Base housing groundbreaking ceremony

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rebecca R. Imwalle
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Base leadership and Balfour Beatty Communities representatives gathered for a ground breaking ceremony at the site of new housing May 19.

As part of the Air Force military Housing Privatization Initiative, Ellsworth partnered with BBC to build high quality residential properties to house servicemembers and their families.

Col. Kevin Kennedy, 28th Bomb Wing commander, explained that when completed, there will be a total of nearly 500 houses available to Airmen on base.

Mark Lavin, Balfour Beatty senior vice president, also spoke at the ceremony and emphasized the importance of base family housing.

"It's an honor and privilege to give back to our servicemembers," Lavin said. "And I'm happy to tell you that you will start seeing homes being built within the next few months."

In addition to the existing housing on base, the new housing plan will provide 214 three and four-bedroom homes as well as a community center for residents.

"It's important that our families have safe, quality housing," Kennedy said. "Moving can be a stressful time -having an additional 214 homes will relieve some of that stress."

Kennedy added that the base is providing necessary housing, since the local area does not offer many single family rental properties, which is what most military families look for when relocating.

"This will be a 50 year transition," Lavin explained. "Balfour Beatty Communities will own, operate and maintain these houses for the next 50 years, and we look forward to working with the base."

For more information on the event or the new housing construction, call Balfour Beatty Communities at (605) 923-9000.