Otway Ski Centre Upgrades Well Underway
Sunday, February 17, 2013 @ 5:06 AM
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(Dignitaries and athletes cut the ribbon on Otway Ski Centre Upgrades. Photo – 250NEWS)
Prince George, B.C. – It was great to see some snow fly for Saturday’s dedication ceremony at the new ski trails at the Otway Nordic Ski Centre, site of cross-country and biathlon events of the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
The President of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, Kevin Pettersen, was joined by 2015 CWG CEO Stu Ballantyne, Games Society Chair Anthony Everett, Mayor Shari Green, Fraser-Fort George Regional District Chair Art Kaehn, MLAs Pat Bell and Shirley Bond and some of the athletes who will be competing for spots in the games. The ceremony marked the opening of the new competition trails which will be utilized for the games, the lead-up competitions and for public use long after the games are over. Pettersen made special reference to the volunteers who have worked tirelessly to make the centre the great facility it is and specifically mentioned Jim Burbee, who designed and laid out the trails and oversaw their construction.
The upgrades at the Otway Centre include a new biathlon range, new penalty loop, new wax testing area, work on the stadium start area and other course improvements. A great deal of work was done last year. The Biathlon project schedule begins in March and will be finished this November. The total cost of the upgrades to the Otway Ski Centre is just shy of $521,000. The 2015 Canada Winter Games covers $104,000 while the provincial Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development’s contribution is $416,913.
Games CEO Ballantyne noted that the Games’ opening ceremonies will take place in just 728 days and says there will be many more big moments over the next two years. He called the Otway upgrades "a classic project that if you had to go out and do it commercially, it’s probably never going to happen." He says an amazing amount of work went in last summer and there will be much more this summer to get the biathlon range and other features finished "so that this world class facility can get to that next level and hopefully have many more things beyond the Canada Winter Games to host." Ballantyne says "it is about the kids, it’s about everybody who aspires to be an athlete, to enjoy outdoor recreation and to get a chance to be on Team BC. It’s about recreation and competition and enjoying what comes with being in the north."
Snow, other than what was brought in to build a ski hill, was in rather short supply for Friday night’s big Two Years Out celebration across from Canada Games House downtown. Global warming has certainly had an effect on weather patterns and temperatures during the winters in this part of the world. However, the Manager of Communications for the 2015 Games, Alyson Gourley-Cramer, assures that a possible shortage of snow at games venues has been taken under consideration. She says if the need arises, “we’ll just move it around a little as required.”
Comments
Great job Caledonia Nordic Ski Club on organizing the upgrades for the Otway Centre to make it a world class venue for the 2015 winter games. Big hand also to all the volunteers (labor and equipment)–real display of true north spirit!!
Getting funding is always a battle….I see from above that the 2015 Canada Winter Games pitched in $104,000 and the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development pitched in $416,913. City council voted to have this here…and are getting much credit for this big event…how much have they pitched in?
“how much have they pitched in”
Enough to raise our property taxes by about 3% or so for 3 or 4 years I understand. There is more than just Otway. Everyone gets to choose their favourite sports charitable organization …. ;-)
BTW, the province is pitching in money for the whole Winter Games, including the province.
The question which always has to be asked in such cases is whether the #416,913.57 is in addition to the full value of the province’s portion of the funds for the Games, or whether it is part of the same pot.
The games people play ….. LOL
Sorry for the strange writing above. Got all excited watching the Marathon run this morning as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.
Interesting how cheap these kind of events actually are to organize.
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