What makes Gilroy awesome? Apart from copious amounts of garlic,
of course. The Discover Gilroy | Building Community committee, a
special coalition consisting of representatives from the City of
Gilroy, City Council, Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development
Corporation and the Visitor’s Bureau wants to know
– and is waiting receptively to hear the good, the bad and the
ugly from online visitors.
To take the survey, click here.
What makes Gilroy awesome? Apart from copious amounts of garlic, of course.
The Discover Gilroy | Building Community committee, a special coalition consisting of representatives from the City of Gilroy, City Council, Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Corporation and the Visitor’s Bureau wants to know – and is waiting receptively to hear the good, the bad and the ugly from online visitors.
A multifaceted survey with a three-pronged aim at tourists, local business owners and residents was launched by Articulate Solutions design group, who was hired by the city in an effort to aid the Garlic Capital in becoming all that it can be: Travel destination, choice town to raise a family, opportune place to move one’s business and succeed.
The study, gilroysurvey.com, was posted Tuesday morning and will be taken down Jan. 31.
Three separate versions for residents, business owners and visitors will ideally play an instrumental role in gathering valuable data, representing a stratified sampling of input that can be put to use to make the city better in more ways than one.
Multiple choice questions for residents include:
“What business or service would you most like to see in downtown Gilroy?”
“What have your experiences with city hall been like?”
“How often do you use a reusable shopping bag?”
Tucker said the survey is a proactive motion after various local agencies observed diverse needs within the city, and decided to prod a little further and confirm their perspectives.
“How do we go about raising awareness, not only to the outsiders but to our own hometown people?” proposed Tucker, who said some people rarely set foot downtown. “It matters whether they shop here,” she said, “even if they work out of town.”
PTA parents, she said, often visit local business when they’re doing school fundraising, but don’t necessarily patronize those businesses.
“Are they aware that even though they work in San Jose, by stopping at the Safeway (in Gilroy) it makes a difference to our tax base?” she reasoned. “We need to capture as many commuters as we can.”
With 200 responses and counting, the committee hopes individual voices will provide some enlightenment to help members in formulating an outreach plan to address global city issues.
Articulate Solutions owner Katherine Felice, who said the study did not mirror any survey models of other cities, was able to provide some of the statistics Thursday.
Judging by the 95 percent of those who answered “Rarely,” city officials are now aware Gilroy’s dog park is vastly unpopular and unheard of with the 200 individuals who took the survey.
Gauging attitude toward a plethora of details, explained Tucker, is part of an overarching strategy to revitalize the downtown, target areas that need to be improved and encourage commuters to stop in the Gilroy for multiple activities – shopping, eating or grabbing a cup of coffee.
Susan Valenta, CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, described the survey as a valuable tool that will give city officials a comprehensive look at all the people who interact in Gilroy, helping to assess trends and expose lapses in services.
The role of Articulate Solutions post survey, for that matter, is to create a marketing/outreach plan with the goal of helping the community feel engaged, plugged in and staying fully informed of what’s at its fingertips.
Felice feels a number of people who live in Gilroy and commute don’t take advantage of the “wonderful amenities” the city offers.
From her standpoint, protocol for new residents is lacking.
There’s no resounding “Welcome to Gilroy! Here’s all the great things to do,” she said.
Instead, she argued, people have to stumble upon elements such as where to volunteer, yearly events, community resources, city activities, concerts, plays, fundraisers, etc. by bulletin boards, word of mouth or scrolling around on the Gilroy’s cityofgilroy.org website.
“There’s so much to be proud of,” she reasoned. “There’s lots of ways to be engaged … but you don’t really know that until you stumble on it. We’re hoping the outreach will hook you in better.”
She threw out a few ideas the committee hopes to generate with their newly acquired knowledge – a publication, or a sort of online welcome wagon.
What information city officials get, Felice explained, they’ll digest the results, and put to use.
Encouraging excellent customer service from the community, for example, is a big goal. One unpleasant encounter with a cranky shopkeeper, and a tourist who’s visiting could get the wrong impression and “think the whole town is cranky,” laughed Felice.
Preventing scenarios where a potential patron high-tails their pocket book to the outlets in Petaluma or Napa to look for discounted Nike sneakers – instead of Gilroy – is key.
Jane Honda, executive director of the Gilroy Visitors Bureau, has been handing business cards with the survey’s web address to areas heavily trafficked by people, including wineries, lodging properties, local shops and Gilroy Gardens.
“That’s my job this week,” she laughed, adding anyone who completes the survey is entered to win a gift basket valued at $250.
Honda said it would be good for the city to understand what a visitor’s perception is, and noted this is the first time Gilroy has reached out for input on such a large spectrum and scale.
“There’s nothing like asking,” she said.
Survey details
Available until Jan. 31 at gilroysurvey.com in English and Spanish. As of Thursday, 200 people have taken the survey. Some results so far show:
– 81 percent of surveyors have ranked customer service at City Hall as “good or excellent.”
– 51 percent said they have purchased their vehicles outside of Gilroy; the most frequently cited reason being “lack of selection.”
– 22 percent responded, “Never used a reusable shopping bag.”
– 95 percent responded, “Rarely visit the dog park.”
