On November 3, ITW Systems and SEAR Energetics presented a new infrastructure project realized at John McCain street in Kyiv. The event was attended by Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, and Megan Bouldin, counselor for economic affairs with US Embassy in Kyiv.
The Backstory
After one of the streets in the Ukrainian capital was renamed after the late U.S. senator John McCain, Kyiv City Council moved to update its old streetlights.
The conversion project was realized by ITW System and SEAK Energetics companies.
The upgrade included converting the old-style high pressure sodium lights to LED lights that illuminate the area better and promise savings in maintenance and electricity costs.
SEAK Energetics installed an automated street light system that switches the streetlights at dusk and switches the off automatically after sunrise. The solution is part of Kyiv energy initiative called ‘Rozumne misto’ that enables to lower energy consumption by 40-60%. Smart contollers allow to monitor and operate the system through a console or app changing density of light and providing a swift response to emergencies.
Why the project matters
Megan Bouldin said John McCain would have been proud to learn that he became a ‘symbol of cooperation between the city [of Kyiv] and business’ for the sake of future of Ukraine’. She also thanked ITW Systems and SEAK Energetics for their collaborative effort that helped make this Kyiv project happen.
Andy Hunder stressed the sybmolic meaning of the project as it pays tribute to the late senator John McCain who was an advocate of Ukrainian interests in the world.
It is symbolic that a joint effort of American and Ukrainian businesses made John McCain street a brighter place, said Andy Hunder noting that the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine is always supportive of companies that invest in Ukraine and will continue to encourage such efforts in future.
John McCain and Ukraine
Republican Senator John McCain was raised in a tradition of military service as his father and gradfather were four star admiral.
Becoming a naval aviator, he went to Vietnam war where his plane was shot down and he was captured. He returned to the US after over 5 years spent in Vietman as a prisoner of war.
His political career took off in 1980s. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He was elected to the U.S. Senate where he served 6 terms.
He staged two unsuccessful presidential runs in 2000 and 2008.
The Arizona senator was a staunch supporter of Ukraine and criticized the American adminstration at times, when they, in his view, were failing to provide due support to Kyiv.
He visited Kyiv soon after a violent clampdown on Maydan protests in 2014, and addressed the Maydan activists with words of support and encouragement. On the eve of 2017, he braved to visit Mariupol after the city witnessed agressive acts of Moscow.
He consistently supported economic sanctions as leverage against violent acts of Yanukovych regime against Maydan activists.
He openly condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in Donbas calling Volodymyr Putin ‘a murderer and a thug’. He was also among the US senators who pushed for providing Ukraine with weapons and military equipment to fend off Moscow’s offensives, arguing that lack of such assistance further ‘encouraged’ and emboldened Volodymyr Putin.
His stance was tough and unwavering – Ukraine can’t be turned into another Finland, and there can’t be concessions to Moscow as long as Donbas and Crimea remain occupied.
After a year-long battle with brain cancer, John McCain died on 25 August, 2018.
In 2016, John McCain was awarded the Order of Freedom for his advocacy effort and promotion of Ukrainian interests on the international scene.
In 2019, on the initiative from then Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko one of Kyiv central streets was renamed after John McCain to pay tribute to his memory and contribution the US senator made for Ukraine.