Sumner Association of Neighbors (SAN)

You and your neighbors have spoken! Unveilled at the Holiday Gala on Dec. 3, the results of the Sumner Association of Neighbors (SAN) survey are released!

Thanks go to the many people who helped to deliver the survey door-to-door from July to October. Volunteers knocked on about 800 doors to say hello to neighbors and to ask them to complete and return the survey. Thanks are also due to the more than 100 households who returned the survey. About a third of respondents completed the survey directly online. The rest delivered the paper survey to the CNN office at the fire station on NE 87th.

You can see the full survey results (43K PDF file).

In brief, here are survey highlights:

• Years in Sumner: Respondents were almost evenly split among three groups: 1 to 5 years, 5 to 20 years, and 20+ years.
• Awareness: Most respondents were aware of SAN and about half had heard of Central Northeast Neighbors (CNN), the nonprofit that helps neighborhood associations in this part of Northeast Portland.
• Boosting neighborhood involvement: About a third of respondents suggested ‘More outreach and events’ but about half had no suggestion.
• Neighborhood events you want: Respondents picked the annual neighborhood cleanup as the most popular neighborhood event (73%). The next three most popular events were neighborhood garage sale (45%), a litter patrol (40%),
  and the Halloween party for kids (39%).
• What Sumner values: Respondents said they value ‘A safe place to live’ (90%). That was the top response by a wide margin. The next two closest responses were ‘Privacy and quiet’ (55%) and ‘A sense of community’ (49%).
• Sumner needs: Two answers tied for the top slot: Parks and sidewalks. Each response got 59%.

Looking ‘inside’ the numbers, responses varied somewhat depending on length of residency in Sumner neighborhood. The good news is that we have a really nice mix of long-time residents and newer people. This can pose a real opportunity for boosting involvement.

For example, two of the top events — the annual cleanup and the Halloween party — have been held in Sumner for years. The other two favorite events — neighborhood garage sale and litter patrol — are new events that we’ll need to plan and stage for the first time.

For more details about how responses varied, see the survey results with the breakdown by length of residency in Sumner (43K PDF file).

These survey results pose new opportunities and challenges for SAN and Sumner neighborhood residents. It’s exciting to have such clear priorities expressed by our neighbors.

Please review the results, think about what you’d like to be involved in, join our email list, and be ready for new possibilities in 2010!