The Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce has launched a survey seeking the public’s input on what goods and services area residents would like to see in the community.
The link to the online survey, developed by Burlington High School teacher Josh Dow’s social studies classes in consultation with chamber officials and the Racine Economic Development Corp., can be found by clicking here or on the chamber of commerce website at burlingtonchamber.org.
“The goal is to develop data on what goods and services people currently use in our community and what they would like see here that would encourage them to patronize those businesses,” Chamber Executive Director Jan Ludtke said.
“The thought was how can we do a better job for our existing customers and our future customers,” she added, referring to the students who helped develop the survey.
The idea of the survey was advanced by Barb Bakshis, who served as chamber president last year. She said it is similar in format to the online survey conducted recently by the Burlington Area School District.
Ludtke said officials are particularly interested in obtaining opinions on the future of the city’s downtown.
“The city’s contract with RCEDC for their economic development expertise has shifted focus to encompass our downtown now,” she said. “For a number of years, the contract dealt with commercial (and) industrial. As our community evolves, it is critical to maintain a healthy downtown district.”
Getting students involved in the project served not only to move the process along, but provides access to opinions from the younger generation, which will eventually benefit from the information, according to Ludtke.
“Our future customers … are those same students,” she said.
In addition to helping develop the survey, the students are tasked with collecting responses in various age groups through face-to-face interaction that will supplement the information from other data sources.
The online survey, which will be available until May 26, takes about five minutes to complete, according to Bakshis.
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