A total of 2,296 responses were received by Gosford Council to its recent Gosford City Culture Survey, an opportunity for customers to provide general feedback on Council’s facilities and cultural services.
The survey was aimed at capturing information on user satisfaction, service quality and value for money. Director of community growth, Ms Judy Jaeger said the results provide an important snapshot of the council’s cultural programs, facilities and open space assets.
Positive comments commended the variety and quality of theatre productions and gallery exhibitions on offer, our wide range of sporting facilities and all year round access, and well equipped and safe open space areas. However, as a result of the survey, Council also recognises that its business practices and operations can be improved.
“Having had the opportunity to review the feedback, we can now implement our ‘you said, we did’ approach, which will ensure we meet the needs and expectations of our community,” Ms Jaeger said. “The feedback overall was extremely constructive and has given us an opportunity to focus our efforts on cultural aspects that are most important to our community.”
Council is currently working on a range of projects as a result of this community feedback. One project is capital works at Gosford Regional Gallery including renovations to the existing building and outdoor structures including new signage, carpet, furniture and toilets, as well as completion of works on a newly renovated cafe.
Equipment upgrades are also under way at local playgrounds. Over the coming months, a series of equipment upgrades and repairs will be made at playgrounds including Palm Gully in North Avoca, Cheryl Avenue in Terrigal and Canning Park in Narara. Ms Jaeger said that along with major works, ongoing improvements will be made to all culture services around the Local Government Area.
“We want to maintain levels of service that received positive feedback while also making improvements in other areas. “We’ll be launching new websites for the Gallery and Theatre in the coming months in addition to some minor building improvements at Laycock Street Community Theatre.
“Our maintenance teams will also be working to provide the highest standard of service to parks, beaches and reserves, which will ensure a positive experience for residents and visitors to the area. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in this survey. “Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will now allow us to ultimately improve and better serve our community,” Ms Jaeger said.