Mayors from Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs hope their recent trips to Washington, D.C., will mean money.

Eagle Mountain Mayor Don D. Richardson traveled to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28 to meet with Utah's federal representatives and request money for transportation and local parks. Saratoga Springs Mayor Tim Parker, along with City Manager Ken Leetham and Councilman Scott Kahn, made a trip to the nation's capital on March 5 and 6. Parker said they requested money for transportation and a water project.

Both mayors met with U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, both R-Utah, and their staff members. Parker also met with the staff of U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.

Richardson was joined by Eagle Mountain Councilman Vincent Liddiard, who was in Washington on business and took a day off to join the mayor for several meetings.

Richardson started the round of meetings with a planning session with Eagle Mountain city's lobbyist, Michael Kennedy.

"I think the trip went very well," Kennedy said. "Mayor Richardson and Councilman Liddiard were very well received."

Richardson asked for $4 million for transportation projects and $1 million to put toward a 60-acre regional park to be built on land owned by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, located between the Ranches Community and city center.

"The park as planned will unify the northern and southern sections of Eagle Mountain and encourage the economic and social development of the city," Kennedy said.

The purpose of the trip was to present the unique challenges of the city and to propose ways for the federal government to help a growing community.

"We told them that we have grown from 250 people 10 years ago to a city of over 19,000 now with a median age of 13 -- I think it was 12 last year," Richardson said. With 1,000 building permits issued in 2006 and an average household size of 4.75 people, Eagle Mountain is the fourth-fastest growing city in the state. Transportation is a significant issue in the area.

Eagle Mountain is not alone in its desire for federal funds.

"I was not sure of the importance of going to Washington, but in retrospect I can see the importance of meeting with the representatives in D.C. and their staff members," Parker said.

Saratoga Springs petitioned for money for the Pony Express Parkway project, which would connect Pony Express Parkway with Redwood Road, allowing access to Redwood Road from Eagle Mountain without taking State Road 73, which is overcrowded.

They also asked for funds for their water reuse program. Parker said that both the transportation project and the water reuse program were significant projects for Saratoga Springs.

"Timpanogos Special Service District will build the station for the project, but the city has to pay for the infrastructure. When completed, the project will provide 1 million gallons a day, and in the future up to 2 million gallons a day of high-quality water for our irrigation system," Parker said.

Whether they were asking for money for roads or for recreation areas, the mayors of Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs are making their voices heard on the national level of government. The visits to Washington were crucial to furthering the interests of the two small but growing towns.

Kennedy said of Richardson's trip: "These types of visits yield a great deal of benefit because the interface between one elected official and another cannot be paralleled. They know the issues and the people better than anyone."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.