Survey of residents helps plot future course for Barberton Community Foundation

When the Barberton Community Foundation made the final payment last year on the city’s high school, the organization knew it was entering into a new phase.

The $2.4 million annual payment was gone, after 25 years of payments.

The question became: What's the best way to invest the freed-up funds to bring positive change in the city of 25,000 people?

“Now, we are in a position to do more,” the foundation's executive director, Suzanne Allen, said.

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What that “more” will be is clearer after a citywide survey to assess residents’ needs.

Last month, the foundation released the results of an extensive survey conducted by a Powell, Ohio, organizational development and research firm. Measurement Resources Co. was commissioned by the foundation, the city, the Barberton City School District and Summa Health to gauge residents’ thoughts about their city and where it should be headed.

Roads, recreation and employment mentioned in Barberton survey 

MRC conducted 12 focus groups with 45 residents from diverse backgrounds and received 1,163 survey responses from the wider community.

MRC wanted to know what residents thought.

What are Barberton's strengths and weaknesses? What needs exist to make Barberton a better place to live? How can the foundation and its partners help improve residents’ quality of life?

The foundation already invests heavily in the community, with scholarships and grants. Through July 15, for example, the foundation awarded $564,474 in scholarships to 138 students. In all of 2021, $187,089 was awarded to 145 students.

Among the top needs uncovered by Measurement Resources Co. were calls for more investment in economic and employment initiatives.

Respondents also were concerned about the condition of the city's roads.

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“Improvements to road conditions, sidewalks, and blight, especially along gateways to the city,” emerged as a major concern in the report. “Residents believe this will positively impact the initial impression and day-to-day ease of traveling in Barberton.”

In addition, diversity was on residents’ minds, according to the report.

“Greater diversity and inclusion with respect to Barberton’s social dynamics and recreational opportunities, with particular emphasis on people of color, single mothers, and individuals of different ages and abilities,” was identified as a top need.

The data was collected from Feb. 15 to April 30 and was targeted toward people who live and/or work in Barberton.

'A lot of things going on' to help Barberton residents

An executive summary of the needs assessment survey provides a menu of results broken into strengths, challenges, opportunities and threats.

Strengths ranged from residents’ appreciation for parks and natural resources to perceptions of a strong school system and low crime rate.

But residents worry about poor water quality, road conditions and deterioration of the city’s housing stock.

The city’s central location between Akron and Canton is seen as an opportunity.

Identified threats include “weak vertical linkages to organizations and groups outside of Barberton.”

Mike Hughes, president of Summa Health’s Barberton campus, said the foundation brought the city, schools and hospital together for the survey.

“One of the things I learned is that there is a lot of things going on in the community that (people) didn’t know about,” he said.

Some of those include access to healthy food and health care, he said.

Earlier this year, the Barberton Community Foundation hired Tiffany Peters as director of finance and Ted Herncane as director of economic development as it explores new paths to community engagement and investment.

Allen said that much of the report confirmed what the foundation already knew or suspected.

“There weren’t surprises, but there were things I felt were reinforced,” Allen said. “...They want to make sure they have a voice.”

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Survey helps plot future course for Barberton Community Foundation