Main Street Elkader takes community pulse poll
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
As the community will at some point attempt to navigate the world post-COVID-19, Main Street Elkader, in conjunction with Main Street Iowa, recently conducted a pulse poll survey as a way to “gauge community readiness, aid recovery efforts, and guide business and organizations with next steps,” according to Kate Lower, executive director of Main Street Elkader.
The feedback from the poll, which was sent out via email and on social media platforms, providing a random sampling of participants, will also be used by the Main Street Economic Vitality Committee to assist in making decisions “regarding events, business recruitment, and marketing efforts,” Lower added.
The results, as they pertain to COVID-19, showed a willingness by the community to “frequent businesses and events in person” at a higher rate than larger cities. Other recurring themes Lower found were “a strong interest in outdoor living [and] an increased trend of online shopping.”
The former is something Elkader lacks, admitted Lower, while the latter is a new challenge for local businesses to navigate. Main Street Elkader wants to help them incorporate those to keep the local economy growing and strong.
A second theme appears to be the desire to have another restaurant in town, despite the fact that there are already eight eating establishments located in the community.
“When we do community polls such as these, the results tend to show people still want another restaurant. The last two surveys we have done have shown a Mexican restaurant was the top choice,” Lower said.
Other top choices were an Asian restaurant, brewpub, steakhouse and a new coffee shop. There was also a demand for delivery, something the local restaurants did during the COVID-19 shut down but have since stopped doing.
A third theme is a familiar one, if one recalls the Elkader Visioning survey results. It deals with infrastructure, such as improving residential streets and sidewalks and adding more parking.
Additionally, there were many comments about needing more affordable housing and lodging for tourists, a lack of leadership at the government level and calls for businesses to follow the guidelines, especially as it pertains to masks.
However, there is a bipolarity observed in the results—a sort of mixed messaging. According to respondents, either Elkader is family friendly, safe and “the leader for others to follow,” or it needs wholesale changes with an unfriendly government, a lack of jobs and a community that doesn’t work together anymore.
There is also a similar division in regard to COVID-19 and how it is viewed among the community. The polling results showed a majority of the community went back to its normal routine almost immediately as businesses, restaurants and shops reopened. The more vocal respondents felt like there was a lack of attention paid to the safety guidelines, such as mask wearing and social distancing.
In general, the community loves Elkader, but acknowledged the need for necessary upgrades that have been brought to light in numerous surveys.
However, what is to be made of the fact that the survey only had 74 respondents in a city of just over 1,200 people? This represents a 6.08 percent response rate, which even Lower admitted was a “lower response rate than we would have hoped for.”
Not only that, the survey results were heavily weighted toward female respondents, who comprised 52 percent, while males made up only 20 percent.
Then there is the issue of age. As Lower pointed out, “We did not have a great response from participants under the age of 24.” In fact, according to the survey results, no one under the age of 24 participated, and the average age was between 45 and 64, showing the results tilt toward an older generation of residents and not necessarily reflective of Elkader as a whole.
Having said that, Lower noted the survey “is just one way we gain community feedback. It’s just a piece of the greater puzzle that we try to put together to help guide our organization and businesses forward.”
What becomes of these results and the impact they will have remains to be seen, but for anyone looking to get involved, Lower encourages people to volunteer for the organization and/or contact her at mse@alpinecom.net.
