During a listening session at the Utah Olympic Park on Dec. 5, Olympic Organizing Committee CEO Brad Wilson, Park City Mayor Nann Worel and Summit County Council Vice Chair Canice Harte described a future Games that build on the city’s defining role in 2002. Wilson said Park City’s role is u nlike any other community in the state. With three major venues — Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park — clustered within just a few miles of each other, he emphasized that the region’s experience, values and community culture have made it essential to the 2034 plan. “There’s no community that epitomizes the Winter Games in 2034 any better than this community up here with their unique values,” Wilson said. Unlike 2002, when events alternated between Park City Mountain and Deer Valley, Wilson said the current plan calls for competitions at both resorts every day, along with regular programs at the Utah Olympic Park.  “We’re going to see a little bit of an increase in events up here during the 2034 Games,” Wilson said. That daily activity will place new demands on transportation, public safety and communication systems. Harte said the county is prioritizing improvements to help residents, workers and visitors move efficiently — not only during the Games, but before and after them. He emphasized that the next eight years will move quickly, and transportation is one of the most pressing long-term needs regardless of the Olympics. Local agencies are also focused on strengthening public communication and emergency response. Harte said they want to ensure they can coordinate across jurisdictions, respond to incidents quickly and maintain clear information channels during a period that could bring tens of thousands of additional visitors into the region each day. “We’re looking really not just at the Games, but beyond the Games and what are things that our communities need and can benefit from long term,” Harte said. The committee said test events will also play a major role in preparing for the 2034 Games. International competition events hosted in Park City over the next eight years will help athletes learn the courses and conditions, and they give organizers a chance to see how venues, transportation systems and operations function under pressure.  “As we get closer to the Games in ’34, you’ll see more of the international federations and national governing bodies want to do more events here to get their athletes ready,” Wilson said. This weekend’s Eberspächer Luge World Cup at the Utah Olympic Park is one example alongside the Intermountain Health International Freestyle Ski World Cup at Deer Valley this January. Wilson said many more events will join these over the next eight years. Harte said they want the 2034 Games to feel welcoming and inclusive for everyone in Summit County, not just residents of the host city. Harte noted that one of the committee’s early initiatives focuses on youth programs and creating opportunities for kids to engage with the Games.  Worel said that other towns in the county have already expressed interest in participating in celebrations and community events. As a member of the Council of Governments, she said she regularly hears from fellow mayors who are eager to be involved and help build excitement across the region. While 2034 may seem distant, Harte said the region is significantly further ahead in planning than it was leading into the 2002 Games. With an estimated 40% increase in venue activity compared to that year, the stakes are higher, but so is their readiness. “It seems like a long time away, but that eight years is going to seem like it went by in a blink,” Harte said. “We’re trying to get out ahead of this as much as possible, and in truth, we are. We’re well ahead of where we were in 2000 leading up to the 2002 Games.”  With Mayor Worel’s term coming to a close, Park City representation during Olympic planning will transfer to Mayor-elect Ryan Dickey, who will inherit her seats on the Olympic steering committee and Host Communities Committee. Still, she’d love to stay involved in the games as a volunteer, she said.  “It’s bittersweet for me,” said Worel. “Park City is great at welcoming the world, and I expect that the city will absolutely shine in that capacity again.” The post Organizers outline Park City’s central role in 2034 Olympics at listening session appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less