Now Provo may be getting into the mix for a new convention center, a building that is becoming a must-have around the state.

Officials completed the first step to land one in the heart of Utah County on Tuesday when a consulting team laid out a feasibility study to the Provo City Council and Utah County Commission.

The presentation was conservative in its recommendations but concluded that a conference center could be a reality.

“Provo is a recognizable name within the region,” said Bill Krueger, a consultant with Minnesota-based Conventions Sports and Leisure. “You've got BYU, you've got a downtown main street . . . You've got a number of pieces we tend to look at initially.”

The study focused on several possible locations around BYU, the Provo Towne Center Mall and downtown Provo for the building but narrowed down the recommendations to two sites at the intersection of 100 North and Freedom Boulevard.

Consultants said the conference center either could be built as part of a new hotel or constructed as a stand-alone convention center.

Both scenarios have their pros and cons - a hotel would take care of operating costs, but would take a cut of revenues while a freestanding building would cost more to finance - but Krueger said either could quickly pump at least $10 million into the community.

The center could be jointly financed by the public and private sectors, or between the city and the county.

The convention center is still in the concept stage, but Provo Redevelopment Agency Director Paul Glauser believes the proposed place for scrapbooking conventions, corporate trainings and education seminars isn't too far-fetched for Provo.

“I thought the [consultants] were fairly encouraging of what's possible,” Glauser said. “What's next is to see if the elected officials at both the county and city level want to get behind something like this.”

Already County Commissioner Steve White as shown serious interest in the project, and on Tuesday a few of the Provo City Council members pledged their support.

“I'm so eager about it,” said Councilwoman Cindy Richards, who wants to see a timeline in the works. “This is something we've longed for. Many of us have worked lots of years just in getting [consultants] here.”

The consulting team will submit a final report on the convention center feasibility study to city and county officials within the next two weeks.

thollingshead@sltrib.com