Vision 2020 has met monthly since summer to gather information about local concerns such as transit, traffic and parking, preservation of historic buildings and redevelopment, and other issues related to Salem's downtown and core area. They also have begun generating ideas for programs and projects meant to enhance the vitality of the City Center.

The work begun by Vision 2020 was presented to the City Council in October and Project Manager for Urban Development Courtney Knox told the council that the initial phase of Vision 2020 was completed and that now they wished to engage the community in a significant effort over the next two months.

That effort includes surveys to solicit feedback and opinions from Salem residents that already have been e-mailed to large employers such as Willamette University and Salem Hospital, as well as downtown businesses. It is also available online at the City's Web site.

Libby Barg, an employee of Barney & Worth, a Salem planning and communications firm that has been assisting the Vision 2020 group, said this is the beginning of an exciting process and that everyone's ideas are welcome.

"We need your ideas. Call or send in the survey, or if you belong to an organization that would like a presentation on the work we've begun, please let us know," Barg said.

City staff and members of the initial Vision 2020 group will be going out to meetings of neighborhood associations and other civic groups to share the information they have gathered and to make their pitch about the vision they have been creating.

The information collected from the surveys and meetings with residents will be presented to community groups a second time to confirm that the plan is on target.

There will be a Vision 2020 Community Forum open to all Salem residents at the Salem Convention Center on December 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. There will be food, "kid friendly activities," door prizes, and an opportunity to share your thoughts and concerns about Salem's future.

"We hear too often: `I didn't hear about it, no one asked my opinion,'" Mayor Taylor said. "You have every opportunity to give your opinion about what you want to see happen in the core and City Center. We're asking you to help us to make good goals and decisions about where we want to be in 2020."

For more information about the Vision 2020 process or to fill out a survey, visit cityofsalem.net.