The Park City and Summit County councils got an update on Salt Lake City’s 2034 Winter Olympics bid during a joint meeting Friday morning.
The bid process is in its final stages, with Utah expected to be awarded the Games during an International Olympic Committee election on July 24.
Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation President and CEO Colin Hilton told the two councils Friday that the return of the Games will provide a chance to think boldly.
“The International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee really like the scenario where a region, a country has transformational change as a result of doing these Games,” Hilton said. “That is sort of their big desire… and for me, it’s elevating the discussion about how do we solve the everyday challenges relating to transportation or affordable housing?”
Hilton said they don’t have a pot of money for officials to use. But he said the organizing committee is willing to get behind any initiative with community support, which could help garner funding and political backing at the state level.
Several infrastructure projects got a boost as part of the 2002 Winter Olympics, including the construction of Park City’s Old Town Transit Center, the widening of I-15, and the installation of the TRAX light rail system in the Salt Lake Valley.
Compared to 2002 when there were shuttles to venues from a parking lot near U.S. Highway 40, Hilton said in 2034 they want to transport spectators from the mouth of Parleys Canyon.
“We like the park and ride concept, but… bringing people into Park City more effectively - is it buses? Is it rail? I don’t know, but we have 10 years to figure out a better way than having single occupancy vehicles driving into town,” Hilton said.
The two councils ran out of time during Friday’s meeting and no specific transportation projects were discussed, but council members appeared eager about leveraging the opportunity.
The Legacy Fund, which subsidizes the Utah Olympic Park, would also get a boost from another Games. It’s declined from $76 million in 2002 to around $45 million today. Hilton said another Olympics would generate a profit of $160 million.
