Lake Forest focus groups: residents satisfied with parks, request more events, multicultural programming and better outreach

City staff and their consultant told the Community Services Commission on Feb. 5 that focus groups conducted in late 2024 show high resident satisfaction with Lake Forest’s parks and facilities but reveal gaps in awareness, outreach and program diversity that staff say they will address in the strategic planning and budget process.

“Qualitative research is not quantitative,” said JB Fabridge of Cultural Edge during the presentation, explaining why focus groups surface ideas and priorities that a survey alone might miss. Fabridge told commissioners the consultant conducted six focus groups representing a range of ages, Spanish‑language dominant and bicultural Latino residents, Asian American residents and a general population sample to capture differences in awareness and program preferences.

Top takeaways presented by Fabridge and by Jonathan Voltski, the city’s communications and marketing manager, included: high overall satisfaction with city facilities (especially Lake Forest Sport Park), low awareness of rental and program opportunities among younger residents and Spanish‑dominant Latinos, and a strong interest in more cultural and adult‑oriented offerings. Fabridge said younger residents and Spanish‑dominant participants were least aware of the city’s facilities and programs, while parents and older residents were more likely to know about offerings.

Specific recommendations the consultant presented and staff discussed included: promoting facility rentals (banquet rooms, conference rooms and the Performing Arts Center) with clearer images and marketing materials; exploring later or flexible hours to accommodate cultural events (noting some Latino respondents preferred later end times for celebrations); increasing the number and cultural diversity of concerts and events (including winter or indoor programming at the Performing Arts Center); expanding pickleball capacity and lessons; and creating an opt‑in notification system so residents can select the event types and communications channels they prefer (email, text, app notifications).

Voltski said the city has already begun to act on findings: the city is bringing event promotion back to the front cover of its printed leaflet, and the city has contracted Revise to redesign the website with a targeted events page and improved navigation, with staff expecting the site to go live in August. Deputy City Manager McGovern told commissioners staff has started applying the findings and will fold recommendations into the city’s strategic plan and the next budget cycle. “We’ve already taken some of the findings and started to incorporate them,” McGovern said.

Fabridge and staff described the Performing Arts Center as under‑used relative to its perceived potential: many focus group participants were unaware of the PAC or its rental and event possibilities but reacted positively when shown the facility. Fabridge said respondents suggested the PAC could host more musical acts, community theater, winter concerts and cultural festivals. Participants also flagged the Lake Forest Sport Park as a highly valued asset but said parking and occasional schedule overlaps (for example with the farmers market) create friction on busy days.

Other programming ideas raised in the groups included classes and hobby‑oriented meetups (ceramics, dance, cooking, mechanics and woodworking), multilingual and culturally specific programming (citizenship test preparation and Spanish‑language classes were mentioned by Latino participants), and expanded outreach to “empty‑nester” adults who want non‑kid‑focused events. Fabridge emphasized the exploratory nature of qualitative work: focus groups produce many ideas that the city can then test in a biannual quantitative survey.

Commissioners and staff discussed operational next steps: staff will present recommended program and marketing changes during the strategic planning process and include options in the forthcoming budget cycle. Voltski said the website redesign and improved promotional materials will be central to increasing awareness; McGovern said staff will brief the new commissioners before their March swearing‑in and will present specific budget proposals as part of the strategic plan timeline.

The presentation included several direct suggestions commissioners requested staff to explore further, including pilot winter indoor concerts at the PAC, targeted marketing to Spanish speakers and younger residents, and enhanced rental promotion for weddings and cultural events.