The City of Valley Center is in the process of conducting a community survey which will provide residents an opportunity to offer input on various local issues. The survey is being conducted in partnership with Wichita State University. Individual responses to the survey will be sent directly to the university, remain confidential, and no one from the City will see them. Postcard reminders will be mailed out to everyone on June 24th. The survey itself will be mailed out to everyone the week of July 8th. As part of the survey, you will have the opportunity to voice your opinion on how you would like to see local tax dollars spent. The survey will focus on three central areas….grocery store/local retail services, the community’s swimming pool, and recycling. In 2018, Valley Center lost its only full-service grocery store and pharmacy. Since then, there have been many discussions by different groups on how to fill this void in the community. In the survey, you will have the chance to share with local leaders how you feel about the loss of the local grocery store and your thoughts on what, if anything, should be done to replace it. The City is looking for your input on what types of resources you think should be allocated to addressing the grocery store issue, as well as other types of potential retail development projects. The City’s swimming pool is almost 50 years old. It is owned by the City of Valley Center and operated by the Valley Center Recreation Commission. The cost of maintaining the pool as a public amenity is steadily rising. The pool is traditionally open between Memorial Day and mid-August. In 2005-2006, a pool committee was formed to create options for possible pool renovations and/or replacements. The pool renovation options varied in terms of price from approximately $600,000 to over $2,000,000. The estimated cost of creating an entirely new aquatics center was between $1,500,000 and $4,000,000. It should be noted that these figures are over ten years old, which means that the potential price tag of renovation or new construction would be higher than the prices listed above. The pool committee recommended construction of a new pool, but City Council voted instead to perform some short-term renovations to the existing facility. There will be questions in the survey that ask what you think should be done with the existing pool facility and your willingness as a taxpayer to fund various improvements. Recycling is offered in conjunction with trash services by the City of Valley Center. The City has a contract with Waste Management to collect trash and recycling, which will need to be renewed by the end of 2020. Due to recent market volatility in the recycling industry, Waste Management has informed the City that the cost of recycling will undoubtedly increase. Questions in the survey will measure the community’s desire to maintain recycling services beyond 2020. Reasons why YOU should complete the survey…..