HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — Base and privatized housing officials participated in a ceremony Oct. 19 to mark the beginning of a new construction project that will provide more homes for Hill AFB families.
Boyer Hill Military Housing (BHMH), a division of Salt Lake City-based Boyer Company, is the privatized housing developer responsible for the base’s housing management operations and is using reinvestment funds to build 10 new homes for junior enlisted military families.
The new homes will feature two-car garages, energy-efficient construction and appliances, open floor plans, covered porches, irrigated lawns, landscaping and more.
In addition to the homes, BHMH will repair and replace five garages in historical areas of housing.
The reinvestment fund is used to construct new homes and renovate existing homes, something housing officials have said would be next to impossible for the Air Force to do on its own in the current fiscal environment.
Hill AFB and BHMH officials said this is the first public-private partnership in the Air Force privatized housing portfolio to use reinvestment funds for new construction. Additionally, the funds are being executed 10 years ahead of schedule due to the success of the partnership.
The base currently boasts a 97 percent occupancy rate in housing – a statistic Air Force and BHMH officials are quick to point out is the result of a strong partnership between the Air Force housing management and BHMH staff.
“I’d like to thank the (housing) team for taking such great care of our Team Hill families. Occupancy rates are what they are because you care,” said Col. Jennifer Hammerstedt, 75th Air Base Wing commander. “I am also thrilled these new homes are going to our junior Airmen.”
Rulon Gardner, who heads BHMH, echoed the colonel’s sentiments.
“We couldn’t do this without our people. They created this opportunity,” Gardner said. “Our number one goal is to take care of our military families.”
Privatization at Hill AFB has enabled housing to be offered to more than military families according to housing officials; active duty, guard, reserve, civil service, retirees, and DOD contractors can all benefit from the security, proximity and community associated with living on base.
The Hill AFB privatization contract that included renovation and new construction along with a 50-year lease agreement was awarded to BHMH in 2005.
Hill AFB currently has 1,084 privatized housing units. Of these, 437 homes have been constructed since the privatization agreement was made. The majority of the other homes have been completely or partially remodeled.
