AUTHORISED STATEMENT FROM THE BOARD OF STRATHDEARN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS ON THE GYM SURVEY

The SCD Board has been following the concerns expressed on social media regarding the gym survey which took place last February, but in the interests of preserving the impartiality of the community survey currently being undertaken under the guidance of an independent researcher as a joint venture with Strathdearn Community Council and the Strathdearn Community Charitable Trust; having asked for your views, we deliberately chose to stay quiet and not take issue with some of the comments we read on Facebook because we wanted to hear your views, free of any influence from anything we might say.
 
But clearly our strategy has not worked! And so we offer below some facts about the gym survey which we hope will reassure you that nothing untoward has been going on, and there is no hidden agenda concerning the gym.
 
• A gift of gym equipment via Alex Macleod was offered to the community and was duly delivered.
• SCD conducted a survey (online, with paper copies available from the Shop) which generated 59 responses (a return rate of approximately 8% of those eligible to complete the survey) and the outcome was considered by the SCD Board in May 2021, but for reasons unknown the discussion was never minuted, for which we can only apologise.
• It was clear from the survey results that installing a gym in the hub would not be as straightforward as it would appear, and there are myriad problems to overcome to make it a reality, even if there are the numbers to make it viable, and that is debatable.
• For example, of the 59 people who responded not all wanted a gym, and those that did especially wanted early mornings and late evenings; and how do we staff opening/closing at such hours?
• The suggested home for the gym was the upstairs meeting room but if we install the gym there we’d need a civil engineers report on the strength of the floor to support the equipment;
• Apart from which it was hoped that it would be possible to restart activities for young people and that room was designated as the Youth Room – hence the seating booth and the sofa and the multi-purpose flooring to withstand activities like painting and crafts better than a carpeted surface. If the Youth Group managed to restart – where would they meet if their room was turned into a gym?
• Obviously the room wouldn’t be needed by the Youth Group all the time so they would share the room with other user groups. Hence the Art Club met there pre-Covid, and may well do so again; and the Church also uses that room for meetings. So turning that room into a gym could potentially leave three other user groups homeless.
• It was suggested that the room could be divided in two, creating space for the gym and a small meeting room – but would the small meeting room be big enough?
• Could the gym equipment be dotted around in the corridors and other spaces in the Hub – but the Hub is also being marketed as a wedding venue so how would that work?
• Was there any space for the gym outside?
• Would that require some sort of extension or additional building to house it?
• That would reduce the number of parking spaces – making the already acute parking problem at the Hub worse?
• Could the gym, or some of the gym equipment go to Moy? Perhaps, but the Moy Meeting Place is not yet built.
• These problems are not insurmountable but nevertheless time-consuming to resolve.
• A further complication was that around this time it was decided that the Project Officer should prioritise the Affordable Housing and Paths projects, both of which have been very time -intensive in recent months.
• And as the community survey was planned for a few months hence, given the complexities associated with setting up and operating a gym, there was a strong argument for deferring further consideration pending the community survey which would allow the demand for a gym to be assessed fairly and equally on the same terms as all the other potential projects – and so the gym equipment was placed in temporary storage meantime.
 
Thus the proposal has not been forgotten, merely delayed.
 
Now that the Community Council led community survey is underway, SCD will take no further action until that process is completed and conclusions reached regarding the aspirations of our community. We would encourage everyone to complete that survey so that the views of as many of the community as possible can be reflected in the findings.
 
Why is there not a question about the gym in the community survey questionnaire?
Because the questions were formulated from the major concerns expressed during the Stakeholder interviews.
 
Does this mean support for the gym proposal cannot be fed into the survey?
Absolutely not. Anyone wanting a gym can put this on their form at Question 27.
 
The survey questionnaire does not represent the whole community survey.
The front page of your survey questionnaire explains there are four stages to the current consultation:
 
• Stage 1: interviews with around 20 community leaders, service providers and other key stakeholders.
• Stage 2: A community survey
• Stage 3: Focus groups with young people (and now businesses, if our application for additional funding for this is successful!
• Stage 4: A community event to identify priorities for action.
 
We are presently only half-way through Stage 2.
 
Even if you have already submitted your questionnaire response, you can still express your support for a gym at one of the focus groups (if you qualify to attend these) or at the Community Event which is open to all. We will make sure that the date for this is well publicised.
 
At the end of the process the priorities recommended for action will be identified as those with the most community support.