Balfour Beatty was invited to participate in a renovation project for the SOS Children’s Village in South Florida. The SOS Children’s Village is a 16-home foster care community that was the first of its kind in the United States. In this unique “neighborhood,” brothers and sisters, who are often separated in foster care, are able to stay together.
“What we thought was to be a ‘spruce up’ activity, i.e. paint and cleanup operation, turned into a major renovation project,” said Superintendent Bob Lurvey, who was involved in the initial survey and coordinated the efforts of the subcontractors and BBC resources.
The homes, originally built between 1990 and 1995, were in dire need of new kitchens and bathrooms. After the survey, BBC felt the best plan was to gut and replace the bathrooms and kitchens in 12 of the homes. The renovation was a long-term project that began in 2007. Subcontractors worked on a volunteer basis at a discounted rate. All time put in by BBC superintendents and field personnel was donated. One last big push was made July 2008 and January 2009. We’re happy to report that the final inspections were completed and the certificate of occupancy was issued in February 2009.
“Everyone involved from Balfour Beatty - Ray Southern, Mike Wood, Al Petrangeli, Clint Glass, Morgan King and participating team members - needs to be recognized for their commitment and achievement. This was a huge charitable project and another great representation of what our company can accomplish when we work as a team in our respective communities,” Bob said.