Whidbey Island Naval Air Station is not on the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list, because there is no such list. At least not yet. But it’s not too soon to get ready to keep off the list.

A group of state lawmakers touring military bases made a stop in Oak Harbor Tuesday, meeting with several dozen community members to discuss the possibility of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station being included on the closure list in 2005, and what the community could do to lessen the chances.

Oak Harbor Mayor Patty Cohen showed the lawmakers a collection of “family photos,” a lineup of photos taken at Whidbey air station homecomings.

“We are a blended community,” Cohen said. “Our community portrait includes all the thousands of men and women who have passed through the (base) gates. They are who we are.”

Cohen and others who spoke testified to how entwined the Navy is with the community of Oak Harbor. Cohen said 60 percent of the community has direct ties to the Navy. Oak Harbor Schools Superintendent Rick Schulte testified that in some schools in the district 80 to 85 percent of the students are from military families. Both the city and county have adopted legislation aimed at accommodating the Navy base.

County Commissioner Mac McDowell cited the noise zone maps and comprehensive plan that limits growth around the base.

“We have worked very hard to coexist,” he told the panel of lawmakers.

But will that spirit of cooperation be enough to keep Whidbey off the list?

“The economic impact of base closure is not an issue to the feds,” McDowell said. He cited the two most important criteria as being military value and saving federal money. He urged the state lawmakers to keep that in mind.

“You need to keep your eye on the ball as far as what they’re looking at,” he said.

Oak Harbor Representatives Barry Sehlin and Barbara Bailey sat in on the panel, and shared their observations.

“Literally everyone in this audience has either served (in the military) or has a family member who has served,” she noted. “We’re all heavily involved in the military.”

Sehlin recalled that in the last round of base closures, in 1991, the state provided information on the local infrastructure and what it would take to move personnel to a new base. He pointed out that base closure meant moving operations, not ending them. He said in essence it doesn’t save money to close a base, as it costs to move operations elsewhere.

Rep. Kathy Haigh, of Shelton, who also serves on the education committee, asked about the quality of area schools, as that can be one of the closure criteria.

Schulte said in general they feel pretty good about the quality of the schools in the district, especially since all but the high school have now been remodeled.

“All the remodeled schools are in excellent condition,” he said, “and there’s room for more students.”

Rep. Rick Larsen, who is on the subcommittee that will oversee the Base Realignment and Closure, met with the lawmakers at a public forum in Everett Monday, but was unable to attend the meeting in Oak Harbor. His chief of staff, Jeff Bjornstad, stood in for him Tuesday.

Bjornstad started off by reiterating that there is no base closure list yet, but added, “It’s prudent to do your homework and be prepared. Communities that do their homework will be in a better situation in 2005.”

Rep. Larsen said by phone Tuesday that he didn’t think Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was in danger of being closed in 2005.

“I think Whidbey Island stands up pretty well compared to others,” he said. He listed Whidbey Air Station’s 2,200 square miles of round-the-clock air traffic control space and ready access to 10 military operations areas as assets in its favor.

The biggest asset for Whidbey, however, is the support of the community, he said.

“You need look no farther than the actions the city and county have taken to ensure little or no encroachment on the base,” he said. “That reflects the importance of NAS as a place for pilots to train.”

Larsen said as a member of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on readiness, he voted against going ahead with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure, citing the changed military needs after Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“The Department of Defense is struggling with the idea of worldwide commitment (of troops),” Larsen said, and that could affect the number of bases needed in the United States and overseas. “The national security structure has changed. Base closures have to take that into consideration.”

The Department of Defense will draft a criteria for base closure by the end of this year, with public comment in January. Congress would take action on the criteria in March, 2004, Larsen said.

The document could have “huge implications for base structures in the U.S. and abroad,” Larsen said.

His advice for Whidbey Islanders: “It’s important for communities like Oak Harbor to prepare themselves to support Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.”

You can reach News-Times reporter Marcie Miller at mmiller@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611