Wes Hickman (202) 224-5972 or Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the U.S. Department of Defense awarded a $6.3 million contract to Hitt Contracting in North Charleston to construct three aircraft maintenance units (AMUs) at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. The proposed AMUs will consist of three identical buildings, each containing 12,000 square feet of gross area for a total of 36,000 square feet of new construction. The project also includes the demolition/relocation of approximately 41,000 square feet of existing aircraft maintenance facilities. The work will be performed in Sumter and is expected to be completed by June 2005. "The men and women who serve our country at Shaw deserve the best facilities available to support their mission," said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "They are an integral component of our nation’s defense capability." ####