HILL AFB — What once was hailed as a mega-project for the future of Davis County has instead met with delay after delay.

Ever since a ceremonial groundbreaking took place for the mammoth Falcon Hill project in October 2008, several announced construction starts have been cancelled.

But the good news is that the mega-job creating, economy boosting project is still coming — and possibly as soon as next month.

That’s the word from two officials closely involved with the project, that is due to transform the west side of Hill AFB while adding new private sector facilities near I-15 just west of the base.

“I would say our optimistic outlook is that by sometime in August we ought to be building the first building,” said Rick Mayfield, director of MIDA, the Military Installation Development Authority, here.

That first structure should be five-story, 150,000-square-feet and house a major private aerospace contractor. The tenant has not been officially named.

A second building to house Hill AFB Security Forces is also planned, with construction also expected to start late this summer.

Officials connected with the project speculated in May of 2009 that construction on the mammoth project would be starting nearly a year ago on that first building. The project is expected to create millions of squrae feet of new building space.

“It looks like things are going to move along pretty well now,” Mayfield said. “The Air Force has worked through their issues. I’m encouraged things can start moving forward.”

“We’re pretty close,” agreed Darrin J. Wray, Enhanced Use Lease program manager at Hill AFB. “There are a couple of legal issues still in the resolution phase. We’re hoping that all of that will be done by the end of July,” he said, confirming the hoped-for August construction start.

What was the reason for the holdup?

“The program is very new to the Air Force,” Wray said. Falcon Hill is the largest such project, by far, in the nation.

“As they (Air Force) looked at the details, a lot of legal issues were unclear, decisions had to be made. With any new program, as you work through the actual process, there is a lot more work up front.”

“It’s a question of the Enhanced Use Lease concept is a new concept to the military,” agreed Steve Peterson, senior policy adviser and counsel to Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah. “They’re still experiencing some growing pains. Military lawyers and bureaucrats are not known for their inventiveness and their entrepreneurship. They’re known for doing things by the book.”

“The highest levels of the Air Force, Air Force chief and secretary, have both committed to the (Utah congressional) delegation that they strongly support Falcon Hill,” Peterson continued. “We’re finally to the point the Air Force has officially gone on record, through publishing an RFP (request for proposal) that is under way. That hopefully will result in Phase 1 moving forward.”

But he added that “A lease has not yet been signed, and the proposal has not formally been accepted.”

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com