MIDWAY — Like John Wayne and the cavalry, the Utah National Guard is riding in to resolve a sticky situation threatening the smoothness of the Olympic competition at Soldier Hollow.
By volunteering to help repair 250 West here, a back route for ferrying athletes into the biathlon/cross-country venue, the Guard helped calm a simmering feud that could have shut down the road during the 2002 Games.
The Guard provided the key unlocking the puzzle of who would fix the ragged road. Now warm fuzzies abound and 250 West is being hailed as a beacon of what happens when several entities decide to work together to solve a problem.
"This is an excellent example of people coming together to best use state and local resources for the benefit of everyone concerned," State Olympic Officer Lane Beattie said. "It shows what you can do when people decide to unite to get something done."
"This is a double-bonus win for the taxpayer. The community and Olympics get a very nice benefit out of it, and we prepare our troops for combat missions," said Lt. Col. Craig Morgan, Guard public-affairs officer.
The work will be done under the umbrella of the 115th Engineering Group, based in Draper, as a "Community Support Project" during regular two-week summer training exercises, probably in early June, Morgan said.
"I'm glad we've worked this deal out because otherwise I think there was a real danger this road would never have gotten the preparation it needed for carrying Olympic traffic," said Midway councilman Karl North, who had vowed to close the road had it not been properly resurfaced.
"The city just didn't have the money to do all the work, and SLOC (Salt Lake Organizing Committee) was doing zero on this particular road. Our insurance couldn't stand the liability the way the surface is now," North said.
"That road never was intended for high traffic. It was unsafe. But this helps us out tremendously, and it looks like we can all go forward," City Councilman Mike Bronson said.
Bronson said the city will commit about $70,000 in Class C money to asphalt topping for its part of the estimated $130,000 overall project. The city also plans to mill up and carry off the old road.
"We'll probably get started on ditch work next week," Bronson said.
The Guard will use its heavy equipment for the major roadbase rebuilding.
"We have very high engineering standards. We will leave a work of art for blacktopping," Morgan said.
For its part, Wasatch County will lay new asphalt on a portion of the route at 500 South not needing much roadbed work.
Still, the project needed a boost from the Utah Department of Transportation doing the engineering designs.
"We're excited about getting this done in such a cooperative spirit," said Carlos Braceras, UDOT Region 3 director. "We want to get going on it as soon as possible to give the Guard as much time as we can with the plans."
None of which may ever have happened without an encounter between two old friends, North and Lt. Col. Dennis Tolman, an intelligence officer at the Guard's State Area Command in Draper.
North's floor-covering company had done some carpeting work for Tolman, who lives in Bluffdale but grew up in Midway.
"Karl and I got to chewing the fat. What Midway used to be, what it probably never can be again. That type of thing," said Tolman, a 30-year Guard member who teaches at Jordan Technical Center.
The subject of the Guard's community projects came up.
"What about this road?" North asked.
"Can do," Tolman responded.
He told North how to forward requests. Ultimately, the decision came down to Maj. Gen. Brian L. Tarbet, the Guard's adjutant general, after conferring with Tom Warne, UDOT executive director.
"Those were the two guys who had to iron this thing out," Beattie said.
This project was kicked to the head of the rotation, where normally there's a three-year turnaround, Tolman said.
Because?
"Political hot potato," Tolman said. "Everyone wants the Olympics to come off well."
In keeping with standard summer training exercises, the 115th will approach the mission as though the troops were under combat conditions.
"Full rifle and Kevlar (helmet) gear," Sgt. Maj. Ron Seeley said. "Our training requires us to practice our fighting techniques on these projects like we were in some city in Bosnia, protecting our men and building a road to advance troops and support forward.
"In this case, there will be limited war simulation because of the proximity of civilians. They may actually hear a bang or two, but city officials have the obligation of informing the public so they won't be worried," Seeley said.
"We're telling everyone, when they hear some pop go off," Bronson said, "not to run out with their ought-six and start blasting."
E-MAIL: gtwyman@desnews.com