PVNA survey flags sidewalks, safety and natural areas as top neighborhood priorities

Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Association leaders on Sept. 15 reviewed a neighborhood survey of 84 respondents and said the results point to transportation safety, natural areas/land‑use concerns, houselessness and food access as the association’s top priorities.

The board noted possible reasons for the low response rate, including use of a QR code and an English‑only flier, and discussed alternative outreach such as emailing (if city lists were available) or sending surveys home with schoolchildren. "Only having the flier in English could have also impacted the low response rate," the board reported. The PVNA said it will keep the survey open through the end of the year and pursue a more detailed follow‑up funded by a District 1 Coalition grant.

Councilor Smith said there are funding sources to support sidewalk work, including TIFF and the Sidewalk Improvement and Paving Project for Districts 1 and 4, and emphasized walking routes to schools as priorities. Adam Murray, a staffer on Councilor Smith’s team, suggested neighborhood walk‑throughs to videotape places where sidewalks and safer crosswalks are needed so residents can document and request improvements: "If we want to take videos ourselves we should send them to Adam," the minutes record.

PVNA leaders said other priorities emerging from the survey include community building, the neighborhood public safety team (NET), and education about how to participate in local government. The board plans targeted outreach and translation of communications into languages spoken in the neighborhood.