At its fourth annual public forum, members of the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership (SSMCP) unveiled results from its 2015 Business and Community Survey at McChord Field, Nov. 5. It was the first of its kind, and results were a mix of aha moments, big surprises and not-so-big surprises.

"From both the community and business survey, the number of people who said that they've been on base was higher than everyone suspected," said Tiffany Speir, SSMCP program manager. "This shows that there is a strong relationship between the communities and the base."

Of the 1,524 adult residents of Pierce and Thurston counties who voluntarily took the community survey, 76 percent stated they had been on base. Of those who were surveyed, a quarter said they had accessed the JBLM website, and eight percent said they had attended a community meeting conducted by JBLM officials.

A not-so-big surprise was the high number of community residents and businesses who remarked on the direct correlation between JBLM and the increasing amount of traffic congestion along the I-5 corridor in both Pierce and Thurston counties.

Of community survey respondents, 46 percent expressed that JBLM was a significant cause of traffic congestion. Of the 146 small business respondents from Pierce and Thurston, 62 percent felt JBLM negatively influenced traffic along the I-5 corridor near the base.

But based on data from the Washington State Department of Transportation, Speir said businesses and residents wanting to place blame on JBLM is ill-conceived.

DOT statistical data shows that a seven-mile stretch of I-5 from DuPont to Lakewood, where much of the traffic strain is felt, has not been widened since 1975. Between 1970 and 2010, Washington state experienced significant population growth - 97 percent. In Pierce County, that increase was 95 percent, and in Thurston County, population increased a whopping 228 percent.

According to an article printed in The News Tribune detailing the 2015 Legislature's plan to widen the freeway using $494 million earmarked from an 11.9-cent a gallon gas tax increase approved in July, the 76 percent increase in traffic over the past 30 years came well before the build-up of troops on JBLM that transpired during a decade of war.

Speir said the strong negative reaction toward JBLM as a root cause of traffic was the least surprising.

"This was the only strong negative result," she said.

A review of both the community and business surveys shows overwhelming support for the base and for the troops who reside both there and off base.

There are roughly 45,000 active-duty soldiers stationed on JBLM, Speir said, and of those, 70 percent live off base. That statistic is proven, with 47 percent of responding residents stating they live in a neighborhood with active-duty servicemembers, and 40 percent reporting that they were a veteran household.

A significant majority of responding residents and businesses also recognize JBLM as an economic engine in the region.

Of responding residents, 48 percent agreed JBLM made a positive economic impact. Responding businesses were favorable, too, with 80 percent saying they benefited from JBLM-related customers and 84 percent reporting that JBLM is a good or excellent neighbor. Eighteen percent of businesses stated they had current or past contracts to provide goods and services to JBLM.

What was most heartening to see in both the community and business surveys, Speir said, was the high number of respondents who thought local governments in Pierce and Thurston counties should do more to encourage hiring veterans and improving veteran-hiring programs.

"The fact that both residents and business owners stated they wanted to see more veteran-recruitment programs in place for local governments was a pleasant surprise," Speir said.

Of responding businesses, 46 percent reported having veteran employees, and 56 percent said they have a veteran-hiring preference. Of responding residents, 62 percent said more needs to be done by their community to support veteran-hiring programs.

In nearly every survey response, the patriotism felt and expressed by residents and business owners was obvious. In one question on the community survey that asked respondents to describe the overall attitude toward servicemembers in their neighborhood, 84 percent said the attitude was supportive.

In fact, residents showed that they want more opportunities to express their support to soldiers, with 46 percent responding that more should be done by communities to host military appreciation events. Residents also expressed that soldiers' absence in the region would be noticed, with 73 percent saying a drawdown of a thousand troops on JBLM would pose a negative impact on the region.

SSMCP worked with Seattle-based Elway Research to conduct the survey. The 1,524 adult residents and 146 small businesses were randomly selected within a two-mile radius of the base in Pierce and Thurston counties. Survey results are available at ssmcp.org.