Editor,

This is an open letter to the Central Whidbey community.

You may have heard of us: Coupeville Community Allies. We are a group of community members concerned about the future of our community and Whidbey Island. Our immediate goal is to provide accurate information to all Whidbey Island residents regarding what our future may look like.

The recently released Draft EIS to single site all Growlers at NASWI is over 1,500 pages. Those of us listed below have spent hours gleaning information and evaluating what it means for the Central Whidbey Community. Our primary concern is that the number of operations proposed at the OLF, an increase from the current 6,000 to a proposed 35,000 per year — a possible 135 operations daily — is too much to ask of our community.

If you are concerned about this and want to join the discussion, please comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement online at www.whidbeyeis.com/Comment.aspx or by mail to: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, 6506 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23508, Attn: Code EV21/SS.

Comments are due by Feb. 24, 2017. If you want to comment on the final EIS, you must have commented on this draft.

Please visit our Facebook, Coupeville Community Allies, to see what we are doing. And, if you would, like and share this page with your friends and neighbors.

We encourage everyone to get involved in this discussion of our future.

Linda Bartlett

David Day

Fran Einterz

Anne Harvey

Chris Hurley

Kelly Keilwitz

Linda McKee

Jan Pickard

Valerie Reuther

Lori Taylor

Constance Wolfe