Oak Harbor City Council members say they’re serious about improving the city’s economic prospects.

The council, along with Mayor Patty Cohen, City Administrator Thom Myers and a number of city department heads have held two workshops aimed at coming up with good ideas for improving the city’s looks and livability — from attracting more restaurants to creating more jobs to sprucing up the city’s landscaping.

Underlying much of the conversation is the question of what kind of large-scale businesses might locate in Oak Harbor to broaden the city’s otherwise military-dependent economy.

The meetings, which are being held once a month, also have provided council members a forum to speak openly about their hopes and dreams.

“It’s incredible to have all seven council members free to give ideas,” said council member Sue Karahalios. “Whether they know it’s going to be a for or against, it’s been a free flow of information, finding out truly how much consensus there really is.”

Indeed, the council has dedicated the fourth Thursday of each month to discuss economic issues. The meetings start at 6 p.m. and the public is welcome to attend.

The workshops are held at Daybreak Respite Center, located at 917 E. Whidbey Ave., next to Oak Harbor Senior Center.

“This idea is not going to go away,” said council member Eric Gerber.

The next meeting is slated for April 22, although there’s been talk of moving up the date of this month’s meeting.

Right now, council members are busy crafting a vision statement that will serve as a sort of blueprint for what happens next.

Myers said a vision statement can be an important tool.

“It’s really important for us as a group because it helps us focus and look at what we’re currently doing and what needs to be done,” he said. “It helps us get a better roadmap on the projects that we’re doing and projects we ought to be doing.”

The city used to have an economic development specialist on its staff who also served as an assistant to the mayor.

“The city council never saw any results from that,” Gerber said. “That was part of what motivated the council to take it upon ourselves and work with the mayor’s office in developing a plan.”

At the first meeting, which was held in February, council members brainstormed ideas on what would make Oak Harbor a nicer place to do business and a more appealing place to live.

These questions are especially pertinent as the city’s economic engine, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, is among many U.S. military installations that could face closure, depending on the outcome of next year’s Base Realignment and Closure process. That threat, which first emerged in the 1990s during an earlier round of closures, prompted city officials and community leaders to start looking at ways to broaden Oak Harbor’s economic base.

Critics say those efforts have been unfocused and scattered. The city is as much a Navy town today, they say, as it was 10 years ago.

Still, the council’s commitment to holding monthly economic development workshops has drawn praise.

“Diversifying our economy is so important,” said Priscilla Heistad, executive director of the Greater Oak Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce. “I’m glad the city council thinks it’s so important that they’re dedicating a meeting to it once a month. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.”

One possible blueprint could come from The Dalles, Ore., an historic city situated next to the Columbia River and rumbling Interstate 84, the state’s main east-west freeway. The Dalles, considered by many to be the gateway to Eastern Oregon, is in the midst of putting together a Downtown Renaissance Program. One key aspect is finding a way for the city to reconnect to the Columbia River, as the interstate now serves as a barrier between the city and the river.

Gerber recently visited The Dalles and returned with that city’s plans for rejuvenating its aging downtown, which includes several historic landmarks, including a stately courthouse dating back to the 1850s and an old fashioned theater that’s been transformed into a performing arts center.

But The Dalles is just one of many cities looking to enhance its charm, while boosting business opportunities and livability for residents, through a variety of public and private projects.

Closer to home, the city of Anacortes has embarked on its own downtown project. This one is modeled after the Main Street National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Anacortes Chamber of Commerce has hired a part-time director to head up a new division of the chamber, dubbed Destination Downtown Anacortes.

This model has been used in a variety of other Northwest cities, including Port Townsend, Chelan and Wenatchee.

In the meantime, Oak Harbor officials are pleased that the Sno-Isle library system plans to relocate the city’s library from the Whidbey Island Skagit Valley College campus to downtown.

The library could serve as an anchor for downtown, bringing in more people to the city’s smaller shops.

“Like most other cities, you want to keep an eye on the downtown so the downtown does not dry up,” Karahalios said.

But city council members say they are also looking at all of the city’s major commercial corridors, which includes not only Pioneer Way, but also Midway Boulevard and the retail rich segment of Highway 20 that bisects the city.

“When we’re doing our economic plan, we’re looking at several places, not just one area,” Karahalios said.