OKLAHOMA CITY - An Oklahoma company has landed a 50-year, $2 billion agreement to build, operate, and maintain family housing and community centers at two Army bases in Georgia. <br>
<br>
Atkins Americas of Oklahoma City, formerly The Benham Group, will lead a partnership to build and operate facilities at Fort Stewart, home of the 3rd Infantry Division, and Hunter Army Air Field, both near Savannah, Ga. <br>
<br>
Other members of the partnership include Centex Construction Co. of Dallas and GMH Associates of Philadelphia. <br>
<br>
The contract, to be formally announced on Monday, is the largest awarded to Atkins since the original company was established in 1909, said Frank Codispoti, president of Atkins Benham Constructors, Inc., the company's design-building division. <br>
<br>
The founder, Webster Lance Benham, led construction work at Fort Polk in Louisiana during the 1930s, said Benham's grandson, Lance Benham. <br>
<br>
The partnership, part of the Army's Residential Communities Initiative, will build a combination of 1,900 four-plexes, duplexes and single-family homes, renovate 1,600 more housing units and build 13 community centers, Codispoti said. <br>
<br>
Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, following approval by various government agencies. Atkins Americas said initial construction will cost $463 million. <br>
<br>
Between 2017 and 2033, the 1,600 renovated units will be replaced with new housing. Every new home will receive a major renovation after 25 years. <br>
<br>
``It's a business unto itself,'' said Codispoti. Although the company is no stranger to military construction, he said the magnitude and complexity of the agreement will require all of the expertise the company has. <br>
<br>
``That's one of the reasons there are very few companies in the United States that are qualified to do it,'' he said. Codispoti estimated that fewer than 10 companies bid on the work. <br>
<br>
``The big picture is that the military has realized that private enterprise can provide and maintain housing more efficiently than the government can,'' Codispoti said.
