More than 1,500 new manufacturing jobs and millions of dollars in private investment could be generated in Provo over the next decade, thanks to a $2 million federal grant awarded on Friday to the Mountain Vista Business Center expansion project.

Mountain Vista was part of Ironton Works, a plant that shut down in the '60s and had lain idle for almost five decades until several years ago when Provo city, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Steel decided to remediate the site.

But the 327-acre former brownfield will soon become more marketable once much-needed infrastructure improvements are made with the $2 million matching grant.

"The site has been cleaned up to industrial standards and has parcels available for business expansion. But there's currently only one main road access, Mountain Vista Parkway, inside the business park, and the size of the property makes that limited access a constraint to business development and marketability," said Robert Olson, Denver regional director of the federal agency.

The $2 million grant from the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce will be matched by an additional $1.4 million in funds from Provo city. A total of $3.4 million will be used to build an additional roadway within the business park, demolishing existing building foundations and adding utilities and storm drainage lines.

"The city's goal is to take an asset that's been vacant for 50 years now, a remnant of a brownfield's site, and put it back to productive use to create jobs and leverage private investment," said Leland Gamette, Provo's economic development director.

Provo's portion of the matching grant will come from city taxes and funds set aside for capital improvements. In recent years, the city received $4.5 million in federal grants and loans for road design, utilities and other infrastructure development for Mountain Vista.

U.S. Congressman Chris Cannon said the $2 million federal grant could help create 1,567 private sector jobs and lead to $55 million in private investment from new businesses over the next 10 years.

Already, Action Target, a Provo manufacturer of moving targets for the military and law enforcement agencies, is in talks with Provo to buy 10 acres of land for a new assembly plant at Mountain Vista.

The company, now located at a four-acre site at 200 N. 1280 West, plans to expand to a much larger manufacturing and assembly plant at the Provo business park. Construction of its new 100,000-square-foot office and plant will start in the next few months, said Dixon Holmes, assistant director of economic development for Provo.

Action Target now has between 120 and 130 workers. But it may add 100 more over the next two to three years once it relocates to Mountain Vista, he said.

Holmes is also in talks with two other manufacturers to locate at Mountain Vista. All three companies are expected to occupy about 30 acres, make a combined capital investment of $15 million and generate about 470 jobs over the next three to five years, Holmes said.

"At full absorption, the business park's remaining developable acreage could generate $39.9 million in private investment and more jobs," Olson said.

Mountain Vista, which is zoned for industrial and commercial usage, is looking to attract businesses in manufacturing, office and retail.

"We want more industrial and manufacturing jobs because those usually pay higher wages than service jobs," Holmes said.

Provo city owns 207 acres of the 327-acre site, while the remainder is owned by private owners. Coldwell Banker agents Brandon Fugal and John Bushnell are marketing the property.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.