Most Wellington residents satisfied with town life

By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent

Wellington leaders mailed 750 surveys to town residents early this year, seeking comments on topics ranging from the quality of life in Wellington today to visions of Wellington in the next 10 to 20 years. They received 250 responses.

With all surveys tallied, the results show general satisfaction with living and raising children in the town that advertises itself as "a good place to grow," tempered with some concerns about the nature and extent of that growth.

Eighty-six percent of town residents responding found the quality of life in Wellington to be either good (68 percent) or very good (18 percent). Likewise, more than three-quarters of residents found the town to be either a good or very good place to live and raise children. Three-quarters of residents had also dealt with some arm of town government in the past year and generally found the experience to be a good one.

The general satisfaction carried over to most town services, although street maintenance, water service, nuisance control of weeds and junk, and business expansion/recruitment efforts garnered 25 percent to 32 percent disapproval rates.

Seventy-three percent of residents feel safe or very safe from violent crimes. Sixty-one percent feel similarly secure from property crimes, while 82 percent feel safe from fire threats. Traffic congestion and enforcement are not yet issues in the town. About two-thirds of those surveyed showed concern about local employment opportunities.

Eighty-three percent of those surveyed have Internet access. Sixty-one percent feel they are getting adequate information about the town, mostly by reading the North Forty News (42 percent), or from friends and family (29 percent). Thirty-two percent said they would prefer to get news from city fliers and brochures.

Fifty-five percent would like to see Wellington develop a focal point for the community, such as the downtown area. Sixty-six percent would like to see periodic community forums for setting goals for the town.

Sixty-four percent of Wellington residents who responded work in Fort Collins, with only 16 percent working in town. Seventy-five percent of spouses also work in Fort Collins, resulting in about 40 daily commuting miles per couple. Fifty-six percent of households have someone who would like to work in town if they could. Some of the top businesses people would like to see in town include medical offices and clinics, small retail stores and franchise family dining.

Interestingly, 49 percent of those surveyed thought growth was either not a problem or a minor problem, but excessive and speedy residential growth was listed as one of the most important issues facing Wellington. Commercial development scored second, followed by schools.

Most respondents envisioned the perfect Wellington in 10 to 20 years to be a "small, safe, friendly town."