Naval Air Station Whidbey Island commanding officer, Capt. Jay Johnston, charmed the crowd as he presented a ‘state of the station’ address to the Oak Harbor Area Council of the Navy League Tuesday.

In an apt description of all that falls under Capt. Johnston’s command umbrella, Navy League copresident Beth Munns introduced Johnston as the “mayor” of NAS Whidbey Island.

“He is in partnership with us. He is one of us in our community and I don’t want us to ever think it’s them versus us,” said Munns. “We are truly one community and we are very honored to have you with us today to let us know what’s happening in your town.”

Capt. Johnston’s presentation covered a variety of topics, from events in which the base has partnered with the community to the Maritime Patrol and Electronic Attack platform transitions underway to improvements in the quality of life for personnel on NAS Whidbey.

High points of the past year involving the community included Memorial Day, observances the Centennial of Naval Aviation event in July, Battle of Midway observances, joint force protection exercises and the arrival of the A-3 Skywarrior.

“That was truly impressive,” said Johnston. “The plane is in the process of being de-militarized over there on the flight line. We look forward to getting that on the top of the hill. Thanks to the Skywarrior Association for doing that for us.”

Latest figures on the base population remain about the same: There are currently 7,589 active duty military personnel and 2,420 civilian and contractor employees. The economic impact of NAS Whidbey on Island County needed little explanation.

“My favorite statistic … 88 percent of all economic activity in Island County can be linked to the Navy presence and 68 percent of employment can be attributed to the base. That’s an important argument …and I put that out there for anyone who will listen,” Johnston said.

Platform Transitions

Johnston said the transition from the EA-6B Prowler to the EA-18G Growler is progressing quickly. So far there is one training squadron and four operational Growler squadrons. When the transition is complete, there will 114 Growler aircraft. So far the base has received 55.

“In fact they’re delivering aircraft faster than we can put them into service and man-up squadrons, so we’ll have to accept a few of these airplanes and store them for a while,” Johnston said.

In terms of whether the P-8A Poseidon will replace the P-3C Orion at NAS Whidbey, Johnston said they hope to have a resolution to that question soon. If the program of record stands, there will be a total of four squadrons with seven aircraft per squadron.

“We’re still forging ahead with the plans to host those four squadrons, modify our hangers and build simulators to support them,” Johnston said. “We’ve put our best cost estimates forth to the decision makers.”

Aging infrastructure

Work will continue to modernize the aging infrastructure on NAS Whidbey. Johnston said they will be replacing or modernizing the fuel pipeline that runs from the Ault Field Base to the Seaplane Base next year. He said the Navy has been working with officials from the city and county on details of the construction.

Other energy initiatives include waterline replacement, which has been completed on Ault Field but will be getting underway in some of the Forest City housing areas. Overall, Johnston said the base has reduced its energy consumption by 30 percent over the past six or seven years, but they continue to work on ways to conserve, such as metering usage and installing solar panels and ground source heating.

Quality of Life

Improvements to quality of life include new equipment, resurfacing gym floors and increasing hours at the Fitness Center. Repairs to the softball fields, track and tennis courts are on the horizon.

“We’re getting synthetic fields … long- term costs are going to be much cheaper than mowing the grass and maintaining landscaping,” Johnston said.

Improvements to Kegler’s in the Convergence Zone on the Ault Field Base have been completed and the eatery reopened last Friday. Other projects over the last year have included renovations to the Skywarrior Theater and the CPO Club ballroom, the 14th green was rebuilt at Gallery Golf Course and new playground equipment and tables were installed at Rocky Point/Can Do Inn. Cliffside RV Park is scheduled to reopen in the spring of 2012 and will feature 60 RV sites, six yurts and 10 tent sites.

The remodeling project at the Navy Exchange on Seaplane Base is completed and a grand opening ceremony will be held Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8:30 a.m.

Future plans

Projects on the horizon include enhanced use lease opportunities, such as the proposal by Nichols Brothers to lease space on the Seaplane Base. Johnston was scheduled to meet with Mayor Slowik following the Navy League meeting.

There are also plans to cut trees near the runway due to interference with the glide path.

“We commissioned a LIDAR study, a light detection and ranging study, which is just a fancy way of telling us we’ve got trees in the way,” Johnston said. “So we’ve had to take some of those trees down. Some of them can be trimmed, but some we have to take down altogether. … You can only go up so high on the glide path before it’s unsafe.”

Johnston also addressed rumors regarding the Seaplane Base gates. He said they were not removed by mistake or for convenience, but rather because they were adhering to their responsibilities regarding anti-terrorism force protection and what the requirements are.

“So, yes, you will see gate guards back at the Seaplane Base,” said Johnston. “There will be times when they won’t be there. There will be certain hours per day that we will be manning those.”

Johnston ended his presentation with pictures of events sponsored by the Navy League, such as the military appreciation picnic and the recent reception for the Scorpions of VAQ-132 with the caption “Thanks for all you do year round to support our military.”