Navy families move into new housing in Wildewood

Off-base homes ‘a major change’ in military life

Friday, May 9, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by PAUL C. LEIBE Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Chris Boleman, holding his sleeping 2-year-old daughter Theresa in his arms, watches as his wife, Shelli, gets a hand from Howard Snow, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for installations and facilities, in cutting the ribbon at their new home in Challenger Estates, Pax River Naval Air Station’s new off-base housing community. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

More than 100 well-wishers were on hand for the ceremony and applauded as the first five families moving into the new homes sliced through the ribbons stretched across the front doors.

Pax River’s other new off-base housing area, Columbia Colony, is under construction behind the First Colony shopping center in California. Columbia’s first residents began moving in January. When construction of the two neighborhoods is completed, Columbia will have 92 homes and Challenger will having housing for 125 families.

The new communities are named to honor the two NASA space shuttles that exploded during their missions.

‘‘Of the many good things I’ve seen in the two years I was [Pax River’s executive officer] and in the last two years” as the air station’s commanding officer, said Capt. Glen Ives during Monday’s celebration, ‘‘there has been nothing more important than what we’re doing here today,” opening the new housing area to Pax River’s military families.

Ives, who grew up in a military family, said he’s been familiar with military housing his whole life and knows what it’s been like in the past.

‘‘If you were to look at 500 homes,” he said, ‘‘you’d know right away which one was the military home. And it’d be the last one you’d pick to live in.

‘‘But looking at these homes,” he added, ‘‘you can see we’ve changed all that. These homes are absolutely fantastic, with open floor plans, large kitchens ... and nearby playgrounds for the children ... We’ve really gained a lot of ground, making improvements to the lives of our sailors and Marines” stationed at Pax River.

Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Chris Boleman and his wife, Shelli, were among the five families cutting ribbons Monday as they prepared to take possession of their new home on Gibson Way. On the front porch, Chris Boleman held their 2-year-old daughter, Theresa, in his arms as Shelli, with help from Howard Snow, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for installations and facilities, used a pair of large gold scissors to cut the ribbon.

Since November 2007 the Bolemans have been living at Pax River, in the Chaffee Court housing area.

‘‘It’s nice,” she said of their on-base housing, ‘‘but it’s old. I think it was built in the 1960s,” and despite regular maintenance and upkeep over the years, she said, the nearly 50-year-old homes are showing their age.

‘‘This is a major change,” said Shelli minutes after cutting the ribbon, as the couple escorted Snow on a tour of their new home.

In his 12 years in the Navy, said Chris Boleman, who recently reported to Pax River’s Air Test and Evaluation (VX-1) Squadron, ‘‘I’ve never seen anything like this” for military housing. ‘‘It beats anything I’ve ever seen. It’s close to stores, there’s a playground right in front of the house ... Now, if I need to deploy, I know my family is going to have a great place to live.”

‘‘What I see here is an immediate sense of community,” said Rear Adm. Christopher J. Mossey, commander of Naval Facilities Atlantic. In 2004, Mossey was commanding officer of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Washington, D.C., when oversight of Pax River was transferred to Naval District Washington. As NDW’s chief engineer, Mossey played an active role in planning Pax River’s two new housing areas.

‘‘I was here when this project got started,” he said. ‘‘This is a place where families can be together and grow ... It’s important, when our sailors deploy, to have a place where they know their families will be safe until they return home. And we’ve been able to lift that burden off their shoulders. This is an important project and a significant improvement to the quality of life for our sailors.”

‘‘This job was a little out of the ordinary,” said Jarl Bliss, senior vice president of Lincoln Military Housing, the contractor overseeing construction of the two communities. Lincoln has military housing projects nationwide, including a total of 1,300 new homes in the mid-Atlantic region. But these projects, he said, required extra care because they are located outside base fencing.

‘‘St. Mary’s County has been very welcoming,” he said, ‘‘in helping us find the land, and plan these neighborhoods ... We’re making great progress ... and we’re pleased to be able to deliver these homes today. We know they’ll help to improve the quality of life for our Navy families.”

A moving crew arrived at the Boleman’s home early Monday morning ‘‘and started packing us up for the move,” said Chris Boleman. He said the family – the couple also has two other children, Christopher, 11, and Tony, 14 – planned to spend the first night in their new home by midweek.

Ives noted that Pax River was recently recognized by the Commander Navy Installations Command as one of the Navy’s top three facilities. Ahead of Pax River in receiving the awards was the Navy’s submarine base at King’s Bay, Ga., and the Naval Activity Facility at Chinhae, Korea. More than 100 Navy bases and activities were considered for the annual awards.

‘‘And we were No. 3 on the list,” Ives said, ‘‘which proves what I’ve been saying all along, that Pax River is the best naval air station in the Navy.”