FDR, Rescue Squad and Pax Museum Coming Next Year

By Jay Friess
Editor

Lexington Park, Maryland will see a few significant changes over the next year, according to St. Mary’s County officials who addressed the Business and Community Association Wednesday night.

According to the county’s schedule, a new Lexington Park Rescue Squad, a new Patuxent River Naval Air Museum and the South FDR Boulevard connection between Great Mills Road and Shangri-La Drive will all be completed by August of next year.

Mr. Allan Settle, an engineer with the county’s Department of Pubic Works and Transportation, told the Association that the South FDR project would be bid in November, awarded in January 2013, begin construction in February 2013 and be completed by June 2013. The 1,050-foot-long connector will be 44 feet wide and will include a bike path.

The FDR project will be constructed concurrently with a new Rescue Squad building, which will be built north of the existing Lexington Park Library on the west side of the road. The Rescue Squad building is scheduled to be awarded and begin construction in November with a completion date scheduled for August 2013.

However, the FDR project will not initially include a stoplight at its intersection with Great Mills Road.

“At this time, a traffic signal is not going in this intersection,” Mr. Settle stated, noting that the State Highway Administration did construct the utilities needed for a light. “That is not to say one won’t be [installed] in two years.”

Meanwhile, on Route 235, St. Mary’s County commuters will begin to see activity at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum  site for the first time in four years.

Mr. Gary Whipple, manager of capital projects for DPWT, said his office is just waiting for approval from SHA to set Broughton Construction Company loose on the site.

“We’re expecting a favorable report from State Highway imminently,” Mr. Whipple said, speculating that approval could come as early as next week.”

When asked when the museum would be completed, Mr. Whipple said that, if the state issues approval this week and Broughton is able to pull its insurance and bonds by the end of the month, then the museum could be completed by the end of August 2013.

“We’re really looking forward to delivering a quality museum to you here by next year,” Mr. Whipple said.

Twilight in the Park Gets Sponsor, Date

It started as a mere suggestion by Yaling Pan, owner of the Mixing Bowl restaurant, at the LPBCA’s June meeting. But Twilight in the Park is now a real thing, and it has a sponsor and a date.

PNC Bank will be hosting the event Oct. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Freedom Park. According to Ms. Barbara Saylor, the bank’s branch manager, the bank will provide tents, tables, permits, a free gift for guests and a prize drawing.

“The focus is really going to be on restaurants,” Ms. Saylor said, noting that several Park eateries have agree to provide food samples for the event. She asked the LPBCA to invite more Bay District restaurants to participate.