OGDEN — U.S. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, says he’s always happy to make his way back to Utah.

“Any chance I get to work around the state is high-priority,” he told the Standard-Examiner on Wednesday. “We get pinned down in Washington quite a bit. Last year, we were there three times as long as the House, so it’s just always a good day when we can get out and around the state. We’ve had a couple of just really solid days and got some more coming. I’ve seen everything from government officials to business leaders to problems and issues that we can work on.”

He said that a highlight of his latest trip to the Ogden area this week has been visiting Hill Air Force Base.

“Utah should be so proud,” he said. “They told me it’s now unclassified … but they were part of Operation Midnight Hammer, and Utahns would just be really proud if they knew all of the roles that Hill Air Force Base plays around the world in keeping us safe; and at the same time, there’s lots of work to be done.”

Curtis also noted that he worked to secure several appropriations for important projects in the area.

“We worked really hard to bring some financial resources to them, and there’s so much more growth and things that we want to do there,” he said. “So on the one hand, just incredibly proud of what they do; on the other hand, lots of work to do, and we want to dig in and be part of that.”

In an email from Curtis’ communications team to the Standard-Examiner, several Hill Air Force Base projects are noted as being part of the most recent appropriations bill, including:

• “F-35 Maintenance Facility, Phase 1 ($22,000,000) — Helps build a state-of-the-art ‘super garage’ for the F-35 Lightning II.
• T-7A Depot Maintenance Complex ($178,000,000) — Builds the central repair station for the entire national fleet of these planes at HAFB.
• Hill Air Force Base Culinary Vault Rehabilitation ($1,160,000) — A critical water storage and distribution hub that will prevent potential contamination or catastrophic leaks in the base’s drinking water system.”

In addition to the improvements at the base, Ogden City will also benefit from $1.3 million appropriated to the Community Guardian Regional Response Initiative.

“It’s a high tech upgrade for emergency responders — police, fire and the base — and making sure that that’s all coordinated and everybody’s getting the latest, best information,” Curtis said. “So it’s really a public safety issue for all the local residents in addition to the base.”

According to the email, $1,160,692 was also appropriated to the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District.

“This funding goes toward upgrading the aging pipes and pumps that move water through the Weber Basin,” the email noted. “It improves water reliability for residents in the county, ensuring the community is more resilient against droughts and infrastructure failures.”

Curtis said it was a productive appropriations cycle for the greater Ogden area.

“We really feel like we hit on a number of levels, things that are very important to this area,” he said.