KITTERY —People who commute to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, those considering a career there and  those interested in the shipyard and the area are invited to take an online survey and drop by a public meeting on Wednesday to hear and talk about transportation, housing, transit funding, road capacity and a host of other issues.

The meeting will be held at the Kittery Community Center, 120 Rogers Road, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, the town of Kittery and engineering and design firm Stantec are hosting the session. They’ve been engaged in a Joint Land Use Study, of JLUS, that has examined a number of issues over the last six months with planners and stakeholders, Now, they’re ready to hear from others.

A JLUS is a planning initiative undertaken, in this case, by a local government in partnership with a military installation “to protect and preserve military readiness and defense capabilities while supporting continued community growth and economic development,” according to Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission. The end product is intended to provide a blueprint for mutually beneficial actions.

“We are looking for further input from community members and shipyard workers as we refine our conclusions and begin drafting recommendations,” said Jason Schrieber, Stantec’s project manager.

The public survey can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JLUS. Stantec staff are urging everyone to take the five-minute survey; they say responses are confidential.

The JLUS project team met with five groups of stakeholders this winter and spring to gain a better understanding of the issues. Attendees represented a range of regional and local officials and agencies — political, planning, transportation, public works — as well as neighborhood business owners and residents.

Among the key issues identified were local traffic congestion, alternative transportation needs, transit funding, parking perceptions vs. needs, cross-border cooperation, affordable housing, shifting needs of the shipyard workforce and regional connectivity.

Overall, the economic impact of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the region was $882 million in 2018, according to figures supplied by the Seacoast Shipyard Association in April. Of that total, $548 million was in civilian payroll.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employed 6,972 civilians in 2018, up from 6,450 in 2017. Of those, 4,234, or 55 percent, live in Maine and earned $314 million, according to SSA.

Of the Maine workers, 502 live in Sanford, up from 460 the previous year. The Sanford workers earned $34.5 million in 2018. According to SSA, there were 404 workers from Berwick, 403 from Kittery, 371 from South Berwick, 292 from Lebanon, 219 from Wells, 196 from Biddeford, 127 from Saco, 97 from Kennebunk, and smaller numbers from other local communities.

Virtually all of the workers, whether they live in Maine, New Hampshire or Massachusetts, commute to the shipyard.

According to the public affairs office of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, more than 900 employees are actively using the Mass Transportation Benefit Program, which reimburses employees who use public transportation. As well, said Deputy Public Affairs Officer Gary Hildreth in a statement earlier this year, many shipyard personnel participate in organized car and van pooling options.

“In 2017, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard initiated a High Occupancy Vehicle program designed to offer premium parking spots to those employees carpooling with three or more personnel,” he said. “There are 54 dedicated parking spots in support of this initiative. Those who choose to utilize this program receive a parking pass to these premium parking spots.”

And while transportation and parking aren’t the sole issues being examined, they are a focus.

PNSY Commander David Hunt has said the JLUS will be a valuable tool.

“This is a community-driven planning process where the town of Kittery, in partnership with the shipyard, will identify and evaluate existing and potential future traffic and parking challenges impacting both the Navy and surrounding community,” said Hunt earlier this year.

Kittery Town Manager Kendra Amaral said she’s looking forward to Stantec’s analysis of the traffic and parking congestion challenges and the firm’s recommendations to address the issues;

“We are pleased with the stakeholder involvement so far and are looking forward to more public participation. Ultimately, in order to solve some of our transportation challenges, we need a collaborative approach and a shared commitment to implement solutions that will work for Kittery, the Shipyard, and the region,” she said in a prepared statement.

More on the JLUS can be found at: http://smpdc.org/JLUS.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.