Make A Difference and Join our JBLM Letter Writing Campaign

The Puyallup Sumner Chamber of Commerce has joined with the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership to advocate on behalf of JBLM and request our congressional leaders to reassess the impact a potential reduction of 16,000 troops would have in our region.  Letter writing campaigns have been successful in other military communities to stem large  reductions of troops so our chamber has been asked to participate in a similar letter writing campaign for the JBLM Region of Influence.

Although we have already written to Senators Cantwell and Murray and Rep. Heck on behalf of our Chamber organization, we have also been asked to write individual business letters addressing the impact such a reduction would have on our economy.  A sample letter is provided below that members may use to outline the potential impact such a reduction would have on their business.  We are asking our business members to copy the text to an email, include their signature block to reflect their name and business, make any other revisions they feel are appropriate or include specific military statistics that apply to their business, i.e., number of retired military employees, percentage of military sales, etc. and then email it back to us for forwarding to the appropriate Army contact.  admin@puyallupsumnerchamber.com.

There is a deadline looming for these comments so we will need to have these letters emailed back to us by Monday, August 25th.  Call our office if you have any questions (253.845.6755) and THANK YOU  in advance for supporting our military troops.

Shelly Schlumpf, President & CEO

Puyallup Sumner Chamber of Commerce

(Sample Letter)

August __, 2014

U.S. Army Environmental Command

ATTN:  SPEA Public Comments

2450 Connell Road; Building 2264

Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston,  TX   78234-7664 

RE:   Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) 

for Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment

Greetings:

I am submitting this public comment in response to the Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) for Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment’s Proposed Action for Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Washington.  

With a population of app. 40,000 people in the City of Puyallup and app. 10,000 people in the City of Sumner, both communities are located within a short distance of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in the base’s Region of Influence (ROI).  Given this, our cities have strong ties to the base, its soldiers, their families and the many local residents who support them.   Both Puyallup and Sumner have active Community Connectors to designated JBLM brigades.  Our business communities have repeatedly joined together to support and show our appreciation of our service men and women serving at JBLM with fundraisers, welcome home and going away celebrations, attending change of command ceremonies, awards recognition and more.

Our Chamber and local business members are very concerned about any further reduction in current JBLM troop levels and how any impacts associated with a drawdown are presented in the SPEA.   We respectfully disagree with the conclusion stated in the SPEA that the Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment would have only a “minor, adverse impact on population, employment, income, housing, and schools in the ROI”.    We strongly urge that the full potential impacts to the entire ROI, including the Cities of Puyallup and Sumner, be reconsidered and properly assessed.   Both Cities have strong legacies of supporting our local military population and the mission of JBLM, and we look forward to continuing that vital relationship.  

Thank you for this opportunity to provide comments on the Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment report.  

Very truly yours,

(Include your business signature block and logo here)