Survey: Horry residents’ wish list includes ice skating rink, aquatic center and shooting range

Horry County residents want more gathering places for recreation, an ice skating rink, nature trails, an aquatic center and an outdoor shooting range, according to a recent Coastal Carolina University survey.

Those five projects proved to be the most popular among the more than 800 people who responded to the university’s recent questionnaire about the county’s recreation needs.

The survey stayed on the county’s website for nearly three months. Preliminary results were released Tuesday and student researchers discussed them on the Coastal campus Wednesday afternoon.

The research is part of a collaborative project involving the school and Horry County government. Its goal is to provide county officials with information about the kinds of recreation facilities that locals would like to see built.

Leigh Kane, a senior planner with the county, said the research is only preliminary at this point. She will be working with a Coastal student this summer on breaking down the data to find out which projects are preferred by each region of the county.

Researchers already have some theories about what they will find based on recent meetings with focus groups. Nearly 40 people participated in those groups, each of which represented a specific section of Horry.

In Conway, Kane said, the group talked about the need for more nature trails and better access to the Waccamaw River. In Carolina Forest, there was interest in an ice skating rink.

Residents along the coast desired beach access enhancements and more sports fields.

"It was really interesting," Kane said. "[In] the different geographies of the county, you definitely heard a different story about what people were wanting."

The Coastal researchers are part of the Swain Scholar program, which pairs select students with faculty in researching health-related issues and developing outreach programs.

Students said the survey took about 10-15 minutes to complete and offered participants a chance to pick the facilities they would like to put $100 toward. Those taking the survey were presented 20 options.

DeVariay White, one of the student researchers, said most of the results didn't surprise him. But the junior admits he wasn't expecting ice skating rink to be so popular.

"That was the big one," he said.

Students admitted the results have some bias because the survey may have attracted people who use recreational facilities frequently. But they also noted that the warm climate provides more opportunities for outdoor activities.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Survey: Horry residents’ wish list includes ice skating rink, aquatic center and shooting range."