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Scout survey analyzes central business district

By Daniel Casciato Thursday, November 10, 2005
Daniel Magalotti,15, is working on a project that could affect the Mt. Lebanon central business district for years to come.

As part of his Eagle Scout leadership service project, the Mt. Lebanon High School sophomore is conducting a customer intercept survey that will be used to analyze the central business district's strengths, weaknesses, assets and needs.

"A customer intercept survey is something that the Economic Development Council has discussed for some time," said commercial districts manager Mame Bradley. "Daniel approached us about doing some sort of service project for the municipality, and we thought this would be a great project for him."

Results from the survey will help the municipality discover what brought residents to the central business district, how often they come to shop and what would bring them there more often.

Magalotti and a team of 10 Scouts from Troop 28 spent Saturday afternoon surveying about 100 shoppers along Washington Road.

The survey, modeled on examples from the National Main Street Center, takes about five minutes to complete.

To ensure a good sample, Magalotti will collect data on two more dates -- Saturday after Thanksgiving and another date in December.

The survey, which is anonymous, asks shoppers 24 multiple-choice questions, including ones about their family and household size, household income, where they live, which Washington Road stores or businesses they visit most often and how often they visit. Shoppers deposited the surveys into enclosed receptacles to ensure anonymity.

Magalotti and his team hope to obtain 500 to 600 completed surveys.

"If people will cooperate and participate in this survey, this could give us some valuable data on who is shopping the business district and why," Bradley said. "This data could also help us determine what type of marketing and promotions we could use to get people to come here."

Magalotti will tabulate the data collected and present his findings to the Economic Development Council.

"This makes me feel that I am doing my job as a Scout," said Magalotti. "For me, it's all about performing community service, and I feel pretty good that the municipality can use the results to help improve the business district."


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