Photo by Rick Thompson The new double wide boat ramp will be built at the same location as the old ramp (foreground), with 60 docks added to match the existing ones. In addition, 70 floating concrete docks will be installed in front of the marina office. All will be within walking distance of the new Catering and Conference Center.

‘‘We are currently waiting on the permits to begin construction,” said Frank Pace, NAS Patuxent River’s outdoor recreation director. Pace expects those permits to come through virtually any day. ‘‘Dissen & Juhn had everything in place and were able to drop the paperwork for the permits immediately upon being awarded the contract for this project,” he said.

The way the contract is written allows for construction on the boat ramp to be completed first. Once it is completed the Marina will receive authorization for usage prior to the completion of the remainder of the project.

‘‘This is especially important to those who use marina,” said Pace, ‘‘as the old boat ramp has been out of commission for two seasons now — but the way the language is written the boat ramp should be completed by boating season which kicks off in the April⁄May time frame.”

A major part of the expansion will be the addition of more than 70 state-of-the-art floating concrete docks that will be installed in front of the marina office. ‘‘There is a big difference between a fixed dock and a floating concrete dock,” explained Pace. ‘‘The floating concrete docks are user friendly, they move with the tide so when you tie up your boat you can just tie up and go, there is no adjustment to your lines like you have with a fixed dock.”

The ‘‘A” docks will be fixed docks made to match the existing structure allowing for a uniform look. The docks currently at the marina are about five years old, according to Pace, who says they ‘‘complement the new River’s Edge Catering and Conference Center.”

‘‘This new boating area will be an attraction for everybody here at Pax River,” said Pace. ‘‘This expansion will allow our marina to be a one-stop shop in many ways.”

The new boat ramp will offer a major convenience for marina customers as most of the boat ramps are located in ‘‘off the wall areas” throughout the county with the exception of the Solomons ramp under the Thomas Johnson Bridge. ‘‘Ours is strategically located at the end of the bay allowing for quick and easy access, and we offer usage of our ramp for free,” said Pace.

‘‘With the new catering and conference center opening on February 1 and this new expansion project at the marina, I think it will be a win⁄win situation for MWR and everyone involved,” said Pace.

‘‘The future is bright for the West Basin Marina.”