Balfour Beatty unveils Cunningham Way in newly opened Junior Enlisted housing neighborhood, honoring memory of Airman Cunningham
On Thursday, March 4, 2010, Balfour Beatty Communities, LLC, a subsidiary of Balfour Beatty Capital Group, Inc., held a successful street dedication ceremony at Travis Air Force Base (AFB) in honor of a fallen hero, Senior Airman Jason Dean Cunningham, United States Air Force. His parents Jackie and Red Cunningham were present for the ceremonial street naming and sign presentation, which took place at the corner of Cunningham Way and Cannon Drive, part of Travis AFB's newly opened Junior Enlisted housing neighborhood.
Cunningham Way is the first street in a Balfour Beatty Communities neighborhood to be named after an enlisted service member lost in the line of duty. The event commemorated the heroism of SrA Cunningham, who lost his life on March 4, 2002 while giving medical treatment and saving lives of other service members in Afghanistan. For his extraordinary heroism, SrA Cunningham was posthumously awarded The Air Force Cross, The Purple Heart, and The Meritorious Service Medal. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and would have been 35 years old on March 27, 2010.
"It is with the utmost respect and gratitude that we dedicate Cunningham Way in honor of our fallen hero, Senior Airman Jason Cunningham," said Barrett Larwin, Balfour Beatty Communities Regional Vice President. "Jason gave his life for our safety and freedom, and while we know there is little we can do in way of thanking him for his sacrifice, we hope that this ceremony and street dedication will honor his memory and serve as a small gesture of our appreciation for Jason's service. We are honored that his parents, Jackie and Red Cunningham, were able to join us for this ceremony, and extend our sincere gratitude for their son's service and sacrifice."
Colonel Michael Minihan, Vice Commander, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, spoke at the ceremony. Balfour Beatty Communities Project Director Mark DuPree joined Col. Minihan in presenting Jackie and Red Cunningham with a replica street sign for Cunningham Way.
The event was attended by a number of base and community leaders, including: Colonel Minihan, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Vice Commander, Travis AFB; Jeff Brown, AFCEE Resident Construction Manager – RCM for Travis AFB; Ian Smith, AFCEE/HD; John Lacomia, Travis Wing Historian; representatives from Balfour Beatty Communities (Barrett Larwin, Regional Vice President; Mark DuPree, Project Director) and Balfour Beatty Construction (Bob Jackson, Vice President); Fairfield City Mayor Harry Price; Vacaville City Mayor Len Augustine; Dixon City Mayor Jack Batchelor, Jr.; and Supervisor Mike Reagan, the incoming Chairman of the Solano County Board of Supervisors.
The Cunningham Way dedication was a collaborative process made possible by the combined efforts of representatives from both the Air Force and Balfour Beatty teams. All elements of planning, set-up and break-down of the ceremony, programs and invitations, and hosting of guests were the result of the combined efforts of Balfour Beatty Communities and the Travis Protocol Office.
Travis AFB has partnered with Balfour Beatty Communities and their team of professionals under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative to bring high quality residential communities to service members and their families. Balfour Beatty Communities is the manager and developer of the project. Meyer Architecture and Planning, and Balfour Beatty Construction are responsible for the design and construction, respectively.
About Balfour Beatty Capital Group, Inc.
(http://www.bbcgrp.com/)
Balfour Beatty Capital Group, Inc. specializes in partnering with government entities and high performing public sector firms to implement their strategic plans through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP/P3) model. Through the Company's four divisions, Balfour Beatty Communities, LLC, Balfour Beatty Capital, Inc., Balfour Beatty Energy Solutions, LLC, and Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions, LLC, it is one of the leading providers of PPP projects in the United States with over 1,000 employees nationwide.
Balfour Beatty Capital Group is a part of Balfour Beatty plc, the largest UK-based international infrastructure group operating in professional services, construction services, support services and infrastructure investments, with a proud and successful history extending back 100 years.
About Balfour Beatty Communities, LLC
(www.balfourbeattycommunities.com)
Balfour Beatty Communities, LLC, a subsidiary of Balfour Beatty Capital Group, Inc., is responsible for the development, renovation, operation and management of military privatization housing projects for the U.S. Departments of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The company is a leader in the military housing Public-Private Partnership (PPP or P3) industry, and provides services to members of the U.S. military and their families residing on or near 44 bases located in 20 states and Washington, DC.
NOTE TO THE EDITOR ABOUT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS:
According to the National Council of Public-Private Partnerships, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is a contractual arrangement between a public agency (federal, state or local) and a private sector entity. Through this agreement, the skills and assets of each sector (public and private) are shared in delivering a service or facility for the use of the general public. In addition to the sharing of resources, each party shares in the risks and rewards potential in the delivery of the service and/or facility.
PPPs are an innovative method for creating, building and maintaining up-to-date, high quality public infrastructure. PPPs give the public an opportunity to leverage its limited resources to obtain high quality essential assets.
Public-Private Partnerships have a long history in the U.S. and throughout the world in various forms and in a variety of public sector areas such as military housing, education, transportation, healthcare and infrastructure. For more information, visit www.bbcgrp.com.
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Contacts:
At Balfour Beatty Capital Group, Inc.
Kathleen
M. Grim, 610-355-8206
kgrim@bbcgrp.com
or
Gregory
FCA
(General Media Contact)
Lauren Rumsey,
610-228-2132
LaurenR@GregoryFCA.com
