South Sound Military & Communities Partnership Wins ‘Working Across Boundaries Award’

chambers bay
The view at Chambers Bay, looking out across the Puget Sound, can't be beat.

 

Submitted by City of Lakewood

The Pierce County Regional Council recognized the collaboration between Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Lakewood and the surrounding communities for their success doing just that – collaborating.

The PCRC – a sub-regional council for the Puget Sound Regional Council – honored the South Sound Military & Communities Partnership with the first “Working Across Boundaries” Award on Thursday night at its General Assembly presentation in Puyallup.

Josh Brown, Executive Director of the Puget Sound Regional Council, presented the award to Dan Penrose, Program Manager for SSMCP, and JBLM Commander Col. H. Charles Hodges Jr., who accepted the award on behalf of the many partners in Pierce and Thurston counties.

The award recognized SSMCP’s success bringing together regional interests on issues such as traffic congestion on Interstate 5 and support for transitioning servicemembers. The group provides a common voice and single-point of contact for military-related activity that affect the region, and helps support entities carrying out recommendations of the JBLM Growth Coordination Plan.

“This recognition is a testament to the commitment from installation leadership and communities across the South Sound,” Penrose said. “We’ll continue improving this partnership to promote mutually beneficial investments and maximize opportunities for our military and region.”

Added Mayor Don Anderson added: “We’re especially pleased to receive this award on behalf of Lakewood and the surrounding communities. Our relationship with JBLM is a very important one. It is that relationship that will help both our civilian and military populations move toward the future effectively.”