Olympic spirit for years to come.

While staging the Olympics brings international notoriety and an economic boost, government officials are understandably wary of the two-week events. The games require substantial local investment but provide no certain payoff. Construction of major facilities is particularly worrisome. The world is littered with Olympic sites that were used for a month and then, essentially, abandoned. Government agencies have been left with useless facilities and debt.

To avoid these kinds of problems, the organizing committee for the 2002 Salt Lake City games, Olympics' officials, and state officials insisted on establishing a strong "legacy" program to ensure that facilities could be used after the games ended. But it's a lot easier to say you'll develop a legacy program than executing one.

For that reason, officials at the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation took a careful approach to hosting the venue for cross-country and biathlon skiing competition. And, thanks to hard-nosed negotiating and mindful planning, the department has leveraged Olympic participation to jump-start development of a major park that has, essentially, sat dormant for more than 40 years. Now, with the games behind us, the department owns a world-class cross-country skiing facility and has plans in place for year-around recreational facilities that should pay for themselves.

To bring the plan together, the division established close working relationships with a variety of organizations and contractors, including the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, local communities, EDAW -- a national landscape architecture firm, international Nordic skiing organizations, and the local agricultural industry. The broad-based effort will hopefully secure long-term success for the park.

Finding the Location

After Salt Lake City was awarded the games, planning began for venues for the various events. Finding the location for the Nordic events -- cross-country skiing, biathlon, Nordic combined, and for paralympic counterparts -- proved most difficult. A site at a city golf course in a canyon just east of Salt Lake City was the first choice of Olympic planners. But city officials wouldn't allow construction of any permanent structures.

Because new facilities would require a huge investment, Olympic officials wanted to make sure they would be built for ongoing use. Eventually, eight sites were identified and the owners -- private and public -- were asked to submit proposals for hosting the Nordic venues. In the proposals, the owners had to address a variety of issues, including public support, water availability, long-term plans, transportation, current uses, and environmental concerns.

Utah parks division officials were eager to submit a proposal because they saw an opportunity to continue development of Wasatch Mountain State Park, a beautiful 21,000-acre parcel that had been underutilized for years. It was purchased from a ranching family in 1959, but no development had occurred on the property because the parks division could never get funding from the Utah state legislature. The rancher leased the land back from the state for grazing and farming. Some residents used the land for dispersed recreation -- hiking, cross-country skiing, snow mobiling, mountain biking -- but no facilities were built. Knowing that the Olympic organizations would spend up to $20 million to build the Nordic venue site, park officials anticipated that investment would attract the attention of the Utah legislature.

"When we were asked to submit the proposal we knew this was our opportunity to develop this park," said Mike Barker, Olympic coordinator for the park.

Parks officials held public hearings in nearby communities to explain the scope of the project and the potential for legacy uses. Mainly a farm and ranching area, residents of the Heber Valley were interested in diversifying the local economy and providing more recreational opportunities for both residents and tourists. The valley is about 20 miles south of Park City where the Olympic alpine events will be held.

Support for the project -- known as Soldier Hollow -- was overwhelming, said Barker.

After being selected to host the venue, parks professionals, Olympic officials and local residents set up the Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization, to operate as a concessionaire and post-Olympic promoter.

The legislature took notice and pledged $12 million to build a 36-hole golf course elsewhere in the park and to add other facilities, including camp-grounds, cabins, hiking and mountain biking trails, snowmobile trails, parking lots, and sanitation facilities.

"Without the Olympics I don't think we would have received the appropriation," Barker said.

The legacy foundation received a $400,000 grant from the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee, and raised another $300,000 to build a day lodge that will be used as an information and concession facility. During the Olympics the lodge will be used exclusively for athletes and officials.

World-Class Race Course

Building the Soldier Hollow Nordic venue was controlled entirely by the organizing committee. EDAW, an international landscape architecture firm with extensive experience in trail design, won the bid to design the course and manage construction.

"The Salt Lake Organizing Committee was intent on awarding much of the work to companies in Utah," said Jana McKenzie, EDAW's project manager in Fort Collins, Colo. "So we put together a team of local consultants and prepared a very detailed proposal."

EDAW was faced with a complicated matrix that guided its design decisions. The course, which covers about 200 acres, could have a total of only 24 kilometers of trails to conform to International Ski Federation (FIS), International Biathlon Union (IBU), and Paralympics guidelines and meet budget constraints. Another significant restraint was the requirement that the highest point on the course could only be 5,800 feet above sea level -- a low elevation for snow to hold in the foothills of the Rockies.

"This was a very complex project -- a 100,000-piece jigsaw puzzle," said Phil Hendricks, EDAW's lead designer and a former competitive cross-country ski racer. Cross-country accounts for 25 medal events -- the majority of the winter Olympics. Races range from a 3-kilometer sprint to a 50-kilometer marathon. Biathlon, an event that includes skiing and target shooting, also requires a rifle range. Course specifications for each event are explicit in the FIS and IBU guidelines. These include exact slope grades and lengths for climbs and descents, radius curves, and the length of straight-aways. EDAW was required to meet the specifications with minimum disturbance to the ground and hillsides.

"We just couldn't take a bulldozer and start cutting hillsides and building trails," Hendricks said.

Restoring the land to a more natural state also was a priority for park officials. The land had been overgrazed for years, so EDAW developed a plan to plant native grasses and shrubs. More than 2,000 trees were planted, most to provide shade to help hold snow on the course.

Olympic officials also asked EDAW to maximize the sight lines to improve viewing for fans and TV cameras. Most cross-country courses wind through dense forests. Little of the competitive action can be seen. But in the high desert landscape of Soldier Hollow, much of the course is open, covered only with low trees and shrubs. European broadcasting companies find the openness particularly appealing for TV coverage. EDAW and Olympic Committee staff worked with broadcasting companies to identify the best spots for camera placement. Each site is equipped with the electronic equipment needed to plug in cameras and other communications equipment.

Nordic racing is hugely popular in Europe, and the venue will provide viewers -- which number in the tens of millions in Europe -- with a new perspective on the sport. Hopefully, an outcome will be an increased interest in Nordic skiing and racing in the US. By promoting sports in a community, parks and recreation agencies increase the health and fitness of the community, and improve economic development through tourism and retail.

EDAW also worked with one of its consultants, York Snow of Salt Lake, to design a snowmaking system that provides coverage for the entire racecourse. Water was secured through an arrangement with a local irrigation company that supplies farmers and ranchers during the growing season. By working with local businesses, the project helped the local economy.

Besides the overlay of racecourses, the design includes a temporary stadium, an awards area and promenade, secure timing building, support areas for athletes and fans, and parking.

EDAW also was charged with developing an internal road system and a transportation plan that accommodates dozens of busloads of fans each day. The main parking lot is located five miles away in Heber City. Buses will transport about 20,000 spectators a day to Soldier Hollow.

After the Olympics the parking lot and drop-off area at the venue will be restored to their natural state. Temporary buildings and the grandstands also will be removed and the landscape will be restored. "That's an important part of the environmental planning for the project," Hendricks said.

Due to the myriad of factors that had to be considered, it took two years for EDAW and its team to finalize the design for the course and the facilities. "It's not like we just went out there and started building trails," Hendricks said, "We walked the area dozens of times and worked closely with Olympic officials, coaches, athletes, and TV people. This was the first time a cross-country course for Olympic competition was built from scratch in the U.S. Everyone involved wanted to do it right."

So far the venue has received high praise from outsiders. The Olympic Environmental Review Committee gave the venue its highest mark. And after the site opened for competition last year, coaches and athletes from around the world said the course is the best they've ever skied.

"That was very encouraging -- to get that approval from both groups. It was a great challenge to design a great course without tearing up the land," Hendricks said.

The Payoff

That the course quickly gained international notoriety promises to pay dividends for the state park. International ski officials have expressed interest in staging annual World Cup competitions at Soldier Hollow, said Barker. Those events will provide revenue for the park and extra business for the local community. Recreational skiers from around the country already are traveling to the site to sample the challenging course.

The parks division also is promoting use of Soldier Hollow to local residents. A goal of the legacy foundation is to introduce more young people to cross-country skiing. A program offered to schools last year provided ski equipment, a lesson, and a day pass for just $2 per student. About 6,000 students took advantage of the program -- 4,000 more than park officials expected. The program is being offered again this year.

Park officials also plan to develop a tubing hill nearby to offer another winter recreation activity for a different demographic group. The more diverse the population that uses the park, the greater the regional support will be.

During the summer, the legacy foundation will use the day lodge to provide information to tourists and as a concession area for food, and horse and bicycle rentals. There's even a paved three-kilometer section of the course that can be used for summer training by athletes using roller skis.

"When we went into it I said that if we can't come up with a strong legacy program we shouldn't do this," Barker said. "People from the local communities said the same thing, and we're off to a fantastic start."

Aside from recreation, development of Soldier Hollow is providing important infrastructure for the local area. The Olympic Committee paid for needed improvements to the sanitation system in the nearby town of Midway and to extend sewer lines to the site. Another nearby town, Charleston, drew water from the mountains above Soldier Hollow. Olympic funds helped to build a new 500,000-gallon storage tank, improve water lines, and provide water for the site. An old tank, a local eyesore, was removed and the new storage tank was buried.

While the Olympics for local communities are only short-term events, careful planning by Utah parks officials assured that the games provide long-term benefits for the state and for local residents. Long after the Olympic torch has been extinguished, Utah residents, and indeed, people from around the United States and the world, will be taking advantage of the opportunities sparked by Soldier Hollow.

MAKING IT RIGHT

Design and construction of the facility was particularly sensitive for Olympic planners for the 2001 games for a couple of reasons:

* The cross-country course in Nagano, Japan, during the 1998 games, was poorly designed and several skiers were injured during the competition. Because of those problems, the International Ski Federation (FIS) developed a massive set of guidelines to govern every inch of the course.

* To assure minimal environmental impacts, government agencies and private organizations promised to keep a close eye on development at all sites. Soldier Hollow would receive particular scrutiny because of its location in an undeveloped area. The organizing committee also set up a special committee to evaluate all environmental planning.

Joe Lewandowski is a freelance writer based in Fort Collins, Co. A long-time journalist, he has contributed to numerous publications including the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post and Portland Oregonian. He is also the author of the self-published book, Follow Your Heart Around the World -- A Handbook for Extended Travel. He can be contacted at [e-mail]. Check out "Planning for the Winter Olympics" on page 86.