WHIDBEY ISLAND — During the past few weeks, Navy Growlers have not been training at Outlying Field on Whidbey Island — and that has been a relief, according to Port Townsend Council member Michelle Sandoval.
Sandoval has been involved in jet noise from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island since 2012.
“When I was mayor, the (EA-6B) Prowlers were in service at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and they never used OLF [Outlying Field] in Coupeville,” Sandoval said.
“When the (EA-18B) Growlers came in, they started training at OLF and we got a lot of calls at City Hall. We reached out to the Navy and asked where we should direct our complaints.”
Sandoval said the Navy did not consider Port Townsend to be directly affected by the noise.
“We never had the opportunity to give them input,” she said. “We still don’t.”
“We asked Representative [Derek] Kilmer to come in and get involved,” she said, referring to the U.S. 6th District congressman.
”We held a public meeting and lots of people turned out,” Sandoval said. “However, our viewpoint was never considered because we weren’t in their area of review.”
The same holds true in 2018, according to Sandoval.
On Dec. 19, Sandoval represented Port Townsend during a regional meeting of the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) in Coupeville on Whidbey Island to discuss local historic treasures affected by the Growlers and the Navy’s plans — which have not been finalized — to add 36 Growlers to operations at Outlying Field (OLF) in Coupeville, which translates into a total of 24,000 takeoffs and landings annually.
Over 400 concerned people from Jefferson, Skagit, Clallam and Island counties were on hand to discuss the impact of the jets on the environment and historic properties in the region.
The Navy abandoned the Section 106 process at the end of November that provides protection to historic properties.
That triggered a review by the ACHP.
The ACHP has a 45-day window to review comments and make recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy prior to the publication of the Navy’s Record of Decision on the Growler jet expansion. However, due to the government shutdown, the countdown of days has been stopped and will resume when the shutdown concludes.
Written comments will be accepted until 2 p.m. Thursday PST (5 p.m. EST). They can be emailed to whidbeyislandcomment@achp.gov, faxed to 202-517-6381 or mailed to Katharine R. Kerr, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 401 F St., NW, Suite 308, Washington, DC 20001-2637.
Navy negotiations with the ACHP, the Washington State Department of Historic Preservation, government officials on Whidbey Island, stakeholders, and citizen groups under Section 106 of National Historic Preservation Act did not result in an agreement.
“After careful consideration, the Navy determined that further consultation under Section 106 will not be productive,” said the Navy in a news release at the time. “The 106 process is about historic preservation and does not address other possible impacts to the community.”
The Navy has said that Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve will be “significantly impacted from the increased number of jets and flights.” It has not addressed the potential impacts to surrounding areas.
Along with Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson, Sandoval said that the boundaries for the “area of potential effects” should extend beyond what is currently defined by the Navy.
She asked that the area of study include the 40 Port Townsend properties that are listed on the National Historic Register.
In analyzing the situation, Sandoval believes there are two issues affecting the Navy’s viewpoint.
“The manner in which they are modeling is theoretical and is not a true measurement of sound,” she said.
She also said that there seems to be a lack of understanding about historic properties and the effects the Growlers have on them.
“The Navy thinks we are in an area not affected by their sound,” Sandoval said. “We have multiple historic districts and designated national historic buildings and they are not responding to our concerns.”
State Historic Preservation Officer Allyson Brooks clarified timelines and details of the recent mitigation talks with the Navy to those gathered at the meeting. She explained that she has worked successfully with other federal agencies to reach agreements on projects that affect historic areas.
“The same law that applies to all the other federal agencies should apply to the Navy,” Brooks said.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Jeannie McMacken can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jmcmacken@peninsuladailynews.com.
