Ask Mr. Answer Person: a reader asks about Palisades Park promotion

Leann e-mails Mr. Answer Person: "Why doesn't Decorah do more with Palisades Park like putting up picnic and playground areas? It seems it could be promoted more."
 
Mr. Answer Person says: "Palisades Park used to be more popular for picnicking, but there were problems with picnic tables either being set on fire or pushed over the cliff.  But I'm not sure I agree with you, Leann, that the park isn't popular--it appears to be popular with walkers, runner and off-road bike riders.  Of course, I could be wrong and you could be right.  At this point, there aren't any figures on how much Decorah parks get used—and I think that's unfortunate.  Imagine all the questions the Decorah Parks & Recreation Department could answer about city parks with a survey: Which parks are popular and which aren't?  Which parks get used for picnicking?  Which parks are favorites with bike riders?  Walkers and runners?  Horse riders?  Before spending money on buying new picnic tables for Palisades Park, it makes sense to me that the Parks & Recreation Department conduct a survey to learn what the public wants—not just one person and especially not just Mr. Answer Person!!