Photo by Christine Basham Pax River Commanding Officer Capt. Andy Macyko describes how Pax River supports the fleet, service members and their families, while having a positive impact on the Southern Maryland community.

The main focus: Pax River operations. ‘‘Every station is unique. We work really hard to make what we do value-added for the Navy,” said Macyko. ‘‘What makes us unique is we have an airfield to run, a steam catapult, the Joint Strike Fighter jet ski-ramp, and an expeditionary airfield.”

In his remarks, Capt. Macyko emphasized the strong ties Pax River shares with the St. Mary’s County community, and the ongoing base commitment to protecting Southern Maryland’s environment and quality of life, while still giving the fleet the best possible products and support.

‘‘A lot of our focus is making sure we do it safely. We’re very considerate of how we impact the community. How can we get our mission and products out to the tip of the spear and be a good neighbor?”

He said that Pax River has a ‘‘strong and solid” partnership with the community, demonstrated in part in the station’s efforts to minimize traffic, noise, and energy use.

Macyko also cited Project Good Neighbor efforts by base personnel volunteering with school children, the local Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, and Christmas in April as examples of the Navy’s commitment to serving the community at large, and modeling the Navy’s motto, ‘‘A global force for good.”

Some of those efforts, he said, also include science education programs for youth, such as STARBASE Atlantis seminars for area fifth graders. Capt. Macyko drew attention to training and readiness efforts such as the upcoming Solid Curtain⁄Sentinel Shield Exercise as an example of Pax River working to maintain and develop a strong Navy presence in the region while keeping off-station impact to a minimum.

‘‘We work together in a synchronized effort, continuing to make sure the communication works,” Macyko said, praising the communications efforts by the Emergency Operations Center for minimizing the impact of this winter’s repeated and severe snowstorms.

‘‘It’s all about keeping the mission going and developing our workforce. We look at ways to do things better.”

With that in mind, he said that the first of three phases of development for an aircraft prototype facility will bring capability to the base and improve the NAWCAD mission to get product out to the fleet. In addition, construction of the West Basin boat ramp should be completed this spring.

Macyko spoke of continuing improvements to the Sailors’ quality of life through renovations to bachelor housing and public-private partnerships to move new housing developments off station. While acknowledged that budgetary constraints make housing improvements a slow, incremental process, Macyko affirmed the Navy’s commitment to taking care of service members and their families.

‘‘That is an important part of readiness, too,” he said, ‘‘because when Mama’s happy, everybody’s happy.”

According to Macyko, MWR’s expansion of the Liberty Center and opening of the River’s Edge Catering and Conference center provide important resources for the Sailor’s quality of life. He also pointed to upcoming construction of a larger Child Development Center as a stress-reducing contributor to fleet readiness for service members with small children.

Many of the capital improvements Macyko cited are required because the base has a large percentage of buildings constructed in the 1960s or earlier.

‘‘How do we provide the best possible office space for productive work? We look at continued renovation as the base ages,” he said. In the current budgetary climate, ‘‘Our Navy is no longer, for a shore establishment, in preventative maintenance. We are in a role of corrective maintenance. We get the funding when things break.”

Noting that Pax River has received the Navy’s Environmental Stewardship Award for the past two years, Macyko reiterated the station’s ongoing commitment to protecting its 18 miles of shoreline and conserving energy. ‘‘Pax River ‘gets it’ when it comes to the environment.”

Looking to the future, Macyko mentioned that the next IA Homecoming will be held this May. ‘‘It brings recognition for those who return home, for their sacrifice. We make it special for them and their families.”

He also said that in honor of the centennial of Naval Aviation in 2011, Pax River has already confirmed that the Blue Angels will be performing at the Labor Day air show, Sept. 3-4, 2011.