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Grand Forks commander signs first lease for privatized housing

  • Published
  • By Tim Flack
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Col. Tim Bush, commander of the 319th Air Base Wing, was the first on-base resident to sign his privatized housing lease on May 16, 2012.

Bush signed the lease during a meeting in his office with Susan Michael, community manager for Balfour Beatty Communities, just a few hours before the first town hall meeting between BBC and base residents.

Bush said he looks forward to working with BBC on the privatization initiative.

"This is the first step of a strong partnership between Grand Forks Air Force Base and Balfour Beatty Communities that will result in quality housing for the base," Bush said.

Michaels and other members of the BBC team are hosting town hall meetings with on-base residents in Liberty Square on May 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and May 17 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

All on-base housing residents must sign a lease with BBC to continue living in the housing starting Aug. 1, 2012, and lease signing sessions are planned in the Community Activity Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 17 and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 18.

BBC reminds residents to bring a copy of a Leave and Earning Statement when signing a lease. Residents who sign leases this week will be entered in a prize drawing.

BBC is privatizing housing for six U.S. Air Force communities across four states.

The six bases - Grand Forks AFB, Minot AFB and Cavalier AFS, N.D.; Ellsworth AFB, S.D.; Cannon AFB, N.M.; and Mountain Home AFB, Idaho - comprise The Northern Group. The overall group deal, valued at $468.9 million in development costs, provides new and renovated housing for 4,761 military families, using only $7.4 million in appropriated funds.