THUNDER BAY — Is Neebing a good place to live? The township’s mayor and councillors are about to get an earful on the subject either way — from folks who have the inside scoop.
A satisfaction survey aimed at full and part-time residents went up on the municipality’s website this week to gauge how the township is performing in about a dozen areas, including roads, culture and local governance.
“The survey will highlight areas of improvement (that) can include future projects,” the municipality says on its website.
It’s the first time the municipality has sought feedback from residents in this type of format, Mayor Mark Thibert said Thursday.
Other municipalities also conduct similar surveys, but the exercises are optional.
Neebing’s survey, which is expected to take only about five minutes, is only open to people who live in the municipality, located south of Thunder Bay with a population of 2,200.
Residents respond in a multiple-choice format, rating everything from municipal services to the council’s decision-making abilities on a scale ranging from “poor” to “very good.”
In an additional written section, the survey asks respondents what brought them to Neebing in the first place, why they live there and what’s the best part.
Thibert, who works in Thunder Bay, said that for him personally, what he likes most is the transition from comparably hectic city life to a rural setting.
“I’m not knocking Thunder Bay, but I really feel this peaceful and relaxing feeling come over me the moment I come back to (Neebing),” said Thibert, who has lived in the township for 10 years.
Even without survey results, Thibert said he’s confident about what constitutes the two “biggie” issues: conditions of local roads and services offered at the municipality’s two landfills.
The municipality has already improved how it communicates to taxpayers when particular roads are being worked on, and plans to upgrade recycling services at the landfills, Thibert said.
Asked about big projects, Thibert noted a $802,000 upgrade to the outdoor rink at the Blake Hall Community Centre. In addition to a roof, the facility is to get boards, a concrete slab, an accessible entrance and lighting.
With ice time in high demand for minor hockey in Thunder Bay, Thibert said he expects his municipality to get inquiries about usage once the Blake Hall project is done.
Meanwhile, Neebing’s Alf Olsen Memorial Park Rink on Highway 597 is to receive a new hard surface and lighting.
Thibert said he expects both projects to be ready for next winter.
The satisfaction survey is available online at neebing.org/survey. A paper version can be obtained at the municipal office on Highway 61.
The Chronicle Journal / Local Journalism Initiative
