Salem Vision 2020 Event Set for March 11th

More than 3,300 surveys returned and hundreds of volunteers already signed up to help make the vision a reality.

Night shot of downtown Salem and the Willamette River By: Tim King Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem, Oregon Mayor Janet Taylor and the Vision 2020 Team are hosting the Salem Vision 2020 Open House on Tuesday, March 11th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Salem Conference Center.

This is the community's opportunity to preview the top 24 priority projects for the City Center. Selected by the community through a public involvement process that included city-wide neighborhood presentations, community meetings, surveys and an open house in December 2007, the top 24 priority projects are clearly Salem's "wish list" for the City Center.

Organizers say feedback from the community has been fantastic, with more than 3,300 surveys returned and hundreds of volunteers already signed up to help make the vision a reality.

The open house will feature art created by Chemeketa art students for Salem Vision 2020. Their projects showcase the vision through paintings, printmaking, ceramics, digital media, glass and photography.

The Salem Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) will be on hand to help participants put their visions on paper - creating renderings of a future town square, welcoming entrances, pedestrian friendly and enchanting streets and other key projects.

The event will be fun for all age groups, with art projects for the kids, scavenger hunt for the adults and music provided by the Sprague Quartet.

Scavenger hunt prizes include a family membership to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University, a tour of City Center housing options provided by Roy Carmen, lunch at Alessandro's Ristorante & Galleria followed by a tour of downtown historic buildings by Roger Yost, and a one month Cherriots bus pass.

To find out more visit the Salem Vision 2020 website at: cityofsalem.net/vision2020.html