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Show THE DAILY HERALD, (www.HarkTheHerald.com), Provo. Uiah, Sunday, June 3, 2001 Page A2 Job well done n f - v 4 A lot of reputations ride on the success or failure of the 2002 Olympic Games. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch clearly feels a shining ' f - : Olympiad would add luster to his legacy. He's obviously enamored with the work of SLOC president Mitt Romney, who Hatch praised Thursday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at Stadium in Salt Lake City. "I'd like to personally express my gratitude for all the efforts you've made on behalf of Utah and the nation," Hatch said to Romhigh-profi- KEVIN LEEThe Daily Herald Special Olympic athlete John Lipsey, right, congratulates teammates during an awards ceremony at the close of the Special Olympics at BYU. Storms to provide break from heat The Daily Herald UTAH COUNTY Cool- er weather will break up sticky temperatures as storms hang around a couple of days. A strong thunderstorm brought heavy winds and a trace of hail and rain to Provo on Saturday. The Provo-BYGeography Department recorded a 72 mph wind gust in Provo at 4:30 p.m., which briefly knocked out power to parts U of the city. According to the Nation- al Weather Service, heavy winds and stormy weather will darken skies for the next two days. Today will be partly POLICE AUTOPEDESTRIAN boy was A taken to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center after being struck by a car at 11:30 a.m. at 246 West 100 South in Orem on Saturday. The boy was released with only minor injuries. Orem firefightFffiE ers responded to two grass fires Saturday. One occurred at 2:30 p.m. on West Geneva Road and of an d burned acre. The second fire occurred at 4:30 p.m. in northwest Orem. Both fires were put out quickly. one-thir- v IIIIIIMMN Hatch opens up praise for Romney v rrr7 h A MEDICAL CALL female was ld cloudy with a 20 percent chance of morning showers. Temperatures will be cooler with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. Northwest winds, 5 mph, will kick 15-2- things throughout around again the day. Tem- peratures in the lower to will appear mid-40- s ney. "These Games are going to be the best in the world and when they occur, you'll deserve an awful lot of the credit." Romney has helped shave SLOC's budget deficit from $379 million to but a projected break-evehe and Hatch joked about the thin margin for error. "Do any of you have budget concerns?" Hatch asked federal safety offi- n, CLYWPICS EZAT hurt us. Really, who could 5 compete with our natural beauty and our venues? "I'll bet you money (the IOC) will want to be back here." ov 1 TadWalch rials during the committee's hearing on security during the Olympics. He turned to Romney and they both laughed. "Let's see," Romney said, "I've got my adding machine here." Hatch stressed for the Senate record that Salt Lake organizers will get by with a billion fewer dollars than the past two Winter Olympic cities did. "SLOC will spend $1.3 billion," Hatch said, "but that's a billion less than the last two Winter Olympics (Lillehammer $2.3 billion, Nagano $2.6 . On Monday, Provo Division of Motor Vehicles office will close its doors for one day to install a new computer system. It will open again Tuesday to title and register motor vehicles. The new Motor Vehicle PROVO the Administration system replaces the DMV's computer system. Utah County is the second y in a statewide, county-by-count- office rollout will continue 4 that through 1 v.1 ' y BUDDY, BUDDY: If there are security problems at the 2002 Games, Romney and the heads of the FBI, Secret Service and the Department of Defense don't believe they'll be caused or exacerbated by eight times the face value on the rest of the 1,000 tickets officials plan to auction, it Continued from A would add only $2.5 million to its coffers. Meanwhile, the hoped the Super Bowl or another major sporting organizing committee has a event would be the first budget gap of $54 million. However, the auction is organizer to auction some of additional, unexgenerating its seats on the Internet. Monday. revenue. pected With time running out On Saturday, American "The interest in the aucin Games the eight begin Fork reached 80; Nephi, 85; tion has driven enormous tentamonths Romney Springville, 89; and Pleastraffic to our Web site and tively dipped SLOC's toe the other 200,000 tickets we ant Grove, 82. into the water. The temperature, it have left," Romney said. "If the tickets in the auction turned out, was perfect. create a buzz about the " said the Initially, Romney that will be first auction installment of other 200,000, transferred to Utah Valley 110 tickets would be fol- the biggest benefit." SLOC will print a total of Regional Medical Center lowed by additional install1.4 million tickets. It has after dislocating her right SLOC was ments only if sold 1.2 million to sponsors shoulder in a ground-levface double the making and fans. fall Saturday at 6 p.m. value of the tickets. The host of SLOC's aucThe largest maikup beat SPARKING POWER eBayJ hopes to convince tion, that goal handily. LINE Provo firefighters A pair of tickets to the other event organizers to responded to a sparking men's figure skating free follow SLOC's lead. "We sell power line on 1000 West program with a face value of amounts of tickets amazing on our and 150 North at approxi$750 sold for $11,100. That's said Sean a Macnew, site," mately 4 p.m. Saturday. 14 times above the list price. at eBay. The wind apparently " You've manager category enoran provided caused some problems with mous service to the Olympic "We sell $30 to $40 million a in tickets. It's one of not the power line, but did movement,' " Romney said he year markets." our cause the line to go down. top was told this week by a leadof those auctions But half Firefighters said the ing ticket agent. wind also caused a tree On the other hand, Rom- are run by ticket brokers and Others are limb to fall on a cable line ney and SLOC have taken seasonscalpers. ticketholders who in the same area just after some criticism from those the power line problem. who think the auction prices want to get rid of seats for a Residents called the utility they're going to miss. regular people out of a game For sitto handle the eBay, the opportunity company chance at these prime seats. is so it waived its listuation. great BYlTs Thurston scoffs at for SLOC. fees ing the suggestion. "We've never worked "I don't see anything with the organizadirectly he with an auction," wrong said. "It's legitimate to do if tion that issued the tickets," Macnew said. "We hope this you're willing to take the becomes a great example of flack over the issue of fairhow organizers can use I much don't and take ness, October. stock in the arguments for eBays marketplace for issuDMV director Viola fLilX16SS ing tickets." Bodrero said wait times will While Romney called the "Well it's not fair I can't likely increase at the Provo afford a Lexus. Rich people approach precedent-settinoffice over the next few can a Lexus and the Disney recently listed seats weeks as the DMV staff best buy seats to sports events to premieres of its new moves from training into and Lost "Atlantis: concerts, but not every movie, e customer service seat in an arena could on be Empire," on the new system. sold in an auction. If an Bodrero said about half organizer tried that, the staThe Los Angeles Times of the DMVs customers dium or arena would be full reported this week that Discould avoid the increased of empty seats." ney made $1,525 when it congestion by renewing Romney also argues that auctioned a package of tickonline at SLOC is simply generating ets to the New York prefunds to break even on its miere. Another $1,370 was RenewalExpress.com. Online renewal can be $1.3 billion Olympic budget, paid for some seats at the done on the last day of the and that a successful Inter- L.A. showing. month And a bidder paid even if the tags net auction helps somewhat. are expired. If SLOC continues to get $47,000 4for some seats to tonight. Heber will also be cooler and stormy with temperatures near 60 today and lows in the upper 20s to mid-30- s tonight. The storm should be moving out of the valley by AUCTION GOING 1 BEtf jurisdictional disputes. Those disputes are common in law enforcement when federal and local departments have to interact. "I've been briefed extensively on the jurisdictional and other squabbles that prevented the Atlanta Olympic organizers from working as a team with federal, state and local government on public safety," Romney said. "Creation of the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command and SLOC's inclusion in it was designed to avoid those problems. I think we've ensured collaborative efforts." UOPSC commander Robert Flowers said the plan is working. "The secret has been communication and getting to know each other. As far as problems, I just haven't seen those. I came here five months ago and, frankly, I expected them." Tad Walch can be or at reached at 592-312- 2 twalchheraldextra. com: ... GONE 24 pairs of its best seats to the most Olympic events through an online auction that brought $114,677 for tickets with a face value of $12,410. Here's a list of the pairs from each event offered: SLOC sold popular 2002 best-sellin- Event Men's figure skating Women's figure skating Pairs figure skating Men's gold medal hockey U.S. - Russia hockey Men's freestyle aerials Men's downhill K120 ski jump r Snowboard halfpipe g Face value $750 $750 $750 $850 $300 $190 $190 $380 $110 High bid $11,100 $10,100 $5,350 $6,600 $3,550 $3,375 $2,276 $1,600 $1,025 d el , DMV making system switch The Daily Herald QUIZ SHOW: Romney used a pop culture reference in a joke meant to praise the leadership of federal security agencies and shrug off Hatch's praise. "I'm overwhelmed with the capability and commitment of the people around this table," Romney said. "Sometimes I worry someone will stand up, point at me and with a curt British accent say, You are the weakest link.' " le Rice-Eccl- -- billion in adjusted 2002 dollars). "We'll have less expensive hoopla, but it won't g, real-tim- www.dis-neyauctions.co- IffMICcMIl m l!?llc "Politically Incorrect," the show on Disney's TV network, ABC. With that background, it's not hard to imagine the NFL approaching eBay with the idea of auctioning off a few hundred Super Bowl tickets. "It's great for us to work with the organizers of the event," eBays Macnew said. "It should lessen the need for ticket brokers because demand should be met by the auction. There's no incentive for ticket brokers to buy these tickets in the auction and then try to resell them for more money." late-nig- ht BYU ticket manager La Veil Edwards Stadium. "The athletic department of a major university could decide to auction off prime tickets as a major Miles said. "If you had some great seats, like the Olympics have set aside, the best of the best, it would be interesting to see how that would play out. "I think SLOC's idea was a good one, to take a select few tickets and see what the fund-raiser- ," market will bear." The economics professor sees little reason why concert managers couldn't auction off five backstage passes or 20 front row seats on the Internet at a huge profit. "Concerts are leaving a lot of money on the table," Thurston said. "In fact, SLOC is really leaving a lot of money on the table. I hoped they would sell between 10 and 25 percent of their tickets in an online auction. "This is a nice experiment, but if they could have raised $10 million instead of $1 or $2 million, it would have made a big difference." That might be the best argument in support of a limited auction of the best seats, Thurston said. "An auction does a better job of generating revenue to pay for the Olympics so the rest of us don't have to." Miles said the Olympics and Super Bowl are unique, but he's pretty sure a ticket auction would e be successful for college football and basketball programs. "I've had individuals approach me in the past and say if we can find them six to eight seats on the west side of the football stadium, we could name our price and they'd pay it," Miles said. "Our market isn't full of rich people, but some have talked six figures to get a chunk of seats on the line they could renew year after year." Those seats are tough to get, because BYU made lifetime deals with donors who helped pay for the expanTad Walch can be sion of Cougar Stadium, reached at or at ' which has been renamed twalchheraldextra.com. . David friKclKlllr big-tim- 50-ya- rd 592-312- 2 lyJCiTO |
