Download Zipped File WP 6.1 0519SAOM.ZIP 5,082 Bytes

Utah Sports Advisory Committee

MINUTES OF THE

SPORTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Tuesday, May 19, 1998 - 12:30 p.m. - Wasatch Mountain State Park Chalet


Members Present:
    Sen. Alarik Myrin, Senate Chair
    Rep. Jordan Tanner, House Chair
    Sen. L. Alma Mansell
    Rep. Neal B. Hendrickson    
    Comm'r. James Soter
    Mr. Hugh Daniels
    Mr. Randy Will
    Mr. Lewis Billings
    Ms. Sidney Fonnesbeck
    Ms. JoAnn Seghini
    Mr. Max Hogan


Members Absent:
    Sen. Scott Howell
    Rep. Brian Allen
    Ms. Lou Mueller
    Comm'r. Brent Overson
    Mr. Howard Peterson
    Mr. David Winder

Staff Present:
    Mr. Brian Allred,
        Research Analyst
    Ms. Janetha Hancock,
        Associate General Counsel
    Ms. Beverlee LeCheminant
        Legislative Secretary

     Note: Copies of materials distributed in the meeting are on file in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.


1.    Committee Business - Sen. Myrin called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m.

    Approval of Minutes of February 20, 1998 -

     MOTION: Commissioner James Soter moved to approve the minutes of the February 20, 1998 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

    Sen. Myrin told the committee that because of some other duties that the people from Wasatch County need to attend to, they will start with agenda item #3.

3.    Wasatch County Issues - Mr. Robyn Pearson, Wasatch County Olympic Coordinator, indicated that Wasatch County was the last venue to be selected for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the citizens are concerned because the county is behind the other venue sites in terms of preparation. He said that SLOC has been very helpful in working with Wasatch County on some of its programs for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games

    Commissioner Keith Jacobson said that the citizens of Wasatch County feel that the facilities they build for the Olympics should be left for the use and benefit of the citizens in Utah and surrounding communities. The county has discussed using some of the Olympic transportation money to construct an intersection on Highway 113 and an overlay in Charleston. The county would also like to see improvements to Highway 189 in Provo Canyon before the Olympics. He indicated that if the federal government gives some money to the state to do this kind of construction, Wasatch County would like to be considered to receive a portion of those funds. He said there is a legacy

fund to help maintain the Winter Sports Park and the park in Oquirrh and Wasatch County would like to receive some of that money to be used in its venue to help keep the legacy for the community. He noted that the county has discussed the issues of sewer and water for their venue site with the federal government, but if the county does not receive any federal funds, it may need some help in these areas. He also stated that any help that can be given to Wasatch County to help make its Olympic venue a good experience for the citizens who come to it and citizens of the county would be beneficial.

    Sen. Myrin indicated that the chairs have scheduled the next committee meeting for Tuesday, July 14th and the task force will be discussing the impacts of the Olympics on state and local governments at that meeting.

    Sheriff Mike Spanos, Wasatch County, told the committee that Wasatch County has about three million visitors each year. Up until 1997, he had ten deputies, but the federal government contracted more deputies for the county last year. He has some concerns about public safety during the Olympics. Sheriff Spanos said that he will be attending his first law enforcement command meeting next week and that the chief law enforcement administrators with a venue will be expressing their concerns regarding Olympic public safety at the Legislative Law Enforcement Committee Meeting on Wednesday, May 20th.

    Sheriff Spanos noted that he has been involved in the Utah Communications Area Network which was set up by the Legislature to deal with the communications area network with the Olympics. This area network organization will be holding a meeting to ask the state to be the major unit in receiving the bond to do a large portion of the 800 megahertz system. The area network organization will be meeting with Governor Leavitt and several legislators who will have the responsibility to make a presentation to see how this can be done as communications is going to be essential to the success of the Olympics.

    Sen. Myrin stated that this committee is made up of legislators and representatives of cities and towns and is not a regular legislative committee. The committee is in a position, however, to advise the SLOC and the Legislature and he is suggesting that there needs to be more communication between this committee and SLOC with regard to venue sites and what kind of process the counties may be going through to assess the impacts of the Olympics and how those impacts should be dealt with. He indicated that the state is not in the process of assessing those impacts with respect to individual counties and cities.

    Mr. John Fowler, State Olympic Officer, said that an organization of venue city representatives has been meeting for several months and part of that organization's agenda has been to discuss the issue that cities and towns need to be reporting to SLOC what kind of budgetary support they will need from them.

2.    Wasatch Mountain State Park Olympic Venue -Mr. Courtland Nelson, Director, State Parks, gave a slide presentation of the Nagano Winter Olympics and the biathlon venue site in Wasatch County. He told the committee that Wasatch County is excited about preparing for the 2002 Winter Olympics and that the actual construction will begin in the summer of 1999. He indicated that the county will retain all of the permanent facilities after the Olympics are over and will have the opportunity to negotiate with SLOC on some of the temporary facilities as time and money permits.

     Review of 1998 General Session legislation and upcoming events

    Mr. Brian Allred, Research Analyst, distributed a memorandum from Mr. Howard Peterson, a member of the committee, which reiterated the value of having a Sports Development Plan for each winter Olympic sport and related facility.

    Mr. Allred distributed and gave a brief review of an outline of legislation that was passed during the 1998 General Session.

    Mr. Allred distributed and gave a brief review of a list of selected upcoming events related to the Olympic Winter Games of 2002.

    Mr. Jerry Anderson, SLOC, told the committee that there are some substantial construction projects that will be started in July of this year at the Winter Sports Park. Those construction projects include: building a new K120 Jump; rebuilding of the existing K90 Jump; improvements on the bobsled luge side of the track; minor road work in the park; and infrastructure improvements with the utilities. These construction projects need to be finished in the fall of 2000. During 1999, they will continue to build the jumps and the infrastructure for the sports park; will improve the power situation; and will improve the sewers and water lines. During the summer of 2000, they will finish off the construction projects by constructing the buildings; continuing to improve the internal road system; and will complete the jumps.

4.    Adjourn -

    MOTION: Sen. Mansell moved to adjourn the meeting at 2:00 p.m.

[Back to the Interim Directory][Back to the Monthly Schedule][Back to the Committee Listing] Utah State Legislature