Posted on January 22, 2010 by Fighter Country
The Glendale Star January 21, 2010 By Carolyn Dryer Certainty and resolve stood out at the annual meeting of Fighter Country Partnership Saturday night; however, a word of caution came from U.S. Sen. John McCain. The senior senator from Arizona removed any arrogant attitude about Luke as the bed-down base for the F-35. He said encroachment is at the top of the list when it comes to evaluating for final placement of the military’s newest jet fighter. Encroachment will play a major role as part of the environmental impact study, which is set to commence next month. “We’ve got work…
Posted on January 21, 2010 by Fighter Country
Today, Luke AFB is contending to be one of the key training sites for the F-35 Lightning II. Also referred to as the Joint Strike Fighter or JSF, the F-35 is a next-generation fighter aircraft that will be used by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as eight foreign militaries as the replacement for the F-16. If awarded the F-35 training mission, Luke can anticipate seeing an infusion of $125-$150 million in construction-related projects. Much of this investment will positively impact the state’s economy with local labor and suppliers of construction material. The new mission will generate…
Posted on January 18, 2010 by Fighter Country
The Air Force recently announced that it will be holding five public meetings, referred to as public-scoping meetings, February 22-26 in five communities near Luke AFB and its operations.
Public-scoping meetings are just the beginning
The purpose of the public-scoping process is to actively involve citizens and government agencies in helping identify the environmental issues to be addressed in the environmental analysis of the F-35 at Luke. These meetings will provide you with an introduction to the F-35 and its capabilities and mission. Specific information on how the F-35 will be integrated at Luke as a training facility will also be covered.
Open-house format
The meetings will be held using an “open-house” type format where there will be several informational tables for you to visit. Air Force, as well as Luke AFB, representatives will be staffing these tables to answer questions you may have. These public-scoping meetings will have no formal presentations. But, there will be an opportunity to submit written comments to the Air Force regarding Luke and the F-35.
Public Scoping Meeting Schedule:
| CITY | ADDRESS | DATES AND TIMES |
| Gila Bend | Gila Bend Unified School District, 308 N. Martin Ave. | 6-9 p.m., Monday, Feb. 22 |
| El Mirage | RC Roberts Memorial Building at Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort, 11201 N. El Mirage Road. | 6-9 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 23 |
| Surprise | Communiversity@Surprise, 15850 West Civic Center Plaza. | 6-9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 24 |
| Wickenburg | Wickenburg High School Media Center, 1090 S. Vulture Mine Road. | 6-9 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25 |
| Litchfield Park | Wigwam Resort, 300 Wigwam Blvd. | 6-9 p.m., Friday, Feb. 26 |
Luke Forward campaign organizers are urging Luke supporters to attend one of the upcoming public scoping meetings, so you can learn as much as possible about the EIS process. Luke Forward has also provided an ability for people to fill out an EIS form on their website if they cannot make the meetings. A Fighter Country representative will deliver all forms to each EIS meeting.
