The water tower overlooks Hermiston, which has been the fastest-growing city in Umatilla County since 2000.

The city of Hermiston is asking residents to think big as they imagine what the city might look like 20 years from now.

The city, led by a steering committee representing various community partners, has launched Hermiston 2040, an effort to create a 20-year vision plan for the community.

“We’re looking to those of you who live, work and play here to help us create the guiding vision for Hermiston’s future,” the flyer announcing the project reads. “This road map, anchored in the people of Hermiston’s values, will chart the way our city will look, feel and work over the next 20 years.”

To launch the project, the city created a new website, at hermiston2040.com. The website encourages people to sign up to get involved throughout the feedback-gathering process.

It also contains a link to the city’s first Hermiston 2040 survey. The survey asks people connected to Hermiston a series of questions about how they perceive Hermiston and what they would like to see change.

City Manager Byron Smith said the initial survey is designed to help the steering committee find overall themes and trends, before drilling down on those specific topics with more surveys and focus groups with residents. They also plan to do other types of outreach, including booths at community events and open houses, as COVID-19 conditions permit.

“I think people are sometimes skeptical, but this is a sincere effort to find out what the community wants us to work on,” Smith said.

He said the final document, which will likely be produced sometime this fall after a summer of gathering feedback, will be available to the entire community so that other organizations can use the information provided.

Smith said the city has done similar 20-year visioning efforts before and it has been helpful in guiding community leaders. Past feedback about the need for more parks and recreation offerings prompted the city to improve parks and add trails, for example.

For more information about the effort, visit www.hermiston2040.com or email info@hermiston2040.com.