Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Time to Rename Joint Base Lewis-McChord After the Private Sector
What? Rename Joint Base Lewis-McChord? That may sound silly, because we're still getting used to the new name. Maybe. But if we renamed it 'Boeing,' 'Microsoft' or 'Intel' some good things could happen.
If you've been here since the late 90s, you remember that when Intel decided to move into DuPont, it was conditioned on the state building a highway interchange in record time. And you may recall that the interchange went up in that record time. State officials and others bragged that this was their way of showing commitment to bringing jobs to the South Sound. And it was.
One thing I don't remember is any level of government promising to run high-speed rail traffic in front of Intel commuters as they go to and from their jobs. I also don't remember the government promising massive amounts of congestion in front of Intel's main doors. And there's a reason no one promise those things to attract Intel to DuPont and Washington. It would be an act of insanity to think you bring economic development to an area by messing with a company's employees.
However, we have some horrible interchanges about Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is the state's third largest employer. It has even more employees than Microsoft or Intel.
So go visit the highway in front of JBLM on a Friday afternoon. Stop by the Tillicum interchange, where you have Camp Murray in the mix. And then think about what happens in the future when the traffic slams to a stop in order to bring high-speed rail to the area for no good reason except government expansion.
If Camp Murray was Microsoft HQ and JBLM was Intel , Microsoft and Intel would tell the state that the traffic congestion in the area is unacceptable. They sure as heck would say a pointless railroad expansion was offensive. Would the public and private sectors of Washington do something about that? Maybe. If you read the links below, you see that JBLM has brought thousands and thousands of new jobs to the area. Jobs are important. Employers are important.
JBLM has added to its job base by 43 percent since 2003. If Microsoft, Intel or Boeing had grown 43 percent, don't you think the governor and other offices in the state would have offered to open up offices in their buildings just to figure out how to make them happy?
And this is just a discussion about traffic. Is enough being done to support JBLM employees in terms of schools, in terms of other needs? Here's what the official report says just about schools: "Schools on JBLM are over capacity and are in poor condition."
I'd argue a job at JBLM is just as important as a job in the private sector. So this is my idea. We rename the base from JBLM to something fairly close, JBIM, for 'Joint Boeing Intel Microsoft.' All you'd have to do to signs is paint out the tail on the 'L.' Sure, that means erasing the L for Lewis, but a born leader like Meriweather Lewis would understand.
One thing I don't remember is any level of government promising to run high-speed rail traffic in front of Intel commuters as they go to and from their jobs. I also don't remember the government promising massive amounts of congestion in front of Intel's main doors. And there's a reason no one promise those things to attract Intel to DuPont and Washington. It would be an act of insanity to think you bring economic development to an area by messing with a company's employees.
However, we have some horrible interchanges about Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is the state's third largest employer. It has even more employees than Microsoft or Intel.
So go visit the highway in front of JBLM on a Friday afternoon. Stop by the Tillicum interchange, where you have Camp Murray in the mix. And then think about what happens in the future when the traffic slams to a stop in order to bring high-speed rail to the area for no good reason except government expansion.
If Camp Murray was Microsoft HQ and JBLM was Intel , Microsoft and Intel would tell the state that the traffic congestion in the area is unacceptable. They sure as heck would say a pointless railroad expansion was offensive. Would the public and private sectors of Washington do something about that? Maybe. If you read the links below, you see that JBLM has brought thousands and thousands of new jobs to the area. Jobs are important. Employers are important.
JBLM has added to its job base by 43 percent since 2003. If Microsoft, Intel or Boeing had grown 43 percent, don't you think the governor and other offices in the state would have offered to open up offices in their buildings just to figure out how to make them happy?
And this is just a discussion about traffic. Is enough being done to support JBLM employees in terms of schools, in terms of other needs? Here's what the official report says just about schools: "Schools on JBLM are over capacity and are in poor condition."
I'd argue a job at JBLM is just as important as a job in the private sector. So this is my idea. We rename the base from JBLM to something fairly close, JBIM, for 'Joint Boeing Intel Microsoft.' All you'd have to do to signs is paint out the tail on the 'L.' Sure, that means erasing the L for Lewis, but a born leader like Meriweather Lewis would understand.
The new name wouldn't be accurate, but I bet the traffic problems around Lakewood, DuPont and JBIM would be taken care of, pronto. What do you want? An accurate name, or problems solved?
And ... you know, there's an alternative. Don't bother renaming the base. Instead ... Maybe don't take JBLM for granted. Maybe think of JBLM as you would think of as an employer in the private sector. Treat JBLM as a precious resource for jobs and people. If the movers and shakers could turn their heads to this concept, good things would happen.
And while he would have understood us dropping his name, Meriweather Lewis would probably be grateful.
Credits: The top slide comes from the Oct. 24 presentation that can be found at this link. Anyone passionate about the effects of growth around JBIM can find great resources at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord growth coordination site http://www.jblm-growth.com/
There have been several reports about the work of this group, coordinated by folks in Lakewood.
Report on KPLU
News Release About the Coordination Plan as reprinted in The Suburban Times
Credits: The top slide comes from the Oct. 24 presentation that can be found at this link. Anyone passionate about the effects of growth around JBIM can find great resources at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord growth coordination site http://www.jblm-growth.com/
There have been several reports about the work of this group, coordinated by folks in Lakewood.
Report on KPLU
News Release About the Coordination Plan as reprinted in The Suburban Times
If you weren't around for construction of the DuPont and Intel highway interchange, my story might be unfamiliar, but it was a big deal at the time. Here's an old story on how the interchange fit into efforts to attract jobs to our area.
