exercise or relax. Ultimately, the trails and the lake are a place for users to escape

from the chaos of day-to-day life. It is very easy to get caught up in the stress of trying to balance

work, responsibilities, and social life. Furthermore, Lake Johnson Park is a place that gives

others the opportunity to build social connections, expand on existing relationships, and create a

sense of community and meet people with similar interests.

External factors that impact Lake Johnson Park include weather, overcrowding, pollution,

animal waste and surrounding competing parks. Weather and overcrowding depend on the day

one wants to visit Lake Johnson. Because the weather is unpredictable, it can lead to last minute

cancellations of important events. When the sun is shining Lake Johnson tends to have to deal

with overcrowding, which typically remains an issue in the parking lot more so than in the Park.

The lack of space mainly affects the parking situation at Lake Johnson. The Park is large enough

to accommodate quite a few people, but the people will be driven away if parking is a regular

issue.

Description of the Problem

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The first problem with the physical space at Lake Johnson is there is not much room for

parking for the people that have to drive to the park. When the parking lots are full, often time’s

visitors will drive home instead of waiting on a parking space to open up. Parking is a critical

factor to analyze as “servicescape”, Bitner (1992) phrased as being “the physical surroundings of

a service encounter or the man-made surroundings as opposed to the natural or social

environment,” is a key determinant in determining the decisions of people to “stay and/or return

to the setting in the future” (Lambrecht, Kaefer, & Ramenofsky, 2009).

Secondly, there is little to no supervision of the Lake Johnson visitors, each man is

responsible for themselves and also the strangers around them. This is a problem because

without supervision if something goes wrong and no one is there to see it can lead to a serious

injury. Laven and Krymkowski (2005) in their research, “The Relationship Between Visitor-

Based Standards of Quality and Existing Conditions in Parks and Outdoor Recreation” found

that visitor-based standards of quality are generally unrelated to existing conditions. Laven and

Krymkowski (2005) in their study concluded that most visitors found existing park conditions

to meet or exceed their standards of quality. In order for Lake Johnson to maintain their current

conditions and exceed their visitor’s expectations, it is important to always refer back to the

organizational framework, looking for ways to improve the park.

Lastly, Lake Johnson needs some improvement when it comes to management efficiency

and effectiveness. Because Lake Johnson occupies such a vast area, the policies, rules and

regulations need to be regularly updated for each area of the park. A park management plan is a

fundamental public participation document with the potential to support good governance

qualities, such as transparency and accountability (Graham, Amos, & Plumptre, 2003). Park

management requires planning as a team, bringing together new ideas that benefit the system as a

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whole. Park planning and management occur within a hierarchy of law and policies, with the

governing legislation at the top, and site planning and operational management at the bottom. In

order for Lake Johnson to improve its efficiency and effectiveness, they must first put together a

solid plan that can be put into action by all members starting with management.

Our research focused on three criteria during the data collection and evaluation process.

First, customer satisfaction was assessed to see if the park is providing visitors with what they

need in order to fully enjoy their experience. Second, we evaluated the cleanliness and up-keep

of the park. Lastly, we evaluated the physical space of the park, specifically in terms of parking

and safety. We felt that these are Lake Johnsons’ three biggest problems that could lead to poor

customer satisfaction.

Study Design

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Study Population:

This study will evaluate all possible visitors of Lake Johnson Park, which is also what has

been identified as our study population. People from all around the surrounding area enjoy the

fresh air and natural ambiance that Lake Johnson has to offer. Potential participants may come

from all over Wake County and also other surrounding counties. A range of cities could include

but not be limited to Raleigh, Cary, Fuquay Varina, Holly Springs, Durham, Wake Forest, and

many other small towns surrounding Raleigh and all over North Carolina. As of June 2015, there

are about one million people in the Wake County region (United State Census Bureau, n.d.). To

be more specific, this evaluation’s focus will be on the Southwest region of Raleigh due to the

fact that Lake Johnson is centrally located in this region. This area consists of roughly 56

thousand occupants that are more likely to participate as visitors due their close proximity to the

park (Realtor, n.d.). There are several participants that are not North Carolina residents, but

rather visitors to the area, that will not be considered in this study.

The lake’s visitors vary widely in age. Newborns and senior citizens alike come to enjoy

all that the park has to offer. After looking into the statistics of the Southwest Raleigh region,

most occupants of the area are between the ages of 20 to being somewhere in the 30’s (Realtor,

n.d.). Singles, families, and even specialized groups can be found doing various activities at Lake

Johnson (Realtor, n.d.). In the area, there seems to be about an equal divide between households

with children and households without. About 48.5% of people have children, regardless of

marital status (Realtor, n.d.). The existing 51.5 are either married or single but do not have any

children (Realtor, n.d.). The area also consists of a multitude of college undergraduates and

graduates since it is close proximity to North Carolina State University. The median household

income is close to 44 thousand U.S. dollars per year (Realtor, n.d.). Although that is the median

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income, roughly 55% of population of this area receives 10 to 19 thousand U.S. dollars annually

(Realtor, n.d.). Overall, in this area, the population tends to be younger with lower incomes.

Sampling Strategy:

We will be using systematic random sampling to collect data for our sample population

portion for this evaluation. The advantage of using random sampling is that it will make it easier

for us to add a degree of system or process into the random selection of subjects. We also think

this form of data collection will help assure that the sample population is randomized and

accounts for the entire population. Our sampling frame will be anyone who walks through the

two main access points to the trails at the main facility. We will need to have a total of 50 survey

participants, selected at an interval so that we ensure the sample will be appropriate to represent

the population. The sampling fraction will be used as the constant difference between subjects

and will be used to determine the first starting point and interval to further conduct the

systematic sampling. Our interval will be 2 and we will start at the 4th person to walk by, which

means we will survey person number 4, 6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24,26 etc. until we reach 50

participants. Though we did determine that with the population of Southwest Raleigh being

slightly under 57,000 (Realtor, n.d.) that in a perfect study we would have 381 subjects in the

sample (Riddick & Russell, 2008).

A simple random sample is a subset of a statistical population in which each member of

the subset has an equal probability of being chosen. A simple random sample is meant to be an

unbiased representation of a group. We must make sure that all the members of the population

have equal chances of being selected as the starting point (the 4th person to walk through). We

will do this by administering 25 survey on a weekday and 25 on a weekend to get the widest

range of visitors. Then we must be certain that our interval between subjects does not reflect a

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certain pattern present in the population. If a pattern in the population exists and it coincides with

the interval then the randomness of the sampling technique is compromised. To prevent this we

will closely monitor if there is any underlying pattern such as sex, age, race, etc. And if there is a

pattern we will use a modified systematic random sampling technique where we already have

identified the needed sample size.

Criteria

There will be three criteria that will serve as the main focus and foundation of the

evaluation. First, visitor satisfaction will be assessed to see if the park is providing what they

need to fully enjoy their experience. We want to see if visitors are able to accomplish what they

went to the park for in the first place, whether it is for escapism, leisure or physical activity

purposes. Lake Johnson offers a wide variety of amenities such as paddleboat and canoe rentals,

fishing, public programs, nature trails, etc. We want to gain insight on how satisfied visitors’ are

with the park provided amenities.

Second, we will evaluate and analyze the parking lot of Lake Johnson Park, specifically

in regards to limited parking. In this section we will be evaluating how well the area

accommodates its visitors. In our survey we will ask questions about if they feel that any

adjustments need to be made, specifically in terms of parking. We are specifically interested in

gaining a better understanding if the limited parking has an impact on the attendance of the park.

Lastly we will survey the visitors about park cleanliness. To evaluate the cleanliness we

ask participants if they feel that there are an appropriate number of trashcans and dog waste

stations. We will also ask them about the amount of litter they observed around and in the Lake

and ask how they feel about the Park signage instructing visitors to dispose of waste properly and

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utilize the pet waste stations.

Methods

The group will conduct the survey in person at Lake Johnson using a tablet instrument.

They survey will be composed of 20 questions that were written according to the criteria

identified in the previous section. Sample questions will include demographic questions, ranking

questions, likert-type questions, and an open-ended question. The survey will be legible and easy

to understand and follow. An electronic survey will be presented to the park attendees via tablet

that will be given by a group member. We want to approach the participants with smiles, and we

will be wearing our NC State attire to collect the data and legitimize the study. This survey

would work better than in person interviews because it will take less time and researchers ensure

that all topics and information are covered. With interviews, individuals are often limited by time

constraints and limited access. Lastly, we chose to do a survey instead of an interview because it

will be easier to identify and correlate responses whereas with interviews. In a society that is

beginning to focus more on their health, Lake Johnson wants and needs of its park goers. The

fact is that this form of leisurely activity can help people not only around the area but be key

factor in developing parks around the area. This survey is crucial to discovering methods of

expansion of programs and figuring what makes a visitor want to return to Lake Johnson.

Findings

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One of the key things that needed to be evaluated was to see how frequently respondents

visit Lake Johnson and how often they use the park’s utilities. From the data collected one of the

most positive findings was that not one of the 50 respondents answered that they never visit the

lake and only 10% say that they do not use any of the lake’s amenities provided to them. It can

also be noted that 40% of the respondents answered that they visit Lake Johnson at least once a

week and therefore it can be concluded that on average people tend to visit frequently.

Unfortunately, utilities are not used as often; only 22% stated that they use the services and

equipment at least once a week. The highest number of people reported that they mostly use the

parks facilities once a month.

Table 1. A: Univariate Statistics for the Utilization of Park Amenities and Visitation

How often do visitors go to Lake Johnson and how many utilize amenities

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Lake Johnson Park Utilization and AttendancePark amenities utilized Visitation frequency

Once a month 26% 24%Every other week 14% 26%

At least once a week 22% 40%

2-3 times per week N/A 14%

3+ times a week 28% 20%Never 10% N/A

RemarksMode 4 4

Frequency of Visitation Compared to Gender

In the demographics section it was highlighted that the majority of people that visit Lake

Johnson are male being that 50% of the 50 respondents, this including the 6% that chose not to

answer. With that being said it is interesting to evaluate the data comparing the frequency of

visitation and gender because more women than men visit at least once a week. In Crosstabs

Table you may also note that according to the data, women typically tend to frequent Lake

Johnson 2-3 times a week, with about 18%, and so do men with about 16%. By looking at the

data it can also be concluded that men are more spread out with their frequency in visitation

where as women either go only once a week or 2-3 times a week as shown in Crosstabs Table 2.

A.

Crosstabs Table 2. A

Frequency of VisitationOnce a month

Every other week

Once a week

2-3 times a week

3+ times a week

Totals

Female # 3 1 8 9 4 25Female % 6% 2% 16% 18% 8% 50%Male # 1 6 2 8 5 22Male % 2% 12% 4% 16% 10% 44%Prefer not to answer #

0 0 0 3 0 3

Prefer not to answer %

0% 0% 0% 6% 0% 6%

Total # 4 7 10 20 9 50Total % 8% 14% 20% 40% 18% 100%

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Table 2. B

Visitition frequency Park amentities utilized

Once a month # 4 Once a month # 13

Every other week # 7 Every other week # 7

Once a week # 10 At least once a week # 11

2-4 Times a week # 20 3+ Times a week # 14

3+ Times a week # 9 Never # 5

Mode 4 Mode 4

Table 2. B focuses on the visitation frequency of the individuals who come to Lake Johnson

park, and also how often these visitors utilized the amenities offered by this facility. A total of 50

guests were asked questions to determine how frequently they visit the park. These questions

were to be answered based on a Likert-type scale with answer choices such as once a month,

every other week, once a week, 2-4 times a week, and three or more times a week. Table 3A

was created to illustrate the findings from the question. Out of 50 respondents, a total of 4(8%)

stated they visit once a month, 7(14%) every other week, 10(20%) once a week, 20(40%) 2-4

times a week, and 9(18%) 3 or more times a week. Overall these findings are a huge positive

for Lake Johnson park. The highest three percentages were for those individuals that stated

they visited the park multiple times a week. The highlight of these findings is the mode, which is

4. This means individuals are coming to the park very frequently. The other findings supported

by the chart is how often visitors are utilizing the amenities that Lake Johnson park offers. Lake

Johnson provides a variety of amenities ranging from boat rentals to fishing. These amenities

are incorporated to help provide a fun time for visitors. As like the previous question, a Likert-

type scale question was asked to 50 visitors about how often they utilized amenities. The

answer choices for this question was once a month, every other week, at least once a week, 3

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or more times a week, and never. Of the 50 respondents, 13(26%) stated they utilized the

amenities once a month, 7(14%) every other week, 11(22%) at least once a week, 14(28%) 3 or

more times a week, and 5(10%) never. These findings were also positive for Lake Johnson, but

it also shows that they must begin to do things to increase the frequency of how often visitors

are using the amenities. Strategies such as marketing and better amenities choices can be

incorporated to help the increase of utilization.

Customer Satisfaction

This section describes 50 respondents’ level of satisfaction with various areas of Lake

Johnson Park. The specific areas of the park we were asking for feedback on include the parking,

cleanliness, and landscape of Lake Johnson as well as how safe visitors feel and their overall

enjoyment of their outdoor recreation experience at Lake Johnson. Each participant had the

opportunity to rank each area as either poor, fair, good, very good or excellent. Table 2.A

summarizes this data.

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Table 3 A: Ranking satisfaction

Ranking of Lake Johnson Facilities1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Mean

Parking 5 8 10 12 15 3.48Cleanliness 15 11 7 16 1 2.54Public Programs 3 4 15 4 24 3.84Landscape 21 13 10 4 2 2.06Safety 5 14 10 14 7 3.08

The mean level of satisfaction for parking is 3.26, for cleanliness 2.9, landscape 3.26, safety

3.02, and overall enjoyment had a mean of 3.42. The overall mean for enjoyment is the highest

area of them all, which is great that people are getting what they want out of their visit to Lake

Johnson

Chart 3.A Parking Issue

10%Minor Problem

36%Nuetral

54%Moderate Problem

Parking Issue

Not at all a problem Minor problem Nuetral

Moderate Problem Serious problem

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Chart 3. A shows that parking is a ‘moderate problem’ for over 50% of those surveyed. This is a

overwhelming majority considering not all Lake Johnson visitors drive to the park. This could be

the reason why no one responded with ‘not at all a problem’ or ‘serious problem’ because those

that don’t have to drive would be either ‘neutral’ (36%) or think it is not a problem at all. And

the ones who believe parking is a ‘minor problem’ (10%) don’t think it is serious enough to say

it is a ‘serious problem’. Parking also had a mean ranking of 3.48 as shown in Table 3. A which

means it was consistently ranked one of the worst as far as satisfaction with the visitors

surveyed.

Chart 4.A Importance-Performance Analysis

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This venue has many great aspects to it, but it also has a couple of weaknesses that limit

its ultimate success. Parking is one of the biggest weaknesses Lake Johnson Park has. As shown

in Chart 4.A it is the lowest performing attribute in our performance/importance analysis with a

mean of importance at 2.42 and a mean performance of 4.42 from our 50 respondents. This gap

between how important parking is to the visitors and its performance could be even greater if

respondents were asked on a particular busy day where the lack of accessibility for people who

don’t live within walking distance can be troublesome. The lack of parking spaces limits the park

to having a certain amount of visitors at a given time.

The absence of supervision/security is another weakness presented by Lake Johnson

Park. Chart 4.A shows that safety must be addressed more seriously moving forward with a

mean of importance at 3.08 and a mean performance of 4.1 from our 50 respondents. Everyone

needs to feels safe in an environment for the public to meet and congregate, put the lack of

security effort at Lake Johnson may be the reason the performance was low.

Cleanliness was yet another attribute that fell in the “Concentrate here” quadrant. As

shown in Chart 4.A it is an aspect that needs adjusted according to our performance/importance

analysis with a mean of importance at 3.08 and a mean performance of 4.6 from our 50

respondents. Cleanliness is important because this is a place where people bring their kids and

pets to exercise and play. With a large amount of people coming in and out of the park, it is not

cost effective to hire someone to keep things clean, Lake Johnson will have to educate and

provide the recourses for the visitors to clean up after themselves.

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The best performing attribute as shown in Chart 4.A is Public programs in our

Performance/importance analysis with a mean of importance at 3.16 and a mean performance of

3.52 from our 50 respondents. Putting it in a lower priority status but it also out performs

parking, cleanliness and safety, all which have been shown to be more important. This will not

be an area of focus for us.

Conclusion  

Based on our survey we have concluded that Lake Johnson does a lot well, but does have

some things they can improve on. Lake Johnson offers a wide variety of amenities such as

paddleboat and canoe rentals, fishing, public programs, nature trails, etc. What we have

determined is Lake Johnson has poorly performed in important aspects defined by the survey

responses and that they need to make adjustments to improve the parking situation, cleanliness

and safety.  Parking is a critical factor to analyze as “servicescape”  Bitner (1992) phrased as

being “the physical surroundings of a service encounter or the man-made surroundings as

opposed to the natural or social environment,” is a key determinant in determining the decisions

of people to “stay and/or return to the setting in the future” (cited in Lambrecht, Kaefer, &

Ramenofsky, 2009). What we found to be particularly interesting was that every aspect we

decided to set our criteria on (safety, cleanliness, and parking) they all fell in the “concentrate

here” quadrant in the performance-importance analysis. In our SWOT analysis we believed that

the parking would be one of their weakness and it was. From conducting our survey, we now

know Lake Johnson should extend their parking-lot to accommodate for the much larger crowd

they receive.       

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Recommendations

Based on our survey results we were able to identify and conclude the three main areas of

Lake Johnson Park that need improvement is safety, parking and cleanliness. The key areas that

visitors identified as problems according to survey answers were parking, the absence of

supervision/security, and cleanliness. Respondents suggested parking is the biggest weakness

that Lake Johnson presents. With the lack of parking area, visitors do not have the option of

visiting the park if spots are already taken. To solve this problem, we will be recommending that

management incorporate parking spots in place of some of the unused wooded area near the

parking lot. We believed by simply adding about 20 more parking spaces, there can be a positive

impact on the parking issue.

Supervision/security was also a problem area presented by our survey results. A focus

needs to be put on security for trails and many of the other amenities. While there are not many

reported incidents at the facility, there is still no peace of mind for many of the visitors.

Respondents felt that by hiring park rangers to monitor the park periodically, it would help

visitors to feel more safe and able to enjoy their time at Lake Johnson Park.

Lastly, cleanliness presented an issue for many of those surveyed. Lake Johnson Park is a

very large facility that takes up a large area. Having a clean area is very difficult based on its

size, but respondents felt like this is something that should be a huge priority. The cleanliness of

the park is the area with the most room to improve. To improve the cleanliness of the park, Lake

Johnson could host a monthly litter pick up program that is volunteer based. Another idea is for

the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Council to install more trashcans and pet waste stations along

with more signage to instruct users to throw away waste.

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References

Lake Johnson Park. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2016, from

https://www.raleighnc.gov/parks/content/ParksRec/Articles/Parks/LakeJohnson.html

Realtor. (n.d.). Lifestyle & Demographics. Retrieved May 25, 2016, from

http://www.realtor.com/local/v1.0.72.0-p141/Southwest-Raleigh_Raleigh_NC/lifestyle

Riddick, C.C., & Russell, R.V. (2008). Research in recreation, parks, sport, and tourism (2nd

Edition). Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing.

United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Wake County, North Carolina. Retrieved May 25, 2016

from http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/RHI105210/37183

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