OLYMPIC IRONY

 

We have been enjoying the amazing Olympics in Paris and are astonished at how well they have prepared and are managing the logistical, security, climate and environmental issues with great aplomb.   They even spent a billion dollars on cleaning up the Seine River and it is almost clear enough for Snoop Dogg to swim.  I am sure there have been some snafus and, ultimately, a high price to pay for this astonishing party but it seems entirely worth it.  They have brought a little peace and harmony to the world during this tenuous time by showcasing amazing athletes from big and little countries. Isn’t it ironic that the games have brought a little humility to this city, known for its boastful pride and ennui, to become part of our world community?  The Olympics will do that when you welcome the world.  I only hope that we can do as well. Again

So isn’t it too ironic that we are enthusiastically planning on hosting the 2034 Winter Olympic Games while we have not solved the problems from the 2002 Games?  That; locally with 60% of the homes in Park City serving as second homes and mostly vacant, we have a housing issue.  That; 10,000 people from PC travel down to SLC to work and 10,000 people from SLC travel up to PC to work each day so we have a traffic issue.  With these traffic issues we are planning for 30,000 more new units, 100,000 new people and 200,000 new vehicle trips a day with half of them going through Kimbal Junction at 5:01 PM.  That; they want a billion-dollar tram to Alta, and they want us to pay for it.  That; with a drying Colorado River they want a pipe big enough for water for 500,000 more people down in St George and they want us to pay for it. That; we are going to need that much water up here in Park City before we are through, even with a drying Great Salt Lake.  That; in the second driest state in the country, we have the cheapest water and the highest per capita usage.  It’s that irony thing, sir.    

Can we take this ironic Olympic opportunity to recognize the work that we have ahead of us in trying to improve our city to host the Games and to live in after they close.  I’m sure they will appoint a competent Olympic Planning Czar and Committee but will they look far enough into the future to try and predict what we want to become?  This is another giant ironic inflection point in our history, like finding silver here, opening Park City Resort and Deer Valley, the 2002 Games and the Vail takeover, so we need to ensure that we pivot up instead of down.  God taunts you when he answers your prayers.

We made the decision years ago to be an Olympic City, for better or worse, and there is no putting that horse back in the barn.  This is who we are and what we do.  There will be a lot of attention and money thrown at us and we have to decide what kind of Olympic City we want to be.  We have always grown better when we grew slow, but now we have another deadline with destiny.  Will it be sustainable, or will it be schlock? I expect that these games will solidify us as a legacy Olympic City with future Winter Games occurring here, as long as it keeps snowing.  It’s easy for a big city like Paris, and maybe even Salt Lake City, to absorb the Olympics but much harder for a smaller town like ours to adjust.  We need to address our ironic Olympic ambitions, while still maintaining our extraordinary home-town feeling and exceptionally gifted, small-town lives.  

 

Matthew Lindon PE, Snyderville Utah.         Waterandwhatever.blogspot.com