Money Rolls In for New Pax Naval Air Museum

After years in discussion and planning, money to upgrade the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum is starting to roll in.

St. Mary’s Board of Commissioners accepted three grants Tuesday from the state of Maryland totaling $725,000, to go toward building a new museum and visitors center near Gate 1 of the Pax Base.

The current museum is only a temporary home for the exhibits until the new facility is up and running.

The Pax Museum Association capitol campaign seeks to raise $3 million for the project, and they are well on their way with more than half the money raised. The St. Mary’s Planning Commission has approved the site plan and vision is starting to come together.

The grant contracts signed Tuesday are in addition to $475,000 the museum association has already given to the county for site work, and another $250,000 grant already accepted.

The county’s share of the project will be more than $1.5 million, paid out over 2007, 2008 and 2009.

A couple issues still are to be resolved with the site work plans, include “replacement parking” for the Parrish reality company next door, and an alternative entrance to the museum. Parrish will have shared rights to some of the parking in the new lot.

A proposal has been tossed around to extend Exploration Drive across Rt. 235 to provide a new main entrance to the facility.

Public Works and Transportation director George Erichsen said the current entrances will be maintained until after the project is complete in a “temporary” status, and then the alternative entrances will be worked out.

The Exploration Drive entrance on the side of the site never went past the concept stage, he told the commissioners Tuesday.

“That’s kind of what the museum was, only a concept,” Commission President Tommy McKay said.

See more about the museums mission at http://www.paxmuseum.com