07-21-2015 EDC Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Summary of the Pequot Lakes Business Survey Methodology We collected commercial company lists from Crow Wing County, the Brainerd Lakes Chamber membership and the City of Pequot Lakes (list obtained from David Kennedy) We cross-referenced those lists and after eliminating all duplication of company names and addresses and mailed 207 surveys and received 66 responses 32%. It is important to remember that the results of this survey should be understood not as the voice to the entire Pequot Lakes business community. Instead, the results can be interpreted as the opinion of the 66 business survey respondents, any further extrapolation of these results to the entire business community would be misleading. This survey was created by the committee and was sent with MnDot maps of both options and a fact sheet outlining various assumptions and facts that was created and provided by the Pequot Lakes planning department. Timeline: The questions were created and approved by October 9,2007, and mailed on October 11th, 2007. Business were given 12 days to reply and were asked to return surveys by October 22nd, 2007. Calls were made to companies who did not return surveys between October 22nd through October 26th, 2007 requesting returns. Final Business survey summary was prepared after November 5th, 2007. Following a two week period for surveys to be returned, Cheryal Hills—Executive Director of Region Five Development Commission called aprox. 83 companies requesting unreturned surveys. This attempt was unsuccessful resulting in aprox.2-3 (part of the 66 total) being returned through this effort. Reasons from Business owners for not returning surveys were: • Not enough time • Don't care • Only the loud voices will be heard • The business community seems to be heavily weighted on the through town option and the through town proponents have the"If I'm not with them I'm against them"attitude and I don't want to create enemies for my business. • The through town group believe I'm uninformed of the issues and if I were educated I would think the way they do. I'm informed and I still don't think the way they do, but the hate that is being harbored toward each other in this town for having difference of opinions is exactly why I choose not to respond. • The City has elected to do the by-pass so why should I send in my opinion.