| Show November vote winds out welcome mat for 1 1998 Winter Games Mark Hewitt News vs Editor VER 40 percent of Wasatch Front O OVER voters joined citizens from around the state on Nov 7 to decide the fate of the Utah bid for the 1998 Winter Games From weekend pre-election pre polls which showed beating opposition opposition opposition op op- op- op position soundly by 40 percent the referendum staggered through the popular vote vote passing passing by a scant fourteen fourteen fourteen four four- teen percentage points Counties which gave the thumbs thumbs- down to the Olympics are Morgan Millard Millard Millard Mil- Mil lard Beaver Pi Piute ute Wayne Daggett Grand Carbon Duchesne and Sanpete All other counties had majorities in favor of Utah's hosting the 1998 Winter Games Once the vote was vas tallied referendum referendum referendum dum supporters lost no time in assuring the International Olympic Committee lOC that the welcome mat was out for Olympics in Utah Before a hasty flight to Mexico City to meet with the Chief Executive Officer of the Salt Lake Winter Games Organizing Committee Tom Welch said he thought the win was vas positive and would be interpreted a as such by the US U.S. Olympic Committee and the Opponent to the Utah Winter Games Alex Kelner promised to keep a vigilant eye on the commitments of the organizers organizers organizers or or- of the Utah Winter Games GaInes He further promised not to hamper future Utah Olympic efforts as long as their progress conformed to past pledges The win guarantees Utah's eligibility for the 1998 and 2002 Winter Games The vote in itself allows the release of the controversial 56 million required required re required re- re for the Utah Winter Games budget The 56 million will be distributed for the construction of such facilities as asa asa asa a luge bobsled run ski jump and enclosed speed skating rink The remainder about 6 6 million will be allocated allocated allocated allo allo- to miscellaneous costs such as provision of Olympics security The 56 million will come from a 32 1 cent sales tax diversion comeing from a sales tax fund which was AlaS originally set up to fund efforts to combat combat com com- bat flooding in Utah in 1983 See Olympics on page 2 Olympic Continued from page 1 The diversion will accumulate accumulate accumulate ac ac- ac- ac cumulate over 10 years and be poured into the purses of Y Y the Utah Sports Authority created this year by the Legis Legis- lature The Sports Authority willbe will willbe willbe be a 15 member body which will monitor the allocation of the 56 million in public money The effort to bring the Games to Utah has thus far been funded by private dollars Though the 56 million to construct Olympic venues has been approved and the venues should be completed by 1991 the will not necessarily pick Utah to host the 1998 Winter Games The decision for a host city will be made in 1991 at a meeting in Birmingham England The facilities for the Games will be developed in Summit and Weber Counties Construction of the Olympic facilities must begin by Dec 1990 however organizing officials officials officials of of- have said that facility locations are not final The diversion of sales tax will begin Jan 1 1990 |
