Village of Ashton Community Survey and Analysis 2016

Village of Ashton
Community Survey and Analysis
2016
Village President:
Don Ross
Board of Trustees:
Tom Balch
Meghan Clark*
Sue Larson
Tim Hennert*
Dean Muerer**
Kevin O’Dell
Consultant:
Andrew S. Kida, MPA
*Community & Economic Development Committee Member
**Community & Economic Development Committee Chairman
Copyright 2016, Village of Ashton
In 2015, the Village of Ashton Community & Economic Development Committee agreed to proceed
with a community survey for the purpose of establishing the groundwork for a Comprehensive Plan.
The survey was developed in conjunction with Andrew S. Kida, MPA, consulting in the process.
Questions were developed through the committee and an online version of the survey was established.
The survey was released to the public December 15, 2015. It was made available to the public for
the period from December 15, 2015 until January 30, 2016, and was available via online access as
well as hand written submission.
During this time frame, there were 84 online surveys filled via the internet and 2 completed in writing.
In considering the confidence rating, the population used for the overall rating is the population of
Ashton Township. According to US Census numbers, the population of Ashton Township is 1,185.
The population of the Village of Ashton is 972 according to census figures.
The confidence rating for this survey is 95% +/-10%.
The scale used for this survey was a Likert scale with a value of 1 through 5, with 1 being a low rating
and 5 being high rating. The numbers were assigned a value and averaged for a total score. For the
purpose of this evaluation, any score from 3.4 and above is considered more than satisfied given the
variable is +/- 10%. A score of 2.8 or lower is considered less than satisfactory. Any number in
between is considered indifferent.
Some of the data will be broken down by demographic. It is important to note that only four of the
respondents did not fill out demographic information for gender, and two of those respondents who
did not provide gender also did not provide age. Therefore, there is high confidence that the
demographic data is as accurate as the survey itself.
Section 1 of the survey asked the community to assess the services that the Village provides. The
areas addressed were Water, Sewer, Streets, Sidewalks, Alleys, Garbage Collection, Yard Waste
Collection, Police, Library, Mills & Petrie, Building Inspector, Zoning Board, Cemetery, Parks &
Recreation, Economic Development and Food Pantry.
The following services rated more than satisfactory.
Water
3.56
Sewer
3.63
Garbage Collection 4.01
Police
3.51
Library
3.68
Mills & Petrie
3.97
Clerk’s Office
3.48
Cemetery
3.75
Respondents: 81
Average: 3.56
Respondents: 82
Average: 3.63
Respondents: 81
Average: 4.01
Respondents: 81
Average: 3.51
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.68
Respondents: 85
Average: 3.97
Respondents: 79
Average: 3.48
Respondents: 80
Average: 3.75
These numbers reflect certain aspects of the comments left in the long answer sections of the survey.
The highest rated service in the city is garbage collection. There are numerous comments in the long
answer section which point out the cleanliness of the Village.
The answers supplied also indicate that the services the Village itself provides is satisfactory to the
citizens. The facilities and their operation are highly rated, including the Mills & Petrie, Library,
Cemetery, Police and Clerk’s Office.
It is recommended that these areas, although rated highly, should establish goals for maintaining or
improving the services they provide. These are obvious areas of civic pride as recognized by the
community.
Based on the values provided, there is no need for demographic breakdown.
The following services were rated indifferent.
Alleys
Yard Waste
Building Inspector
Zoning Board
Parks & Recreation
Food Pantry
2.89
3.09
3.04
3.04
3.28
3.33
Respondents: 81
Average: 2.89
Respondents: 81
Average: 3.09
Respondents: 79
Average: 3.04
Respondents: 76
Average: 3.04
Respondents: 83
Average: 3.28
Respondents: 78
Average: 3.33
There was no significant disparity in value from center in the data for any of the above categories.
Alleys rated below the median of 3.0 only because two respondents rated it the lowest possible as
compared to those rating it a 4, which thereby swings the average value below the median.
Yard Waste Collection had a clear handful of respondents completely dissatisfied overall, but a larger
amount of citizens more than satisfied. The demographic age data indicates a high level of
dissatisfaction in the ages of 21-30. 31-40 and 41-50 were at the median within variable, while 51-65
rated 3.45 and 65+ rated 3.9.
Zoning and Building Inspector had a large number of respondents rating directly at the median,
indicating that the respondents had little or no interaction with those services.
Parks & Recreation had a much higher number of positive responses than were negative when
considering the somewhat satisfied responses with a 4 versus the somewhat dissatisfied responses with
a 2. From an age demographic standpoint, the group most dissatisfied with this service is the ages of
31-40. Their average rating was 2.75. This demographic is typically in the range of people who
have teenage children or who would actively use facilities other than what the Village currently offers.
The age demographics of 21-30 and 65+ were at the median. 41-50 scored a 3.64, while the 51-65
demographic rated at a high of 3.95. This age demographic typically has young children or
grandchildren which is most likely to use the facilities the Village offers. There was only one
respondent under the age of 10, who rated this as completely dissatisfied. The other two respondents
under 20 years of age rated this category as completely satisfied.
The Food Pantry received mostly high marks. The important notes to make here are the age
demographics behind the lower scores. Of the 19 respondents who rated this a one or a two, 11 of
those respondents were in the age group of 31-40. 58% of the dissatisfied respondents to the Food
Pantry were in this age group. It is also important to note that 45% of the respondents in this age
group rated the the Food Pantry as dissatisfied.
The following services were rated less than satisfactory.
Streets
2.20
Sidewalks
2.37
Economic Development 2.33
Respondents: 82
Average: 2.20
Respondents: 83
Average: 2.37
Respondents: 79
Average: 2.33
Streets were by far the lowest rated service the Village provides. Based on the responses to the long
answer questions, the results should be directed more towards the condition of the streets rather than
any other services the Village provides in the areas of cleaning or snow removal. It is important to
note that there was not a single individual who indicated complete satisfaction.
Sidewalks show very similar results to streets, although there was at least one person who indicated
they were completely satisfied. The important difference between Streets and Sidewalks is the
number of respondents at the median.
Economic Development was another area with universal dissatisfaction. Since there is a great deal of
data in the sections concerning business, more in depth analysis with demographics will be noted
there.
From the services listed above, which do you think are the 3 most important?
(*See Appendix A and Appendix B for complete answers)
What important issues, if any, do you feel need to be addressed to improve
Ashton as a community? (*See Appendix C for complete answers)
Section 2 of the survey dealt with the types of specific businesses the respondents think are important
to a community (How important is it to you to have the following types of businesses within Ashton?).
This is not necessarily a reflection of businesses the respondents would patronize, rather it leans more
towards the types of businesses they would like to see in the Village.
The following services were rated higher than the median of 3.3.
Bank
4.42
Doctor
4.04
Restaurant
4.27
Grocery Store
4.13
Gas Station
4.65
Auto Repair
3.79
Electrician
4.22
Plumber
4.35
Laundromat
3.69
Computer Services 3.69
Respondents: 86
Average: 4.42
Respondents: 86
Average: 4.04
Respondents: 86
Average: 4.27
Respondents: 85
Average: 4.13
Respondents: 82
Average: 4.65
Respondents: 85
Average: 3.79
Respondents: 85
Average: 4.22
Respondents: 85
Average: 4.35
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.69
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.69
The data for these responses are not determined to require demographic analysis as they are
predominantly overwhelming in their rated importance. The two lowest rated areas of demographic
for laundromat are ages 21-30 at 3.43 and 65+ at 3.27. The highest rated was ages 51-65 at 4.19
Computer services indicates the lowest level of interest in the 21-30 year demographic. That rating
averaged 2.57. 51-65 rated 3.0. 65+ rated 3.18, while 31-40 rated 3.29 and the highest average was
in the 41-50 demographic at 3.33.
There were eight businesses which fell into the median category with the variable applied.
Pharmacy
3.28
Hardware
3.26
Resale
2.97
Dollar Store
2.99
Hair Salon
3.22
Barber
3.19
Real Estate Agency 2.86
Tavern
3.00
Respondents: 85
Average: 3.28
Respondents: 85
Average: 3.26
Respondents: 86
Average: 2.97
Respondents: 86
Average: 2.99
Respondents: 83
Average: 3.22
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.19
Respondents: 84
Average: 2.86
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.0
The Pharmacy demographic showed the least interest in the 41-50 demographic as well as the 65+
demographic, both averaging 3.0. 51-65 came in at 3.19. 31-40 averaged 3.42. The highest
average of the group was 21-30, averaging 4.14. The largest percentage of demographic rating this
category not important was the 41-50 age range, with 22% selecting this answer.
Hardware saw very similar results as Pharmacy. The only major difference was a higher score in the
65+ age at 3.63 and a lower score in the 21-30 range with 3.43. There was no significant statistical
value to a selection of 1 or 5 ratings in any age demographic.
Resale business saw lows in the middle demographics with 2.48 in the 51-65 range, 2.78 in the 41-50
range, and 2.79 in the 31-40 range. The demographics of 65+ saw 3.46 and the 21-30 range tallied
3.28.
Dollar Store had one demographic appear in the average area of unimportant. The range of 51-65
rated it at 2.57. There were 7 of 21 votes in that demographic which rated it a 1 in importance.
Within the demographic, this made up for 33% of the votes cast, and nearly 50% of all the ratings of
the lowest score across all demographics. The other ranges were 65+ at 2.82, 31-40 at 2.96, 41-50 at
3.39 and 21-30 at 4.29.
Hair Salon and Barber were both leaning favorable with very similar numbers. There were a larger
number of indifferent responses to Barber as compared to Hair Salon, which stand to reason as a
greater number of women completed this survey as compared to men. It is only natural that one
gender would be indifferent towards a service they would most likely not use.
Real Estate Agent had a heavier lean towards unimportant. Although not part of the demographic, it
can be determined that this is most likely due to the more recent amount of rental properties in the
community.
Tavern was the most evenly spread response to any question asked throughout the entire survey. It
rated an exact 3.0 overall. The demographic breakdown is mostly as expected, with the highest
averages in the 41-50 range at 3.72, and 51-65 range at 3.25. 31-40 averaged 2.95 which is in the
median with variable. 65+ rated this category at 2.46 and 21-30 rated it at 2.0. These are small
sample sizes and had the largest percentages of responses with a score of 1.
There were four businesses which ranked as not important.
Fast Food
Dentist
Insurance Agency
Liquor
2.74
2.66
2.69
2.30
Respondents: 85
Average: 2.74
Respondents: 84
Average: 2.66
Respondents: 84
Average: 2.69
Respondents: 83
Average: 2.30
Fast Food is a category that has strong demographic support in some areas, but very weak support in
others. The age groups of 21-30 ranked it at 3.71 and 41-50 at 3.39. 51-65 scored at 2.62, 65+ at
2.27, and 31-40 came in at 2.17. The last age group also saw the highest percentage of lowest scores
with eight votes cast for unimportant, making it exactly 1/3rd of the votes cast. If you include the
somewhat unimportant votes, it comes to 54%.
Dentist rated highest and above the median in the 21-30 (3.57) and 65+ (3.18) ranges. All other
demographics were well below the median. 31-40 (2.72), 41-50 (2.33), 51-65 (2.28). 1/2 of the
respondents in the 41-50 demographic rated Dentist a 1 on the scale of importance.
Insurance Agency saw no demographic above the median.
high of 2.85.
All were between a low of 2.63 and a
Liquor Store rated the lowest out of any category in business importance. The highest ratings were in
the 21-30 (2.52) and 41-50 (2.61) demographics. The number arcs are very similar to those cast in
the Tavern responses. There may be some opinions in this category showing resentment over the
recent grocery store being perceived as dominated by liquor as those opinions do turn up in the open
ended questions.
When considering what types of businesses would attract citizens to downtown, the common response
was Grocery. Other common responses were Pharmacy, Laundromat, Hardware, and Resale.
What types of businesses would attract you to downtown? (See Appendix D and
Appendix E for complete answers)
Name 3 things you like best about Ashton? (*See Appendix F for complete answers)
If you could change anything about Ashton, what would it be? (*See Appendix G
for complete answers)
Section 3 of the survey dealt with the characteristics of downtown (What level of improvement is
needed in the following DOWNTWON characteristics?).
The areas above the median were:
Streets
Sidewalks
Building Facades
Handicapped Accessibility
New Businesses
3.95
3.47
3.62
3.53
4.05
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.95
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.47
Respondents: 86
Average: 3.62
Respondents: 83
Average: 3.53
Respondents: 85
Average: 4.05
These responses were fairly universal across all demographics.
rating.
Very few responses garnered a 1
The remaining responses all fell within the median range of 2.8 to 3.3
Lighting
Parking
Greenery
3.15
2.94
3.17
Respondents: 83
Average: 3.15
Respondents: 82
Average: 2.94
Respondents: 85
Average: 3.17
These numbers indicate that although the respondents may have differing opinions on the need for
these three points, they do not rank them high enough in consideration for improvement for
downtown.
Section 4 centered on Parks & Recreation for the Village (How satisfied are you with Parks and
Recreation facilities in Ashton?). Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with the facilities
the Village offers. All areas rated above the median.
Griffith Park
Mills & Petrie
Splashpad
Library
3.57
4.06
3.33
3.66
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.57
Respondents: 85
Average: 4.06
Respondents: 84
Average: 3.33
The only demographic worth noting is on the Splashpad. Two groupings fell into the median with
31-40 at 3.08 and 41-50 at 3.28. All other demographics were above the median. It is interesting to
note that there were nearly double the number of respondents who rated it as a 5 versus the number of
respondents who rated it a 1. A majority of the Not Satisfied At All respondents came from the 31-40
range (5 in quantity), but they were equaled in that same demographic who rated it Completely
Satisfied.
The final section of the survey dealt with expanding Parks and Recreation.
An overwhelming majority of respondents support the expansion of Parks & Recreation in the Village
with a 78.6% favorable rating for this concept.
Do you favor increasing Parks & recreation in Ashton?
If you were asked in the future to vote on the creation of an Ashton Park
District which would have taxing authority, would you favor it?
An overwhelming majority of the Yes votes came in the ages of 21-40. There were 17 Yes, 1 No, and
13 Undecided. The demographic most against creating a Park District is the 41-50 range. There
were 10 No, 2 Yes, and 5 Undecided. This demographic can not change with the Undecided votes
and the variable combined. The Under 10 to 20 had only 3 votes cast. 2 No and 1 Yes.
0-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-65
65+
2N
0N
1N
10N
6N
2N
1Y
4Y
13Y
2Y
9Y
3Y
3U
10U
5U
6U
6U
The demographic results are as follows:
The key results in this survey indicates that a majority of the people who took this survey have lived in
the Ashton area for more than 10 years and a larger majority also spend most of their home/work hours
within a 15 mile radius of the Village.
What do you consider to be the top challenges facing Ashton? (See Appendix H
for complete answers)
Additional comments (*See Appendix I for complete answers)
Appendix A
Complete text of long answer question one (From the services listed above, which do you think are
the 3 most important?):
streets
Water, sewer, streets
Bank, Grocery store, gas station.
Library maintence if the streets and the water/sewer
Water quality is extremely important. Sanitary sewer would be next. Then, I would say economic
development to help balance tax burden away from property tax
Police, Streets, Water
Streets and sidewalks.
Economic development , water/sewer , streets
Streets Sidewalks
Water Sewer
Economic development , we need to keep moving forward trying to make this town more appealing to
younger families. It does seem like we do a pretty good job at promoting the businesses we have but
there is always room for improvement. Streets Alleys
gas station. bank. restaurant.
Water,Sewer,Yard waste pickup
main street//main street lights/library.
Police Streets and Alleys Economic Development
Police, streets, parks.
Streets Parks Village Clerk
Need s Food store for those of us who cannot get into Dixon
Streets, sidewalks, sewer
Police, streets, water
Streets Economic
Streets Wastewater Managing growth
1. The Food bank....did not know Ashton had one and where is it located? 2. Police... we need a new
chief and soon....it is hard to replace Darrell but we seem to have had a lot of break ins lately and
nothing has be done. 3. Streets.....so many streets and alleys are bad and we need to get them fixed in a
timely manner some have been made and for that I am thankful but we still have a long way to go. 4.
We need to find a way to rebuild our town ....a store that sells food NOT liquor is needed for many of
our elderly residents it would also bring in taxes for our community
Water, Streets, Police
Streets Business services Board members
Water Library Sidewalks
Streets
Water department.
streets economic development police
Sidewalks, water, parks
Water sewer police
Streets Economic development Police
streets police economic development
Parks recreation - we need more kid stuff to do in this town. People keep leaving instead of staying
Library need major overhaul and cleaning job! Sidewalks and lack of sidewalks Mills n Petrie cost to
much for our community to use.
Streets eco development
streets, sanitation and water
Sewer, water and garbage collection.
Yard, food pantry, parks/recreation
Food pantry, village clerk office, sidewalks
Streets Sidewalks Development
Appendix B
Edited text used for the word cloud associated with the first long answer question (From the services
listed above, which do you think are the 3 most important?). Some words were changed for
uniformity. Example: Streets and streets would register as two different submissions due to case
sensitivity, so the upper case was changed. Also, words not pertinent to the purpose of the question
were removed and the quantity of words used was limited to the top 50.
streets
water, sewer, streets
bank, grocery store, gas station.
library maintenance if the streets and the water sewer
water quality is extremely important. Sanitary sewer would be next. Then, I would say economic
development to help balance tax burden away from property tax
police, streets, water
streets and sidewalks.
economic development , water sewer , streets
streets sidewalks
water sewer
economic development , we need to keep moving forward trying to make this town more appealing to
younger families. It does seem like we do a pretty good job at promoting the businesses we have but
there is always room for improvement. streets alleys
gas station. bank. restaurant.
water,sewer,yard waste pickup
main street//main street lights/library.
police streets and alleys economic development
police, streets, parks.
streets parks village clerk
Need s food store for those of us who cannot get into Dixon
streets, sidewalks, sewer
police, streets, water
streets economic
Streets sewer growth
food pantry police streets taxes community
water, streets, police
streets business services board members
water library sidewalks
streets
water department.
streets economic development police
sidewalks, water, parks
water sewer police
streets economic development police
streets police economic development
parks recreation
library sidewalks Mills n Petrie
streets economic development development
streets, sewer and water
sewer, water and garbage collection.
yard, food pantry, parks recreation
food pantry, village clerk office, sidewalks
streets sidewalks development
Appendix C
Full text of the submissions for long answer question two (What important issues, if any, do you
feel need to be addressed to improve Ashton as a community?).
We have horrible water, some "elders" need to step down and let you get generation take care of
things to do around our town.
The streets, they are horrible! And who is our local police chief; do we even have one?
streets
Streets and sidewalks need improving. Tired of seeing cars, trucks, trailers parked in parkways.
Need a grocery store
Grocery store Streets
Managing growth before it arrives
Fix the streets properly.
Economic growth.
More communication about services and events offered, more spotlight on small businesses in town,
Street Maintenance. Economic Development.
More economic develoment to get subdivision, find someone to invest in grocery store. Some type of
incentive for people to move to this town
cleanliness
1. We need to find a way to rebuild our town ....a store that sells food NOT liquor is needed for many
of our elderly residents it would also bring in taxes for our community. 2. The library needs to have an
overhaul it is not wheelchair accessible for children and is not up to date as other towns. They never
seem to have ink in the printers and not every one has a printer or computer at home. 3. Who ever
picks up the yard waste needs to do a better job. If they can not handle the job...time to find a
replacement. It sits out side along the curb for days before it is picked up and several times we have
had to call the village office to have them notify who ever and then it gets picked up.
the sidewalks and streets
More for the kids to do
Everyone going in the same direction
Trees need to be trimmed near intersections so we can see to pull out. In winter street corners need to
plowed around the corners so you can pull out without driving in a pile of snow. Alleys need to have
more than one swipe thru and cleaned out around corners into streets. Recycle bins need to be emptied
more frequent. Have been there 3 times this week and so full! Hope we get some street repairs this
spring.
Housing
Improve infrastructure and have a long term plan
being new to ashton as of this year, we saw that Griffith park could use some attention- namely to the
sitting area where all the grafiti is at, also in the wintertime there is a great place for the kids to slide
down on that same hill, however, there could be some tires or a safety zone around the tree that sits in
the middle of the hill at the bottom so kids wont get hurt by that. we would love to have a community
part cleanup day where the community gathers to clean up griffith park, and maybe even could help
with some new paint to the sitting area.... this is all suggestion and we think it would be a good idea to
help get people together --especially those new to the community. this is a great little town and we are
glad we are here!
downtown appearance streets business
None
Upholding village ordinances. Disruptive animals. Unlicensed cars and trucks sitting around. Parking
on sidewalks. Patrolling police.
Same as above along with getting rid of some people that control things like food pantry controller and
some board members that hold us back in becoming a better community
Resurface streets and repair sidewalks
Better communication
Boost businesses, revitalized downtown, repair streets
Pick up of items in curb could be more timely. As well as a more effective way to clear the street.
We need to try to bring in more local businesses if possible. I realize that might not be possible too.
Somehow we need to try to upgrade out streets and figure out how to get more people to move to
Ashton. We have a great town and we have a lot going for us but we need to keep building on that.
streets.
Main street
Streets, but I do understand that is costly and has to be a long term project
Police presents, activities, lack of local jobs
some roads are terrible!
Streets
Keeping the splashed working/functioning properly during the open season.
old school property cleaned up.
Need more communication with public.
More kid friendly activities like franklin grove does Better town crew as far as picking up yard waste
not so much driving around and smoking cigarettes and getting raises. Wish Denny was still with us
need a grocery store #1. need laudromat. need more stores in town
Communications to the town of what goes on, and community committees working together to better
our community!
Bring more bussines to Ashton
Development and infrastructure
Main St
The streets are an eyesore. Fourth street was the best street in town, but it has not been maintained
properly. Now, it is getting worse as time goes on. The end of Evans Ave is nothing but bumps and
holes. 3rd Street, west of Paddock, needs a major overhaul.
Be absolutely diligent to remove the "Good 'ol boy" network, as well as any perception of such
network. You know what I mean.
Economic development Streets....no one wants to live in an area the streets are falling apart and will
ruin your car
Appendix D
Full text of the third long answer question.(What types of businesses would attract you to
downtown?)
Hardware store
resale shop
Hardware store/lumber
Pharmacy, grocery
Grocery store
We miss the hardware and grocery store. A pharmacy would be nice.
1. It would be wonderful to have a working grocery store with FOOD not liquor. There are many
times I need some thing and I used to go to Rons for one thing and walk out with 20 items. It was also
nice to get good quality fresh meat. 2. A laundry mat is HUGE!! there are several apartments in town
and not all have washing machines. It is a pain to go to a laundromat to begin with but would make
life so much easier if there was one in town! 3. An all purpose store would be great....someplace that
sold common hardware items as well as unique gift (hand made) items, gently used and dollar store
items. Some time you need a quick gift, wrapping paper, need a screw or bolt to fix something and it is
a pain to dive to Rochelle or Dixon....I used to shop at the hardware store here in town years ago as
well as the pharmacy....Shear Delight used to carry some items and she still has cards and balloons
which is nice to have in town.
coffee shop, general dollar, hardware and grocery store
Competitively priced Department Store.
food store
Laundromat
UPSCALE resale/consignment shop - NO JUNK! NICE Antique/collectible/craft type store - NO
JUNK! NICE, up to code Grocery Store NOT a liquor store with a few expired grocery items!
Grocery store Resale/antique shop
Grocery
Fast food reasonably priced.
You have covered them well
Chiropractor Dentist Antique store Specialty meat store like Headon's Massage or Physical Therapy
grocery stores and resale of furniture and clothing, books local garden maybe
Lumber/ hardware store
Grocery store or drug store
Resale store
Restaurant
Not bars! How about a drug store/hardware store/ convince store all in one.
None
Ice cream shop.
Need a variety ma & pa store not a big box store. Definately a Grocery that is not overly priced and
CARRY items to sell.
Don't think we as a small town could really support much retail business.
Subway
antiques hardware barber museum
Laundry & dry cleaning service
Hardware or grocery
Dollar store. Hardware. Pharmacy
Resale
Resale shop or antique shop, grocery store, coffee shop
Grocery store
Grocery store hardware store second hand retail barber bakery and laundry mat
Grocery/deli Fast food Hardware
grocery hardware car wash
Small dollar store/ grocery store
Store for quilting
Grocery
Grocery store/deli
Maybe a multi purpose store that offers RX, hardware, dollar store like items like a small grocery
section.
Hardware store, pharmacy, better grocery store
I think the businesses we currently have do a good job of bringing people to the downtown area.
Unfortunately we do need other towns industrial workplaces to continue growing so that will attract
new families to the area and hopefully we can make Ashton an attractive area for the new families to
commute to their job from.. I'm going on a whim here saying that we need an on/off ramp to 88
Appendix E
Edited text of the third long answer question (What types of businesses would attract you to
downtown?). The text was edited for the purpose of creating a condensed word cloud. Edits were
made to create the desired consistency. Example: Grocery and grocery would register as two
different submissions. The upper case G in grocery was changed to a lower case letter. Additional
non-imperative text was removed and is contained in Appendix D.
hardware resale
hardware store lumber
pharmacy, grocery
grocery
hardware grocery pharmacy
grocery fresh meat laundromat all purpose store dollar store hardware pharmacy
coffee general dollar, hardware grocery
Department Store.
grocery laundromat
resale antiques collectible craft grocery
grocery resale antiques
grocery
fast-food
Chiropractor Dentist antique meat Massage or Physical Therapy
grocery resale
lumber hardware grocery pharmacy
resale
restaurant
pharmacy hardware convenience
Ice cream
grocery fast-food
antiques hardware barber museum
laundromat
hardware or grocery
dollar hardware. pharmacy
resale
resale antiques grocery coffee
grocery grocery hardware resale barber deli bakery coffee laundromat
grocery fast-food hardware
grocery hardware car wash
dollar store grocery
quilting
grocery
grocery deli
pharmacy, hardware, dollar store grocery
hardware pharmacy grocery
Appendix F
Full text of long answer question four. (Name 3 things you like best about Ashton?)
Smallness. Knowing majority of the people. Quietness
I like the small town atmosphere, I like how you always feel safe here (thanks to awesome police dept
and fire department) I like how we always have leaders that are passionate about there small
community and are willing to seek continual improvement
The people are friendly. Everything within walking distance. Schools and the students are alot better
in a small town setting
Small townwhen tragic happens everyone is there to pitch in. Small schools usually better quality
teaching. Less crime.
Friendly people, including village representatives
Safe (for the most part) Friendly Clean
Clean, tidy, pretty town, Caring community EXCELLENT school district
You know your neighborhood. The teachers. Events and the Mills
Parks
The friendliness and safety of a small community
It is small, and usually quiet. It's close to work, but not in ogle county. My neighbors watch out for my
property when I'm gone.
People Restaurant Bank
Small quiet town , everyone knows everybody. No large crime rate.
Events
help others in time of need,town wide activities,the mayor is always willing to respond to any
concerns in a timely fashion
Splash pad, small town atmosphere, close enough to larger towns for work and services.
Nice people
clean school police
1. close knit...people care about each other 2. The Fire department is fantastic and is always there
when we need them! 3. The splash pad is a wonderful thing for kids...we need more things like that for
all ages
Mills, Speed bumps on main street, oh that is just the street.Crest Foods
Caring community, nice park,
1. The way the community pulls together to help those in need 2.Small town atmosphere (no street
lights etc.) 3. How we continue to maintain and utilize the history of the town( mills and Petrie
building etc)
Small close knit community
It's small, neighbors watch out for each other, quiet.
Friendly neighbors
The people the clean community and the location
Splashpad the highschool and the houses
Small Friendly Laid back
Splash Pad School Huddle
Friendliness, cleanliness, quality of housing
Small, quiet, safe.
Sense of community, small town living, people
Friendly
Fairly quiet Good school Decent taxes
Crest Foods , Post office, bank
Small community Privacy/quietness Feiendlyness
The small town The people That everyone knows everyone
Small family oriented community Centrally located Where I grew up
Location, not far to travel. Very good restaurants. Schools. M P building, sorry many more.
It is a community of great people We have a fire station and emergency help
Good employment Halfway decent school Small
Crest school church
People Small town atmosphere
Ashton gives you that small town feel. Ashton is clean Ashton's street layout (grid system) is far
superior to many modern subdivision street systems that loop and curve.
High School Mills Petrie Clean looking town
Appendix G
Full text of long answer question five (If you could change anything about Ashton, what would it
be?)
The disagreements between certain businesses. a k.a. the local taverns.
I would put term limits on the village board. A fresh set of eyes is always a good thing. If no one is
willing to run, then the previous seat holder could stay if they wanted.
Revitalize downtown with essential services, such as doctor, grocery
A small grocery store and hardware store.
Add a new construction subdivision, single family homes - NO multi-dwelling/rental property! Get a
gas station that can handle semi trucks with a fast food offering located on 38 across form the school!
Somehow, some way get the Helms property and create green space or something there! Get
everyone/organizations/churches, etc to work together better
Sidewalks, streets, police live in town (I miss chuck)
Need people to support our local business's. Lived here all my life. Like it Do we have a city cop yet?
off ramp to the freeway
Streets and sidewalks, term limits on local elected officials.
Get organized
Grocery store
we need to build more homes to draw more people in so we can grow for the future.
Quiet zone for trains!
More activity downtown, thoughtful growth
The AFC Raider name Downtown....its dead, we need businesses Friendlier police, not cocky jerks
More Ashton news other than sports
More businesses More activities for kids
Get rid of unsightly real estate and fix the streets and aide walks.
More family activities to do besides a splash pad you get to use maybe 2 months out of the year when
it works......
native residents to be more friendly. especially to persons who move in. At least know names of
renting your owned homes.
Quit with the attitude that out-of-towners are not welcome.
Bring Ron And Marlene type store back.
Would like to see a park clean up day, maybe more community "fun days" or cookouts......movie in
the park days...a good way to get to know your neighbors and the community esp. for those who just
move into the community.
splashpad
Better communications through all committees and board committees.
the one's in charge to get along.
street maintenance, fix the look of downtown
less home rentals, more owners lived in homes
A small grocery and hardware store like a general store
Reevaluate the city ordninances
to bring back a store....grocery
Better roads. Fix them properly instead of paving them over so many times that they are higher than
the curbs. (N 2nd Street being an example)
Creating a park district to offer more activities and events for the young and old
Home values, for the love of God the train noise, more entertainemt places for the younger adult
crowd
New streets Subdivision for new houses Commercial subdivision with diesel fuel Walking paths Quiet
zone for trains
Schools
Make board members visit the businesses and checking thay they are surviving
People need to quit thinking they are better than others because the are on a board or panel
Stop favoritism and uphold rules and regulations. Enforce village ordinances. Stop ATV's from
driving up and down streets. Maintain barking dogs and stray cats.
Fast food sandwich shop reasonably priced.
growth taxes people
The trains
Get someone to maintain a grocery store , get more people to town so school enrollment goes back up
and we can get back some of things lost this year
More businesses
Train whistle
I don't know..... Wish it would be a tighter community like Amboy and Franklin grove but too many
people dislike a lot of people who run our town.
Appendix H
Full text of long answer question 6 (What do you consider to be the top challenges facing Ashton?)
Keeping the Fire Dept. well maned. This service is a problem in other nearby communities. Keeping
the churches in community viable. If they close, who is going to keep the buildings up. People of
Ashton are getting older and the young don't have interest in supporting the organizations.
More for kids of all ages and families to do.
Streets and sidewalks. Getting businesses to stay here.
Ashton faces the same challenges that any small town does. How to get people to relocate to town and
how to get more businesses started and stay. I believe we have a good infrastructure with water and
sewer and I believe we have a good traffic flow so I do believe we have a better chance than Franklin
Grove or other small towns our size. We are conveniently located between Rochelle and Dixon for
jobs, shopping etc. and more and more people have the ability to work from home so I do think we can
make it happen.
Lack of growth and the resources to facilitate it
There will be pressure for exurban growth in town and nearby Avoiding excessive maintenance costs
created by overbuilding facilities
Old set in ways blood against young spend all the money blood.
1. Getting a new school superintendent....people are moving out of Ashton because of the school
system. Look at the numbers our enrollment is down and keeps going down. If we do not have a good
school and if we keep having the same people run it into the ground we will soon have no school
which will cause more people to leave Ashton. Mr. Zick earns way too much money for his job esp
when in less than 10 years he has run it into the ground again. If we have a good school it will draw
people in they will want to move here instead of moving out just to get into another district 2.Finding
and KEEPING new business. We need a place for our elderly who have no cars to shop. So many do
not have cars and walk everywhere. They have to depend on others to get them to a store. If we had
one that would help. It would create taxes. I am tired of hearing excuses about how people shop wal
mart. I only leave town to shop now since there is no place in town to get what I want unless I get my
hair done and I use Shear Delight for over 20 years now. 3. we need to find a way to keep people in
town....the school is the start.....then give them a reason to want to stay....convenient shopping.
I think the biggest challenges we face are the falling home prices. I don't think we really have much
control over that. Also out of the 6 landlords that own most of the rentals in town they need to do a
better job of screening tentants that they rent to.. Most of them will rent to about anyone willing to pay
and it seems that most of the trouble comes from these rental places..just a thought
Attracting new businesses, which would attract much-needed residents.
Money funding, and population, business.
My hope is that Ashton remains genuine. The biggest issue I fear is if Ashton progresses, more levels
of bureaucracy will clutter what is a beautiful, small country town.
Trying to get a small grocery store in . Not a liquor store. An aldi would be perfect.
Small towns face a lot of low funding from state/Feds.
Infrastructure
Small town politics-- nobody wants to be a leader without fear of "stepping on someone's toes"
People moving out of the area because if work
snow removal and even if its not the exact day for limb pick up, when you drive by and see it in the
city truck just pick it up.
to many folks moving in and out of town. need more home owners and less renters.
The streets are going to be very expensive to repair. Before taxing us for a park district, tax us for
repairing the streets.
No business development. There is nothing here to keep people or get people to move here. Lots of
houses for sale, decreasing the rest of our homes' values. Nothing new here in the past 25+ years.
Growth.
streets new business cleanliness
street repair.
finances state funding infrastructure diminishinng population
I think that with small towns its hard to develop and keep places like grocery stores and hardware
stores because of the connecting towns outside....however if the areas had decent parking and the cost
of the buildings/rent for the buildings were a little cheaper, then grocery stores and hardware stores
may be a little more sustainable. It would be nice to have a place to shop for groceries even if its on
the outskirts say between ashton an franklin grove for example on that stretch of road....there are
factories there so why not? it would save on time and gas for alot of people to not have to go outside
of town just for food especially in the wintertime when its coldest... it would also make for some jobs
for the kids who are old enough to work as well.. everyone would benefit----the community and the
kids looking for jobs......
Economy and keeping up with the infrastructure
Lack of people taking responsibility, stepping up to help, people not taking pride or care of items
Low population Empty houses School money problems
Small business success Continued community development , this takes community involvement from
a lot of people and its seems like people always want want want but aren't willing to help when needed.
I am hopeful that this will change.
Getting some businesses back into town. I don't see any incite programs or people who care
Not wanting change. It's a everything is fine, why change it. Times are changing so the town needs to
change with the times to attract businesses and people.
Loosing the young people and the number of for sale homes signs that appear throughout the town
Declining enrollment in our schools and declining population in Ashton
Growth as community and as town.
Money
Need to do something about some of those apartment buildings not being used!
State funding being reduced so adequate improvements are not likely.
Fixing the streets
Paying for what is needed, sewer plant
Schools
Bringing in new businesses.
Community all being evolved
Lack of an economic engine to support property tax. Need more sales tax revenue.
main street.
Streets
It seems like no one wants to move there since they'd have to go to Dixon or Rochelle for groceries
and other standard items
growth
Keep our school district, watching the school enrollment. Keeping our village clean and village
employees working together to do so.
People walking the walk assigning talking the talk.
The lack of things to do in the town
Growth.
Appendix I
Complete text of long answer question seven (Additional comments)
Ashton is a wonderful town/community with a rich history and currently has some really good things
going for it! One that deserves our best efforts to facilitate growth and sustain it for future generations!
this is a great little town and its nice to have everything close by. it wold be nice to see a bike path in
this town for the kids and adults to get some exercise on....there is a splashpad for the young kids so
why not give to the older kids and older adults.....there is plenty of room and opportunity to build it
just takes some creative planning...
turn splashpad fiasco into something more positive
:)
Board members do not deserve to get paid that much, 150. They're are Rip offs
village presidend that cared about the people.
There needs to be an ordinance to keep people from parking on the parkway. It makes the town look
like trash. We need a police officer who is not afraid to issue parking tickets, or any other tickets.
The splashed is a welcome summer option here in town to promote play and cooling for our residents.
Thank You!
Always appreciate the City crew for all they do to keep city eye worthy. This includes the signs
entering city. I know from other drives through States that entering signs make the city.
Just the fact that the representatives took the time to create this survey shows the leaders of our
community care about its well-being. Ashton is a great place to live!
Ashton is a beautiful community. Be open minded.
consider all the good things about our town. it is a beautiful place to live and we should all be very
proud to be a part of this community
The people in charge need to listen to their jimmy cricket.
Streets need paved desperately, get General Dollar to come to town and it would solve the retail and
grocery store problem.
Just put more places to do things that will attract people
The Ashton 150th committee and all those involved in helping with the summer celebration, and other
events that have been held throughout the year have been amazing! And I feel like it has revitalized
the idea that Ashton is capable of bigger and better things in the future! So with a strong community
effort by hem and a community board I again am hopeful that great things will continue to happen! I
love this little town!
Great job to the people that changed the celebrations.. What a difference! Let's try to continually push
the "shop local" and keep the businesses we have.
Who ever decided to do this survey was brilliant and I hope that they take the time to read carefully
everyone's notes. We are quick to get answers but then we sit and do nothing.....lets fix Ashton it is a
great place to raise a family.