Opinion: Provo wins gold in post-Games venue use

As a native Utahn, mayor and sports enthusiast, I have enjoyed watching several U.S. athletes medal these past two weeks, and I am delighted that the Winter Olympics will be returning to Salt Lake in 2034!
It’s no secret that hosting an Olympics is costly on a variety of metrics. Host cities must invest in infrastructure developments, security and operational costs, all while considering environmental impacts, opportunity costs and post-Games use.
Despite the major obstacles to hosting an Olympics, Utah has a secret that will ensure its success in its second round of hosting — its residents’ dedication to recreation.
There is no greater example of this than in Provo.
Back in 2002, our Peaks Ice Arena was a bustling hub, hosting key hockey events and welcoming athletes and spectators from around the globe. Today, it welcomes residents, students and visitors in the greater Provo area. And in the not-too-distant future, it will host Olympic events once again.
While the arena’s path to success seems Zamboni smooth, deriving peak performance from the Peaks Ice Arena has been a labor of love that would not have been possible without the support of Provo residents, residents from surrounding cities and elected officials who were willing to speak up for our community’s needs. The journey to maximizing Peaks Ice Arena’s potential has been akin to an Olympic training regimen — rigorous and challenging, but ultimately rewarding.
Unlike a few other specialized 2002 winter sports venues in Utah, the Peaks Ice Arena is not part of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. This is largely because the arena was under private management and overseen by the Ice Sheet Authority. However, under this model, it was difficult to develop community programming and contribute to capital improvement.
In November of 2008, Utah County and Provo began a co-management venture for the arena. Under this agreement, the county and city split everything 50-50 from personnel to maintenance.
This was the ongoing agreement until April of 2017, when Utah County determined the arena had outrun its purpose. They announced they could no longer afford to partner with Provo on the recreational facility and that the county would attempt to transfer its 50% responsibility to another organization. At this point, we were at risk of losing the arena to auction.
As a new mayor, I jumped in with full resolve to negotiate sole responsibility for operations to reside with Provo. I had to set difficult and next-level goals for Provo’s Parks and Recreation Department to achieve, and they achieved several of them.
I am grateful that we were able to come to an agreement with Utah County in April of 2018 that allowed Provo to solely take on the management and operations of the facility while receiving $50,000 of support from the county annually until 2028.
Since the agreement in 2018, Provo’s Parks and Recreation Department has unleashed the potential of this arena by committing to recreational diversity, strong programming and self-sustaining financial practices. For example, we added a turf field that provides year-round training opportunities for soccer and lacrosse. The facility has also received a new roof and refrigeration system to help withstand the 100-degree summer days.
Provo Peaks Arena is one of the best examples of an arena transitioning from an Olympic venue to day-to-day use. Because of Utahns’ commitment to recreation, we still get to hear blades on the ice and cheers throughout the stands at our arena while other Olympic venues across the world stand empty. Even the International Olympic Committee in their site visits were impressed with the dynamic use and financial sustainability shown by our Olympic venue in Provo, Utah. The Peaks Arena matches the IOC’s ideals of Olympic heritage expanding to creating opportunities for everyone.
Peaks Ice Arena is not just a facility; it’s a symbol of our community’s capacity to host world-class events and an embodiment of our love and investment toward recreation. The Olympic legacy is not the building, but the kids who are training now and becoming future Olympians. Promoting and supporting health and wellness has helped my city win gold in post-Games venue use.
Michelle Kaufusi is the mayor of Provo. She is the chair of the Mountainland Association of Governments Metropolitan Planning Organization Board and serves as the current president of the Utah League of Cities and Towns.