Members of the Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, or COER, were left disappointed Tuesday afternoon when the Island County Board of Health’s monthly meeting was cancelled on short notice.
The group previously asked the board to address potential health hazards of noise produced by the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s EA-18G Growler aircraft training flight at the Outlying Field near Coupeville. The members planned to address their concerns for the third time with the health board.
They also hoped to finally receive a response from county officials, something they say has never been offered.
Instead, the members arrived at the commissioners’ hearing room to find a notice of cancellation outside the meeting room. The five-member board didn’t have the necessary quorum.
Commissioner Jill Johnson, who sits on the board with Commissioners Rick Hannold and Helen Price Johnson, said she was faced with a family emergency that prevented her from attending the meeting. Additionally, Hannold could not attend due to a last-minute issue and Oak Harbor Mayor Bob Severns is out of town.
The fifth members is Grethe Cammermeyer, a hospital board commissioner.
“There weren’t any contracts to review, so everything could hold until next month,” Johnson said.
Maryon Attwood of Coupeville said the meeting should have been an opportunity for the board to address five requests previously submitted by the group. Among these requests, COER asked the county to post public notices in areas where the aircraft fly low, presenting the potential for hazardous noise levels.
Additionally, the group proposed “reimbursement to the county from the Navy for all costs associated with public mailings, postings, emergency hearing tests, and hearing protection provided to members of the public” and the closure of Rhododendron Park when the Outlying Field is in use.
“Those are all things they can do,” COER member Ken Pickard said of the requests. “They have a duty to inform the public of health harms and how to prevent injury.”
Pickard said the issue is no different from the water crisis in Flint, Michigan; the Whidbey community is faced with legitimate health hazards that the local government needs to meet with the community to address, he said.
“I’m terribly disappointed because this is an important opportunity for citizens to express their perspectives, opinions and knowledge on this issue in particular,” Anne Harvey, a resident who planned to address the board, said.
As a result of the cancellation, COER members will have to wait until next month to meet with the health board.
