Residents, businesses and government agencies will have the opportunity to provide input on the environmental study that will soon be conducted at Luke Air Force Base as part of the Air Force’s site selection process for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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 upcoming meetings are part of the Environment Impact Statement process, which is required by federal law whenever a mission or aircraft change is proposed at a military base. The purpose of the public-scoping process is to actively involve citizens and government agencies in helping identify the “scope” of the issues to be addressed during the environmental analysis at Luke. These meetings will provide you with an introduction to the F-35, its capabilities and mission. Specific information on how the F-35 will be integrated at Luke as a training facility will also be covered.
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, 15950 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise, AZ | 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 AFB on short list
Luke Air Force Base, currently the largest F-16 training facility in the world, is one of five training bases being considered for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The F-35 will eventually replace the Air Force’s fleet of F-16s. For more information, visit www.LukeForward.com.
