The City of Burien is hoping for a good turnout at the upcoming community forums on the future of Burien. The first of three forums is Saturday, April 16, at Seahurst Elementary, 14603 14th Ave. S.W.

"Through this visioning process, the city is creating a road map that we'll follow in making important decisions," said Burien Mayor Joan McGilton. "We need to know what people want their community to be like 20 - 30 years from now and we encourage them to take part in this process."

What can participants expect at the forums? At the open house that begins at 10 a.m., visioning exercises will encourage residents to "think big" in response to questions related to their hopes and dreams for the future. Six stations will be designed for individual participation, each attended by city staff and volunteers from the project steering committee.

The guided program that follows at 11 a.m. will feature a large-group presentation and discussion that will give participants an opportunity to learn about the visioning process, discuss issues in a community setting, and express their personal preferences through individual scoring of priorities.

Facilitator Brian Scott, a consultant hired by the city to conduct the visioning process, will lead the program. Light refreshments will be available, as well as play activities for kids (unsupervised). Interpretation services will be available.

The goal of the visioning effort is to provide the community with a sense of direction. The vision that emerges from the process will provide a foundation for upcoming city planning efforts in the areas of land use, transportation, parks and recreation and major capital projects.

Adoption of the Burien Community Vision by the City Council is planned for late June.

Future community forums will be held Tuesday, April 26 at Hazel Valley Elementary, 402 S.W. 132nd St., open house at 5:30 p.m., program at 6:30 p.m.; and Saturday, May 7 at Southern Heights Elementary, 11249 14th Ave. S., open house at 10 a.m., program at 11 a.m.
Information on the visioning process is available at www.burienwa.gov/vision4burien.