Now that the organizing committee that will be responsible for staging Utah’s 2034 Winter Games is in place, what’s next?

Plenty of plans surfaced at Friday’s formal announcement of the leaders of the new organizing committee. Bid leader Fraser Bullock is the executive chair and president of the board, and a former Utah House speaker, Brad Wilson, the CEO and vice chairman.

Here’s what the panel of participants at the news conference held in the Utah Capitol’s lavish Gold Room had to say about Utah’s next Olympics.

What tops the to-do list?

• Gov. Spencer Cox: “As the governor, my job is to think about all the things that can go wrong in ‘34 and make sure they don’t…. We’re looking at security issues. We saw what happened in New Orleans recently on a major night of celebration and then having the Super Bowl at that venue not long after that, the lessons that we’re learning there…. We’re talking about potentially millions of people coming… the security aspects of this really weigh heavy on me…. On a more positive side, though, thinking bigger. We’re not done dreaming. We have nine years to dream and I think we ought to get creative about our transportation issues.
• Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall: “I am excited to get together with the host communities. We are chomping at the bit to share our ideas across the state that are bubbling up at the grassroots level. And I think about the youth in our communities who are going to start to see themselves on the slopes, in the chute, on the ice in 2034. I think about the small businesses I’m hearing from who could become international business because of the opportunity of the world coming to Salt Lake City and the state of Utah.”

• Utah Senate President Stuart Adams: “We have an opportunity for infrastructure. We know that we’re not going to build another freeway through Farmington…. We know FrontRunner is the answer. We have a real opportunity to upgrade our public transit system. We need to double-track FrontRunner and move it up from 79 to 150 miles per hour…. Air taxis. Wouldn’t it be cool to have landing sites at each of the venues…. The other thing I’d like to see happen is just catch that Olympic spirit. We have a great spirit of community. Let our public, our neighbors and friends, be able to….volunteer and be involved.”
• House Speaker Mike Schultz: “Think about the opportunities that Utah has for transportation…. Not creating something just for the Olympics but something that goes well beyond the Olympics, that our state can continue to benefit. The one project I keep thinking about is the rebuild of I-15 through Salt Lake County…. That never would have happened at the moment at time it did had it not been for the (2002) Olympics…. Everybody is coming to the state right now saying we need something for the Olympics…. It’s our job to go through the process to make sure the real true priorities got to the top.”

What Utah’s leaders want from another Olympics?

• Cox: “It’s no secret to anybody here how much Utah loves the Olympics and how excited we are for 2034. How incredibly important the Games coming back to Utah, welcoming the world to the state of Utah again will be in 2034 for our economy, for all of us. Utah is leading the way and this world needs more Utah.”
• Schultz: “I love Utah…. I love our history. I love our people. I love our potential. But more than anything, I love our values in the state of Utah. And I cannot wait to once again show the world who Utah is and what makes us so special…. The 2034 Games are more than just a global sporting event. They’re a chance to showcase Utah and strengthen our communities all across the state and inspire the next generation.”

What are people outside of Utah saying about the 2034 Winter Games?

• U.S. Olympic and Paralympics CEO Sarah Hirshland: “I think it’s only fitting that on Valentine’s Day I say to all of you in Utah, we feel the love. Team USA feels the love. We are so grateful to the state, the city, the surrounding cities and community leaders. Frankly, the history and the legacy of the ‘02 Games is something that we feel every time we come to town…. The unification that we’re going to see, the achievement that we’re going to see, we’re grateful to Utah for putting us back on that stage and in that spotlight.”

When can Utahns sign up to volunteer at the Olympics?

• Organizing Committee CEO Brad Wilson: “We will do exactly what happened in 2002. We will use the volunteers in this state in a way that’s unprecedented…. Watch for information. There will definitely be a time and a season for that. We’re nine years away so we’re not quite ready to accept volunteers. I know, my phone has been lighting up for the last 20 minutes — lots of volunteers already.