Residents recently formed “Keep Us Flying” to advocate for keeping the Spence Eccles Olympic Freestyle Pool operational during proposed construction.
The pool always closes for the winter, and Utah Olympic Park leaders are considering a summer closure while they replace the existing poolside building with a hotel.
Shawn Keve, whose son trains at the pool, said plenty of athletes come to Utah because of the water ramps at UOP.
“We relocated my family out here for the sole purpose of supporting our son in his pursuit to be the best freestyle mogul student that he can be,” Keve said. “We made a lot of sacrifices to be here. We're splitting our time in other places to support our daughter.”
The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation heard from residents at two open houses in the past week, plus a meeting with the board of the Sun Peak homeowners association Monday.
“We had great engagement and received valuable feedback from the community,” UOLF President and CEO Colin Hilton said in a statement. “Our team is currently reviewing those insights and considering a few potential tweaks to the plan.”
Both Keve and another freestyle mogulist’s father, Dirk Voorhees, said they’re the UOP’s biggest supporters since their families use the facility so much.
“And we understand why they want to build the hotel, and we understand the value that it brings to the foundation,” Voorhees said. “We're just hopeful that we can collaborate and find a way to keep the pool open as they build the hotel.”
Last month, UOP developer Chris Conabee said that’s possible but suggested the pool itself could use some new filters, pumps or pipes.
“We don't need the pool to shut down to build our hotel, but I think the pool needs a little bit of a re-lift,” he told the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission Oct. 14.
The pool was built prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics. The last major remodel, 10 years ago, installed new ramps and was done during the winter.
Keve and Voorhees say they were two of more than a dozen parents of athletes who met after the Oct. 14 planning commission hearing. That gathering gave rise to the “Keep Us Flying” organization.
Summit County hasn’t approved the hotel project yet, so there’s no word on when construction would begin.
WXXI reports the only other water ramp facility in the United States is outside of Rochester, New York, since the ramps in Lake Placid were torn down. There’s another across the border in Quebec.
The UOP says its airbag would remain open.
The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation is a financial supporter of KPCW.
