December 5, 2013 • The Whidbey Examiner
Page 7
Navy beefs up OLF security; closes Maylor trail By Janis Reid Staff Reporter
More than 1,000 large cement blocks connected by thick cable are being installed around the perimeter of the Navy’s Outlying Field Coupeville. The blocks are stamped with the words, “Government property, do not trespass.” They are a security measure to ensure unauthorized vehicles do not drive onto the field, according to Tony Popp, community relations director for Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Popp said the Navy has not changed its security posture at OLF and has intended to install the blocks at the outlying field for some time. Popp said that the Navy does not intend to build any kind of fence on top of the blocks. The Navy still intends to resume touch-and-go operations at OLF after the end of the calendar year,
Popp said. The added security at OLF Coupeville comes in the wake of months of controversy about noise from landing practices at the airfield. A Coupeville-based citizens group filed a federal lawsuit against the Navy in July, asking a judge to compel the Navy to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement or EIS. The group alleges that the Navy’s new EA-18G Growlers are louder than previous aircraft and that the Navy are performing more operations at OLF than they estimated in 2005. Members of the group, including Maryon Attwood and Paula Spina, speculated during a recent meeting that the cement blocks are being installed as added security as a result of their criticism of the jet noise and the Navy’s intention to resume operations in January. When told that the Navy’s position is that this has been a project
in the works for some time, Spina replied, “Do you believe that?” Attwood concurred with Spina. Attwood said she believes the timing of the block placement seems suspect. The Navy announced its intention to conduct the EIS shortly after the lawsuit was filed, saying that plans for the study have been in the works for some time. Public comment meetings about the impact of the Growlers and other aircraft on Whidbey is scheduled for Dec. 3-5. The Navy has also closed Maylor Point trail to pedestrians due to the construction and closure of Torpedo Road, according to Mike Welding, NAS Whidbey public affairs officer. Gate No. 5, near the entrance to Maylor Point trail is currently used as a backup to Maui gate for vehicular traffic entry into sea plane base, he said. For safety reasons, he said, the base closed the gate to pedestrians during construction.
Janis Reid photo
Workers install some of the 1,000 large cement blocks being used to create a barrier around Outlying Field south of Coupeville.
Coupeville group claims OLF is ‘non-essential,’ flights resume By Janis Reid Staff Reporter
A Coupeville-based group that sued the Navy in July over jet noise is claiming that Outlying Field Coupeville is not as essential as the Navy claims. The Navy suspended touch-and-go operations at OLF Coupeville in May, but plans to resume in January in a more limited capacity than in recent years. The landing practice field is part of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. After temporarily suspending practices at OLF Coupeville, the Navy shifted some training for the EA-18G Growler to Ault Field and El Centro Naval Air Facility in California. “Although the Navy has insisted that its outlying field next to Ebey’s National Reserve in Coupeville is an ‘essential adjunct’ of Whidbey Island’s Naval Air Station, the controversial World War II runway is not as essential as the Navy claims,” Michael Monson said in a news
release this week on behalf of the Coupeville-based Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, or COER, the group that filed the lawsuit. “Clearly, the Navy can conduct its noisy practicing at an ‘elsewhere’ OLF.” The Navy is in the beginning stages of conducting a new environmental study on the impacts of the Growler, which is replacing the Navy’s EA-6B Prowler. Public meetings started Tuesday and Wednesday night in Coupeville and Oak Harbor, and Thursday at Anacortes Middle School. COER members say that the Growler is louder than its predecessor. Navy representatives said Monday that the noise from the two aircraft is similar, but may seem louder due to differing frequency levels. Critics also say the Navy exceeded the number of operations it estimated would be needed at OLF. Capt. Mike Nortier, commanding officer at NAS Whidbey, conceded Monday the Navy did exceed its
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are unconvinced that the Navy will keep operations to the estimated 6,120 and will not be satisfied until land practices are moved elsewhere. The new Growler study aims to evaluate the potential environmental effects associated with ongoing EA-18G Growler airfield operations at NAS Whidbey’s Ault Field and OLF Coupeville, including the proposed introduc-
tion of two additional expeditionary electronic attack squadrons and the addition of aircraft to the fleet replacement squadron. Lisa Padgett, U.S. Fleet Forces Command project manager for the study, said Growler study is “very early in the process” and that the public will have opportunity to give input now, and again in 2015 when the scoping period nears its conclusion.
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in the 6,120 operations annually at OLF until the current environmental study is completed in 2016, Nortier said. While the Navy met some of its Growler training needs at other locations, “that’s not sustainable for the long term,” said Rick Meyer with U.S. Fleet Forces Aviation Shore Readiness. Growler pilots are only trained at El Centro if they happened to be deployed there, he said. It is unlikely that a complete closure of OLF Coupeville will be considered in the environmental study, Meyer said. COER members say they
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projections during 2011 and 2012. According to Environmental Assessments completed in 2005 and 2012, the Navy anticipated flying about 6,120 operations at OLF and 18,282 at Ault Field. Because of mission requirements, however, the Navy performed 9,378 at OLF Coupeville in 2011, and 9,668 in 2012, Nortier said. Nortier said NAS Whidbey suspended operations at the outlying field in May 2013 because it again exceeded the estimate with 6,972 operations completed. Moving forward, it is the Navy’s intention to stay with-
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