The six men running for Park City Council were clear that it’s not a question of if a future Winter Olympics is coming, but when.
“I’ve been out knocking on doors as we all have, and I can’t tell you how many people say they don’t want the Olympics,” candidate Bob Sertner said. “The reality is they’re coming and we need to make the best of it. We need to minimize the impact on the city and we need to guarantee that there’s no additional cost to the city.”
Candidate Matt Nagie said a future Games could do a lot to improve transportation.
“Federal dollars tend to flow in and that becomes a whole new conversation,” Nagie said. “In the 1990s, when we were awarded the 2002 Olympics, I-15 as you know it today - the spaghetti bowl, the intersection at I-80 and I-15 - that was the Olympics that built that for us. Going forward the conversation has shifted nationwide, as it should, away from highways and towards transit and towards micro mobility… That’s where the big pot of money can go, and so that’s why it’s really exciting to welcome in the Olympics.”
Candidate Ed Parigian said he’s worried about the after effects of another Winter Games.
“As we saw after the ‘02 Olympics, there’s the Olympic effect,” Parigian said. “We’re going to be on the world stage again. More people are going to move here. More people are going to want to set up second homes here. That’s the part I’m worried about. The Olympics are two weeks, we can get through that no problem. We’re going to have fun, we’re all going to volunteer, it’s going to be great.”
While the Olympics plays a huge role in Park City’s winter sports legacy, the Sundance Film Festival has long shown that the city is more than just a ski town.
During a recent meeting with the city council, Sundance CEO Joana Vicente said the nonprofit is crafting a new long-term plan as it deals with financial struggles stemming from the pandemic.
Candidates were asked Monday if keeping Sundance long-term should be a priority. Each candidate agreed the film festival is an important part of Park City’s brand.
Candidate Bill Ciraco said it’s important Sundance stays in the city but has concerns.
“It’s a tremendous economic boost for the city,” Ciraco said. “But I will not do that at the expense of the resident lifestyle here in Park City. We need to do a better job of managing the impact of these large events.”
Incumbent Ryan Dickey said the city has improved management of large events specifically through public transit. He added the film festival was one of the reasons he decided to call Park City home.
“It’s a little bit too early to really forecast what we’re going to do with Sundance, what Sundance’s financial and organizational position truly is,” Dickey said. “We do have an affordability challenge; they need to bring younger viewers to the festival and it’s simply too expensive for them to come. So I think we’re open to all kinds of changes.”
Addressing a separate question about the role of the tourism industry in Park City, candidate John Greenfield said Deer Valley’s expansion into Wasatch County creates real risks.
“There’s 3,000 nightly rentals there. At full functionality, it will take 5,000 employees to run. The impacts on visitation, visitor spending, and employee hiring all will be affected in Park City.”
He added that the community should lean on the “sustainable tourism” principles developed by the Park City Chamber.
The six candidates are vying for three open seats on the city council. Mail-in ballots go out to voters Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov. 21.
