Upgrading streets, fiber-optic networks and baseball diamonds might fix the economy in Utah and elsewhere, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The Conference released a survey earlier this month of municipal infrastructure projects that are "ready to go" and can create jobs. A PDF of the report can be found here. A handful of Utah cities submitted projects.

Most of the requests from Utah are for street, sewer or water improvements. Salem, population 5,900, also wants $20 million for a recreation complex it says will create 200 jobs. Salt Lake City wants about $1.5 million to improve bleachers and concession stands at baseball diamonds.

Here's a list by city.

My favorite request: the Provo Police Department wants $663,000 for an "indoor gun range with noise attenuation." I'm sure the Obama stimulus package will hear you loud and clear, guys.

CNN viewed the list and found some peculiar requests. Nothing from Utah received mention.

— NC

That photo is not of Provo police officers, though it may very well be an accurate representation of their current firing range.

Labels: Bailouts, Utah County

Roughly half of the financial bailout money has been spent with little or no accounting of where the money has gone, according to a coalition of taxpayer and government transparency advocates.

The coalition has sent Congress a letter, a PDF of which can be found here, urging disclosure. On the journalists side, Bloomberg has been leading the charge to find where the $700 billion bailout is going.

Meanwhile, OpenTheGovernment.org is compiling a rather unique clearinghouse. It's about what we don't know about the bailout.

— NC

Labels: Bailouts, Corporate America, FOIA