OGDEN — Mayor Matthew Godfrey says a letter he wrote the Army Corps of Engineers was intended to boost his airport, not sabotage Brigham City's airport expansion.
Brigham City Mayor David Kano thinks otherwise.
On Feb. 28, he sent Godfrey a scathing letter accusing him of interfering with Brigham City's request for a wetland permit.
The city wants the wetlands permit to widen and expand its airport runway and extend it so it can handle the extra traffic created by the Tremonton airport closure.
Kano says Godfrey wanted Brigham City's request to fail so Ogden could get the federal airport money to enhance its airport. "We are at a loss to understand how someone in your position could take such an unethical and predatory action against a neighboring community," Kano wrote.
"The number of municipal airports has diminished. In Utah, Brigham City is earmarked as a regional site. It's an ideal location for expansion," Kano said.
Godfrey, however, says the letter he sent to the Corps was a routine response to a public notice and did not address the wetlands issue.
"The information provided in my letter was limited to the issue of Ogden-Hinckley Airport as an alternative to Brigham City, which it is," Godfrey wrote in a response to Kano's letter.
Godfrey said the Ogden and Logan airports are already considered as alternatives to the Tremonton closure.
Godfrey questioned why the FAA would want to expand Brigham City's airport when the Ogden and Logan airports are underused.
Godfrey denied Ogden was after the federal funds.
"This was not my intent, and the issue of funding was not mentioned in my letter," Godfrey said.