Program Summary

20 May 2001

The Visitor Center Initiative Team (VCI) was tasked to identify issues confronting Corps visitor centers and develop recommendations to improve the program. The process included conducting surveys, onsite visits, attending conferences, and various other data gathering activities. The visitor center program review was completed in October 2002 identifying 24 critical issues that negatively impacted the visitor center program. Corrective recommendations were forwarded to HQ for consideration. These issues were summarized into 5 general categories: regulations/policies, funding, customer services, interpretive messages and administration. (See VCI Final Report on the Reference page.)

July 2003

The Director for Civil Works approved a Decision Memorandum providing for the first stage of improvements to visitor centers to begin. This included continuation of the development of a "state-of-the-art" audio video design concept that could be used at all visitor centers as an educational and entertaining interactive exhibit. This effort, called the "Corps Story display", communicates the Corps role in supporting the Army and improving the lives of American citizens. (See the Reference page for information on this display.) In addition, it was agreed that a PDT be established to implement priority VCI recommendations as funding permits. This included defining the Corps visitor center of the future and appropriate level of customer service. This involved updating visitor center standards and establishing benchmarks for future decision-making. Customer surveys were developed and conducted to evaluate visitor satisfaction and appropriate levels of customer service. Standards and survey information are used to identify centers that provide the greatest value added as far as new investment is concerned and also identify visitor centers that provide the smallest value added. (See "Visitor Satisfaction" page for information about the surveys.) See Visitor Center Initiative page for more information.