Representatives from Pacific Northwest Communities, along with subcontractors Carabetta Management Company and American Eagle Design/Build Studio, held a monthly town hall meeting at the Skywarrior Theatre Oct. 26 to keep NAS Whidbey housing residents abreast of new construction under way.

Construction crews are now in the Maylor Point area, doing groundwork for the first phase of new homes slated for occupancy by August 2006. Eventually, 360 new homes will be built in the areas of Oriole, 61 homes; Maylor, 140 homes; Crescent Harbor, 108 homes; and Elk, 51 homes. Over the next 18 months, a number of homes in Maylor Point will also be demolished.

“There will be inconvenience,” said Capt. Syd Abernethy, base Commanding Officer. “We are not going to be able to satisfy everyone, but we’ll all work together to the best of our abilities to deal with the issues.” The end result will be beautiful new three and four-bedroom homes no less than 1,900 square feet, safe playgrounds for toddlers and elementary school-aged children and a Community Center. American Eagle Communities (AEC) will spend $248 million to build 600 homes at northwest Navy installations.

AEC is notifying affected residents by letter that they’ll have to move within 90 days of receipt. These occupants will have priority for a move into equal or better base housing, with choice of a professional moving company packing them up at no cost or do-it-yourself and receive $500. Also, residents having to move will receive $524 partial dislocation allowance to cover such moving expenses like reconnecting phones and TV cable.

More details can be found at: http://www.pacificnorthwestcommunities.com/north_sound/nsound.htm

The Northwest Navigator will provide a monthly answer and question column based on future Town Hall Meetings held the last Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. in the base theater. It’s highly encouraged that ombudsmen attend these meetings. Here are questions asked last Wednesday and answered by Gretchen Helweg, Project Director for Pacific Northwest Communities, and Capt. Abernethy.

Q: What is the size of yards in the new home designs versus older homes?

A.: At Maylor Point, the new homes will have fenced yards that are smaller than those on Cascade, Rainier and Mountain Circles. Right now, you have very large yards; it’s one of the luxuries of living in military housing. At the time of the original construction, the Navy could afford to spread out over a large area of land. We’re following trends now in the community. The new yards are not tiny, but the housing areas will be denser. 

Q: Those new houses on the half circle in the Coral Sea area are going to take away the open field for kids to play in. By cramming more kids together, are there going to be enough parks and open areas for kids?  We all know teenagers have a tendency to get into trouble when they ----

A: As a community, we have to police ourselves. Yes, the new housing does have a higher density. It’s a tradeoff in the cost of the project.  The Navy looked at that when they make a decision. There is an amenities package including community centers to be built in 2007 and new tot lots. It seems like tot lots are for children 2-5 years old, so we are proposing, and the Navy agreed, to have a spread of tot lots for kids 5-11. We have to look at the cost ramifications - they are not cheap. The Community Centers will provide recreational opportunities not already available in the area.

Q: The construction line [on Rainier] is only 20 feet from our backyard. Can we be relocated?

A: No, the focus is on the families whose homes are scheduled for demolition or having front yards ripped up with little or no no accessibility. Many families will unfortunately feel the impacts of the construction, but this is temporary.

Q: For people being moved out of homes scheduled for demolition, when do we get that $524 [partial dislocation allowance]?

A: We can provide the money before you move. The dislocation allowance is given as a check upfront. Remember, you don’t have to wait 90 days; you can move now.

Q: I’m concerned about construction workers around my children and neighbor children. Are they screened? I worry about sex offenders.

A.: In order for them to get access to NAS Whidbey, they go through NAS Whidbey’s background check in addition to one done at Bangor.  We screen them for felony and drugs. They have badges to be on base.

Q.: The existing housing at Maylor Point allows for pets. If you have 41 news homes built and only allowing 10 percent for pets, you’re closing out a lot of homes to a lot of people. We already have problems with dogs and cats being abandoned. I want to know why you’re only going to give us 10 percent of the homes for pets.

A.: Again, this is something we talked with the Navy about. 45 Percent of the [housing] inventory has to be “pet friendly” throughout the duration of the deal [50-year partnership]. To meet this area’s pet needs, we have created additional housing areas specifically for small dogs. We know that large dogs and multi-pet homes in high-density housing can be an issue.

You can opt for a large, older unit or a brand new unit, but we are restricting some of those new units and maintaining the 45 percent inventory that the Navy had before the partnership. We are also following Washington State law for “pet-free” homes so that future residents with pet allergies have a healthy home to live in. We just can’t afford to rip out carpets and curtains after a family with pets transfers. It’s too expensive and doesn’t make good business sense. I cannot, in good conscience, just shampoo and neutralize the rugs and declare your homes “pet-free.”

A.: How long is the construction timeframe?

Q.: Eight to nine months to build out a new neighborhood.

A.: Can you please talk to the lawn maintenance people about speeding on their tractors and mowing at 6 in the morning and using blowers at 9 at night?

Q. Yes. They’re not supposed to start until 7 a.m.

A. At Mountain Circle, are the fireplaces going to be checked?

Q. The last chimney sweeps were done in 2002 and they will be done this year.

Q. I can’t always make these monthly meetings due to my husband’s work schedule. How can I find out what’s going on?

A.: Frequently asked questions and these monthly presentation updates will be on our web site.

The next Town Hall meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7 at the Skywarrior Theater.

As a reminder, housing residents can always contact the Carabetta Management Company Community Coordinators if they have a housing question, concern or complaint, (360) 679-4241.  They can also call or visit the Navy’s Housing advocate, Boatswain’s Mate Chief Thomas Foxworthy whose office is located in the Nor’Wester Fleet and Family Information Center at (360) 257-6289 or cell (360) 914-7426. .