Editor,
Whidbey News-Times reported June 3 that Island County commissioners Jill Johnson and Rick Hannold have made the Central Whidbey trail system grant contingent on the county health officer and a handful of other agencies and groups stating that Growler noise would not be a problem for trail users.
COER has been the major group bringing this problem to the forefront and got the state health agencies and Island County’s health officer to acknowledge the reality of jet-noise health risks.
Land Trust board member Fran Einterz was quoted as saying that Johnson and Hannold “are simply trying to ensure the safety [of visitors].”
Sadly, that is not the case. If it were, then the commissioners would have adopted iterative suggestions to place a moratorium on all building construction in high jet-noise areas.
Unlike occasional trail visitors, families actually live in their homes fulltime, and, as such, they are inordinately put more at risk.
But the commissioners show no concern for them whatsoever. The building permits in the Navy-verboten Noise Zone 2 just keep rolling out, no problem. There has been no holding off until the final EIS is out nor any “noise contingencies” requiring the health officer’s approval.
The commissioners even refused COER’s request to post warning signs in public areas subjected to health-damaging noise, places like Rhododendron Park, where kids play ball.
So no, Einterz is mistaken, Hannold and Johnson actually are just engaging the gutter again with political extortion: “You want the trail system, you gotta deny toxic noise is a health issue.”
Dismissal of the noise issue is Johnson’s and Hannold’s pet wish, and their frustration is abundantly clear.
Instead of acting responsibly by holding back building permits to protect families from investing, building, and living in toxic noise zones, they take out their aggravation by withholding this trail grant, just as they did a rural economic development grant for Coupeville.
But OK, if I am wrong about that and Johnson and Hannold are genuinely trying to protect folks, then they will surely now stop with the building permits in Noise Zone 1 and 2 and start putting up those informative warning signs.
Robert Wilbur,
Coupeville
