Editor,

For those who don’t know me, I am community member, a small business owner and an advocate here in Oak Harbor. I truly want to help our beloved community grow as a diverse family. I am truly heartbroken by the news of Chief Merrill departing from the Oak Harbor Fire Department. Despite the changes that had to be made, it is with a heavy heart that I realize, as with everything, the torch has to be passed on.

In honor of the decades of service we as a community has received from our chief, I’d like to propose naming the new fire station that’s being built after Chief Merrill as his farewell gift from this community.

Chief Merrill is a strong pillar in this community and has done so much over his tenure. He has been to our schools to talk to our kids, while also putting out life-threatening fires and doing the hard behind the scenes work. The amount of support the fire department has received in votes from the community for the levy and bond prove to be a testament to his leadership and his longstanding dedication to the community. He’s not only a hero but an upstanding citizen and a role model for everyone.

Lastly, he fervently advocated for the increased service and the additional station every single day that he served as chief. If this doesn’t scream the recognition to name a station after him, I don’t know what does.

So…here is the plea… I’m asking our community to show their support and email this email, Jnester@oakharbor.org, stating you join in proposing the new station be named after Chief Merrill. If enough residents of Oak Harbor band together in this dedication, we can make this happen.

Make sure to put “public comment” in the subject bar.

Melinda Buchanan

Oak Harbor