Provo Airport is hoping to receive a federal grant this year that will pay for a radar system, to make the airport safer and more attractive for commuter flights.

"It is badly needed," said Steve Gleason, director of Provo Airport. "It is one more piece in the puzzle to make this airport more attractive for commuter flights, but it is also fairly expensive."

Last week, Provo Mayor Lewis K. Billings and other city officials met with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and Third District Rep. Chris Cannon R-Utah, in Washington D.C. to discuss the possibility of Provo Airport receiving such a grant.

"It was important to go," said Raylene Ireland, Provo City spokeswoman. "We feel good about the trip. We thanked them for the funding they have given us in the past. The radar issue was the most important for us, so that seemed to be the focus of our visit."

But they left without any promises.

Ireland said the federal government is in a season of appropriations where officials are making decisions about what federal funds will go to what programs and projects.

Ireland said federal funds have aided in building an airport tower and improving housing in the Provo area.

The radar system is the next step for the airport to become more advanced in handling more traffic and commuter routes.

Just last week, she said, Provo Airport was required to land flights originally heading to Salt Lake International Airport that had been rerouted.

The lack of a radar system was a nuisance because airport personnel had to guide the planes in by sight.

"Even though Provo Airport does not have a radar system, it is the primary airport for traffic that can't land in Salt Lake," said Ireland. "The reason that we are very anxious to have radar come to Provo is a safety issue. It is simply more safe to be able to watch over planes by radar rather than having to guide them down by sight."

On radar, Utah County is difficult to see from Salt Lake International because the Point of the Mountain is a geographical obstacle.

"It is very hard to see people and know the spacing is OK without radar," said Gleason. "With radar we would be able to allow more fights to take off because we would be able to allow them to fly in IFR [bad weather] conditions. The radar would allow us to do that because we would be able to guide them more with more precision."

Other projects city officials spoke about with state representatives include Geneva Road construction, Interstate I-15 construction from the Point of the Mountain to University Parkway in Orem, widening State Street in Lindon to Pleasant Grove, and the environmental needs of Utah Lake.

Copyright Brigham Young University 20 Mar 2006