There’s been talk — again — about Colorado trying to get a Winter Olympics. Today’s backers are astounded that Denver was awarded the 1976 Winter Olympic Games in 1970, but two years later Colorado voters rejected them.
Some people — now and then — blame “conservation nuts,” and it was prime time for Colorado’s environmental movement. A more realistic appraisal is that the Denver Olympic Committee, albeit well-meaning and enthusiastic, spent more time getting the Games than doing its homework, and had little idea of the complexities and expenses of hosting the Olympics. Opponents asked endless questions the DOC couldn’t answer, which ultimately led to the vote.
Coloradans could learn from revisiting that lively exercise of democracy in action back in 1970. Legislators, environmental groups, community leaders, the press all joined the fray, and that battle helped shape policies from then on.
The fancy 1969 presentation that helped win the Games said Denver’s population was 1.2 million, with 18.5 million visitors to the state annually. Stapleton Airport had easy access from anywhere in the world. Four- to six-lane superhighways to Alpine events at Loveland Basin and Mount Sniktau (a to-be-built ski area) meant a mere 25 minutes per trip, and less to Nordic events on Denver Mountain Parks, near Evergreen. Talk about positive thinking!
Evergreen residents were the first to rebel, since the biathalon (with guns) was to go through residential backyards and a school playground. Bear Creek was to be re-routed, in cement. When I asked who would pay for that construction, I was told the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers. But Washington officials at the time denied that.
Dr. Morras Shubert, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Denver, pointed out that less than 5 inches of snow were “on ground” in February, so snow-making would be needed. And where was the water source?
Estimated costs started at $14 million, then grew to $25 million, and eventually ballooned to $152 million, with many expenses not included. Coloradans became increasingly concerned about where the money was coming from, and just as wary about irreparable damage to the fragile balance of nature in mountain sites.
Moving events to Aspen, Vail and Steamboat Springs began to be discussed, with competitors, officials and media to be helicoptered back and forth. As for driving there . . . well, we’ve all done that.
Piercing questions from many sources underscored the deficiency in planning. From the beginning, there was an abysmal lack of transparency on the Olympics proposal. But the lengthy and intense participation by so many people had an unexpected and enduring effect: Coloradans found that their efforts could shape the way policies were crafted, that the natural beauty, open space and peaceful settings we loved could be protected by savvy stewardship efforts. It was a valuable lesson.
Denver Post columnist Joanne Ditmer has been writing on environmental and urban issues for The Post since 1962.
