The Utah Olympic Park hopes to build a 120-room hotel around the pool where mogulists, aerialists and other athletes train each summer.
The park also plans to renovate the pool, which initially meant it wouldn’t open for training this year.
Now, UOP General Manager Jamie Kimball says it can stay open until about July 15 to allow athletes access for more than a month.
“We met early on with the clubs and coaches and parents the first week of December, I believe, to deliver that news and get some more feedback from them as well,” he told Snyderville Basin planning commissioners Jan. 13. “So, decent response on that, and continuing to move ahead.”
The UOP is making its way through Summit County’s planning procedures to prepare for hotel construction and amend other parts of its development agreement.
During that process, some parents raised concerns that their kids would miss out on offseason practice time.
Developer Chris Conabee says they can keep the pool open for half the summer by frontloading the construction process.
“We think if we can get into all the blasting, grading, get the utilities in now,” Conabee said, “We can come back in the spring, we can attack those buildings. Have everything ready to go for the next year.”
The discussion happened at the Jan. 13 Snyderville Basin Planning Commission meeting.
Commissioners were reviewing proposed changes to the park’s development agreement, which they say is a separate issue from whether the UOP decides to close its own pool or not.
Still, Commissioner Tyann Mooney thanked UOP leaders for addressing the pool closure.
“We're not allowed to talk about the pool, but I wanted you to know that we do appreciate that you're doing your best to accommodate at least some of the training,” she told UOP representatives at the meeting.
The planning commission approved of the changes to UOP’s development agreement, which go next to the Summit County Council for a potential final vote Jan. 28.
The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation is a financial supporter of KPCW.
