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In this undated photo, Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi says "welcome home" to travelers inside the new Provo Airport Terminal.

Courtesy Provo City

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The exterior of the new Provo Airport terminal is shown on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald file photo

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Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi speaks Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, at a FEMA press conference where Provo was awarded $50 million for an aquifer project.

Courtesy FEMA

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The new Provo City Hall is shown Thursday, June 30, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald file photo

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Editor’s Note: As 2022 comes to an end, Utah County cities and officials are looking back on the year. The Daily Herald is conducting a review of 2022 with different mayors discussing their accomplishments and goals for 2023 — along with their holiday traditions and celebrations.

Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi and her staff have been on the ground running as several major city projects came to fruition in 2022. In terms of top accomplishments in the year, Kaufusi listed the following:

• Completion of the airport terminal — and all the excitement and additional travel opportunities that has brought.
• Completion of City Hall, mainly because now we know that our public safety workers are safe and have the facilities they need to protect us all.
• Ensuring the park on Canyon Road is underway and fully funded!
• Telling the world about the “Provo Advantage.” Using monthly videos, posts, and emails, we’ve been telling the story of why businesses love Provo (or should move here!) in a fresh way that has earned attention and praise statewide.
• Getting a $50 million grant from the federal government for Provo’s innovative and forward-looking aquifer recharge program. This initiative will provide water security for Provo residents for generations to come. What’s more important than water?

The expansion of the Provo Airport, completed in April, is fitting at the top of the list. It has already become the home base in Utah for Allegiant and Breeze Airways with flights being added nearly every month.

While Kaufusi celebrated many projects coming to a close, there are always more that didn’t quite make it to completion.

“I wanted to get out among the residents more! Before COVID, we did a lot of town halls, and I loved that chance to talk with residents face to face in that setting,” Kaufusi said. “With the airport terminal and city hall being wrapped up this year, we somehow missed scheduling structured resident meetings this year — although I had plenty of conversations with residents in the grocery store or on the trails.”

So the first of three goals the mayor has put on her New Year’s resolution list include more time with residents.

“I’m very excited that we are going to hold a series of town halls where I can hear what’s on your minds and where you can ask me anything. Watch the newsletter in your utility bills or social media for locations, dates and times,” Kaufusi said.

The other two major projects are:

• Demolishing the old city hall, “so that we can start construction on our new downtown fire station and find something amazing to do with the rest of that prime property.”
• Pushing forward with the Regional Sports Park. “It won’t be completed this year, but we are getting closer and I can’t wait for our residents to finally have ample places to play field sports–100 acres. This year, hundreds of kids were turned away from participating in our soccer program, due to lack of fields,” Kaufusi said.

For the holidays, Kaufusi was blunt with her family’s plan — they like to get together, eat a lot and play when possible. In years past, that could have meant gathering around the TV to watch one or both of her sons, Corbin and Bronson, in the NFL.

As for gifts, she sticks to a strict tradition that comes from childhood.

“I was raised poor, and my husband came here at age 8 from Tonga, also in a family that didn’t have money. So we were always frugal with our kids, including at Christmastime,” she said. “We gave each of them three presents. We would say, that’s how many presents the wise men brought! Sometimes one present would be a pack of underwear and the kids would be like ‘Mom! Underwear?’ But we always stuck with it. Three presents.”

From there it was time to join the Kaufusi’s at Steve’s (Michelle’s husband) family’s gathering where the kids would join their cousins, play basketball and celebrate together.

Kaufusi speaks for the whole Provo team of personnel and first responders in wishing residents a joyous holiday season and a very happy, peace filled and prosperous New Year.

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