In Manassas Park, parents say they don’t have time to play

Manassas Park has one of the region’s largest community centers.

• It boasts workout and community rooms, as well as an indoor aquatics facility (where they’re trying to hire more daytime lifeguards).
• There are also tons of events at the center, with a yard sale, floating gourd night, youth basketball league,  and a special trick-or-treat event planned this month alone.
• The center, built 10 years ago, along with a new police station and new school buildings, is one of the reasons why the city is also drowning in debt.

As the city tries to convince people to come use the center, a common response — they don’t have time.

• Nearly a quarter of respondents to a recent city survey on parks and rec, participants reported lack of time as being a major barrier to participating in programs.
• That’s up five points from 2017.

Another reason people stay away: They don’t find the events and programs at the center very interesting.

• That’s the second biggest barrier to entry (it was the fifth reason in 2017), survey respondents said.
• Millennials reported a 15% increase over 2017 to lack of time as being their biggest barrier.
• Baby Boomers were the most likely to respond to the programs not being interesting to them at 20% which is a 13% increase from 2017.
• Fees as a barrier increased for Gen Xers by 8% while it decreased for Millennials by 16%.
• Parents responded with a 13% increase in lack of time being their biggest reason not to participate in programming at the center.
• Interestingly, lack of time decreased by two points for non-parents, however, programs not matching their interest increased by 14 points, the survey states.

And there are those who say they simply don’t know about the programs offered at the community center.

• The number of survey respondents unfamiliar with programs offered has increased.
• The city now says it plans to reduce its reliance on social media advertising, and increase the number of text alerts it sends to customers with a paid community center membership, and the number of printed event fliers it distributes to its members in advance of events.
• These methods resonate better with Millenials, paid members, and city residents, according to the survey.