Boerne parks survey: shade, water play and trails top resident priorities; pool renovation finds broad support

City staff presented early results from a parks and recreation survey at the July 14 council meeting, reporting 1,000 total responses with 782 respondents identifying as Boerne residents. Assistant City Manager Danny and his team said the opt-in survey indicates consistent priorities across multiple past surveys: shade, trail connectivity, passive amenities and water-play features.

Survey responses ranked shade as the most requested improvement across four separate questions, and water-play features (splash pads, improved access to water) also scored highly. Staff said 87% of respondents supported replacing or renovating the municipal pool and that many respondents indicated they would visit new parks once open (77% said they would visit Boerne Heritage Folks Park once complete).

Danny cautioned that the survey was an open opt-in instrument and underrepresented renters and younger residents; he said staff will conduct deeper analysis of comments and subgroups. He recommended staff use the results to guide design decisions for projects such as Waterworks Terrace Park and the upcoming Volkspark phases and to prioritize shade and water-related amenities where feasible.

Council thanked staff for the overview and asked for additional analysis — including demographic breakdowns and comment review — before design decisions are finalized.