FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 14, 2014

MEDIA CONTACT
Anita Gallagher, Office of Mayor Marilyn Strickland, anita.gallagher@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5166


Mayor Marilyn Strickland Urges Public to Comment
on Possible Job Reductions at JBLM

Tacoma, Wash. -- Mayor Marilyn Strickland urges Tacoma residents and business owners to participate in the U.S. Army’s public comment period on potential job reductions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  The Army is in the process of scaling back its forces, and recently published a Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) analyzing how installations, including JBLM, could be affected by job reductions.  The SPEA projections estimate a loss of up to 16,000 military and civilian jobs.

“The men and women who serve our country out of JBLM are vital to our community,” said Strickland. “They are valued members of our neighborhoods, and customers of our businesses. They generously volunteer for charities, have families to support and are caregivers. These job reductions could result in negative impacts to our schools, the housing market, and local economy.  The community of Fort Polk, Louisiana mobilized over 4,000 public comments and lost only 250 personnel.  We’re facing drastic cuts, so it’s imperative that the people of Tacoma and Pierce County make our voices heard in this process.”

The U.S. Army’s Public Comment period closes on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014.  Submit public comment online or write to: U.S. Army Environmental Command; ATTN: SPEA Public Comments; 2450 Connell Road, Building 2264; Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-7664.

More information is available at jblm-growth.com.