Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson told the committee Tuesday the small town was virtually sidetracked during the 2002 Winter Olympics by its own design.
“They weren't sure they wanted to be a part of it,” she said. “The people I have talked to that were up here in 2002 regret that. They want to be a part of it this time. They want to have those experiences.”
Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco agreed, saying the 2002 Games inspired many local children, including her son.
“My son was able to participate in the U.S. Olympic trials. Now he's with Summer Games. He ran the mile, he was in the top 20 nationally,” she said. “But that kind of vision was given to him as an elementary school child, and that vision has just changed this valley.”
Now, Heber, Midway and other Wasatch County officials are helping to plan for the 2034 Olympics.
Leaders from the Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee visited the Heber Valley for a closed meeting Tuesday.
It was the second stop on the committee’s “listening tour,” where leaders visit host communities to learn how they can collaborate to make the Beehive State shine in 2034.
Johnson and Franco met with organizing committee leaders to discuss projects and initiatives in Wasatch County.
Johnson said infrastructure is a concern for all of Wasatch County, including Midway, Heber and Charleston, because of the rate the towns are growing.
“What does that look like in terms of what can we support?” Johnson said. “The growth in general is something we have to be able to support whether it's the Olympics or not, so anything we do, we believe is going to benefit the Olympics as well.”
Infrastructure projects are already in the works throughout Wasatch County. The biggest one, the Heber Valley bypass, will connect U.S. Highway 40 with U.S. Route 189.
Franco said the Utah Department of Transportation will select one of two route options by the fall.
“They know that it's critical for us to have that for the 2034 Olympics, but it's not designed or funded yet,” Franco said.
Heber is also upgrading roads, amenities and public transit while revitalizing the city’s downtown area. While the changes are not necessarily for the 2034 Games, Franco said the Olympics provide a goal post.
She said the Utah Olympic Foundation is looking into permanent athlete housing in the Heber Valley because many athletes already live and train in the community.
Heber will also provide accommodations for Olympic athletes, their families and visitors in local hotels. Franco said the city has already received proposals from several hotels wanting to build downtown and near River Road and Highway 40.
Johnson said Midway’s accommodations include two resorts, the Homestead and Zermatt, with the Ameyalli wellness-focused resort under construction.
“They have worked out agreements with those groups to be willing to facilitate this without having ridiculously jacked up, crazy high prices, right? Nobody wants to see that,” Johnson said.
She said Midway is discussing code and ordinance changes that would allow residents to open their homes to Olympic visitors.
The Olympic committee’s listening tour will continue across the state. So far, a date has not been announced for its visit to Park City and Summit County.
