There seems to be broad support in Park City and surrounding Summit County for a second Winter Olympics.
But leaders want to learn whether that is actually the case.
Elected officials from Park City and Summit County on Tuesday met with top-ranking figures from the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, the organization that is seeking an Olympics as early as the 2030 edition, for a wide-ranging discussion about the efforts.
Mayor Nann Worel, the Park City Council and the Summit County Council gathered with the leadership of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games at the Utah Olympic Park for the first meeting of its type since Salt Lake City in 2018 was selected as the nation’s bid city for a Winter Olympics.
One critical topic raised during the meeting centered on the level of public support for another Games. Previous polling has shown backing in the state, but more surveying is expected to be conducted. Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, said on Tuesday the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee would conduct a poll within several months followed by one conducted by the International Olympic Committee.
A gauging of public sentiment would be revealing three-plus years after the selection of Salt Lake City as the bid city and amid renewed concerns about growth and development in the Park City area. The support seemed clear as Salt Lake City became the nation’s bid city, but there have been signals of concern in the community more recently as the long-term impacts of a second Olympics are considered. There is not known organized opposition in the Park City area to the efforts to host a Games, however.
County Councilor Roger Armstrong noted there are perceptions in the community that the 2002 Winter Olympics contributed to growth. He contemplated, though, whether another Games could assist with issues like housing, perhaps by turning places built to board athletes into affordable housing afterward.
Tana Toly, a member of the City Council, outlined a scenario in which the people of Park City are determined through polling to be overwhelmingly against another Olympics. Colin Hilton, the president and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and a member of the board of directors of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, responded with a statement that, anecdotally, he has found people in the Park City area to be mostly supportive of the Winter Olympic efforts. Possibly the role of the Park City area could be scaled back, depending on the enthusiasm, Hilton said. Bullock also addressed the issue.
“If it’s negative, we’ve got more work to do,” Bullock said about public sentiment.
The gathering on Tuesday also delved into the possibility of climate change impacting the Winter Olympics in 2030. Bullock said a study has shown the number of places where a Winter Olympics could be held will be reduced by 2050 based on the effects of a changing climate. He said the study determined Salt Lake City would be able to host the event that year. Bullock, who was a high-ranking member of the organizing committee that put on the Games in 2002, said snow was stockpiled prior to those Olympics to guard against a winter with weak snowfall.
The meeting on Tuesday was the first such gathering between the elected officials in Park City and Summit County with the figures from the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games. The sides were congenial as they covered a variety of issues. The meeting was not designed to be a detailed exchange regarding the mechanics of a bid. The leaders from Park City, Summit County and the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games instead used the time to greet each other, start to build relationships and introduce some of the issues that are expected to be heavily debated later.
The Park City area is crucial to the Salt Lake City bid. Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park are identified as major competition venues, as was the case during the Games in 2002. The area would also be key to the transportation, security and celebration planning.
The meeting was held at a time when the discussions about the selection of a host for the Winter Olympics of 2030 are expected to accelerate. The IOC with near certainty will turn its attention to the Games of 2030 after the Olympics in Beijing close. It was also held as the region marks the 20th anniversary of the Winter Olympics in 2002 with a series of commemorations that has spurred a wave of Games-related nostalgia and talk of the possibilities for a future Olympics.
Leaders in Park City and Summit County in coming months, meanwhile, are expected to engage the public regarding the prospects of a Winter Olympics as they seek opinions from the wider community.