This year marks the first annual Harsen’s Island St. Clair Flats Association membership survey.  The objective of the survey was to learn more about members and their households, which will ultimately help the HISCFA board of directors with prioritizing and planning initiatives.

Who and When:

The survey was emailed on March 8, 2019 to any active member with whom we have an email address (requested on your membership renewal/application form).  It was sent to 511 total members and only one survey submission per recipient was allowed.  When the survey closed on March 31, a total of 212 surveys had been completed—a 41.5% response rate which exceeded our expectations.  An incentive of entry into a drawing for one free book of ferry tickets was used to encourage participation—178 respondents entered the drawing.  The winner of the drawing for the book of ferry tickets was announced at the April HISCFA meeting.

We are pleased to report that the survey was a success and the feedback from the respondents has already helped to validate current initiatives and help with planning and thinking about new ones.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

Browne’s Field Improvements:

The majority of those of you that responded to the survey and ranked proposed capital improvements to Browne’s Field validated our long-term plan for building permanent restrooms.  Permanent restrooms were ranked first by over 50% of the respondents.  Over the last year we have begun to earmark funds for this project and, based on your feedback, we will begin fund-raising efforts to help us achieve this goal.

A walkway around the perimeter of Browne’s Field was another popular proposal for capital improvements and was ranked second by respondents.  This, too, is underway.  Plans for the layout, length/width, and surface material are being discussed and a budget has been established.  Some funds are already set aside for this and fund-raising may take place for this project, as well.

The Delta News is a Favorite:

Among the many benefits offered by HISCFA, annual publication The Delta News was the most popular member benefit and was the number one reason why many of you are HISCFA members (80.19%).  This was followed by the “park-and-ride” located at the ferry (50.94%), and the annual Field Day held at Browne’s Field (48.11%).

Island Life:

It’s no surprise that “boating” is listed as the number one activity that members are involved in (86.79%).  This is followed by “recreational walking” (65.09%) which supports our initiative of developing a walking path around Browne’s Field.  And again, no surprise, “fishing,” was listed as the third most popular activity (63.68%).  Falling behind these top three were “swimming,” “bicycling,” “kayaking,” “tubing/floats,” and “personal water craft.”  Some of the activities that weren’t listed but were provided by respondents were “bird watching,” “gardening,” “looking for wildlife and watching sunsets.”  We’ll have to add these to our list next year!

Who’s a Member:

·       Over 33% of the survey respondents have been a HISCFA member for more than 20 years.  And 15.57% have been members for 3 years or less.

·       Full-time residents made up 45.28% of the respondents; and over 2% of the respondents do not have property or a residence on the Island.

·       Both of the water stations maintained and operated by HISCFA are still being used but over 77% of the survey respondents do not rely on either water station.

·       Over 59% of the respondents do not have children or grandchildren under the age of 18.

More surveys in your future:

You can look forward to mini surveys throughout the year surrounding each HISCFA event.  This will help us stay connected with you and will help us refine and improve our events to better meet the needs of you, your family, and your guests.

Thank You!

Thank you to all of you that took the time to provide your valuable feedback.  It will be used throughout the year when we prioritize, develop and plan new initiatives and capital improvements.