Park City leaders honored the late Colin Hilton on Thursday, offering comments about the role he played in winter sports circles and the wider community, as the area continues to grapple with the loss.
Hilton died by suicide on Aug. 21 at 58. He was the president and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and a veteran of the organizing committee that staged the 2002 Winter Olympics. He worked for the Park City municipal government in the post-Games era before returning to the winter-sports realm. Hilton played a key role in the early efforts toward the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Mayor Ryan Dickey and members of the Park City Council recalled their work with Hilton over the years.
Dickey said he was a member of the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission during discussions about development at the Utah Olympic Park that involved Hilton.
“I had a great time working with him and his team. And then, of course, beginning to work on this Olympic-planning effort and spending a lot of time with Colin, really getting to know him,” Dickey said.
The mayor also noted Hilton’s service for the municipal government in economic development.
“He’s known so much for his Olympic legacy. And sometimes a little bit lost is that he was part of our city team here,” Dickey said.
City Councilor Bill Ciraco remembered that, as a relative newcomer to the community, Ciraco was told Hilton could assist him as he became more involved in the community.
“He always took my calls, was just an amazing resource for me in terms of getting to know the broader community and the history of the Olympic effort here,” Ciraco said.
Ciraco said he approached Hilton with a concept for an aerial route involving the Utah Olympic Park and learned that Hilton had already compiled information about the topic.
“I said, ‘Hey Colin, I’ve got this great idea. Like, you know, what do you think about a gondola from Kimball Junction up to UOP and then continuing on to The Canyons,’” Ciraco said. “He goes, ‘I think that’s a great idea.’ And he turned around and pulled the plan off the shelf in his office, and he put it on the table. And there was the plan.”
Ciraco added: “There was a lot about Colin that I respected, and he will be terribly missed. This community was well served by him, and we will miss you, Colin.”
Tana Toly, another city councilor, was emotional.
“I do want to just make it through without crying. But I just want to really pay my respects to Colin Hilton. We lost an amazing person in this community … It was really hard for all of us to learn about it,” she said.
Toly noted that September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. She listed the 988 phone number for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
“There are just so many people who do care and who are here to support each other. And even when we don’t agree, I know that there is so much love in the community and so much support for one another. So, I hope we hold that in our hearts. Man, I will miss Colin a lot, so just wanted to say that,” Toly said.
Hilton’s life and legacy were also honored at the Park City Chamber/Bureau annual meeting on Thursday morning. Chamber/Bureau President and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff and Myles Rademan, who founded and directed the Park City Leadership program for more than 25 years, remembered Hilton for his hospitality and impact on Park City as well as his dedication to the winter sports industry.