Story originally posted Feb. 11, 2009
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Thursday marks the one year countdown to the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Many are asking whether Vancouver and Whistler are ready for it.
The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) has been hailed for delivering on some of its promises, but the Games are also already over budget and have created potential long-term financial difficulties for the City of Vancouver and the region.
Canadians are already swelling with pride and uncertainty.
"The whole community where I live is excited except for the few who are grumbling about costs,” said B.C. resident Jeanie Ferguson.
Plenty has gone right for VANOC.
“The biggest thing for us was getting the venues up and running for the Games,” said Tim Gayda, VANOC Vice-President of Sport.
They spent almost $750 million in venue construction, allowing the committee to host several world cup events last week. The Whistler Sliding Center, Olympic Park and the Cypress Mountain Freestyle and Mogul area are among those sites done as planned. They were finished on time and are open for training now.
From Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver to the Richmond Olympic Oval, check out some of the key Olympic venues in and around British Columbia.
The province says an improvement project for the Sea-to-Sky Highway – a dangerous, 75-mile long mountain road connecting Vancouver to Whistler -- is 80 percent complete.
One part of the project was straightening out Dootzen's Corner, a dicey part of the highway overlooking the Howe Sound. Engineers and project leaders have now taken out tons of rock turning that two lane stretch into a brand new four lane roadway."
"We’ve taken out enough rock there that it would cover 20 football fields one meter deep,” said Grant Lachmuth, project manager.
Even with all those successes, there are plenty of challenges for Vancouver and the Olympic Committee, including what to do with the Olympic Village Project, which is already threatening to put the city in serious debt.
The village is an 1,100 unit, privately constructed complex. It’s designed to host athletes and then be resold as condos later. But, it’s been plagued by financial problems and received a secret, initial $100 million city loan to stay on track.
The province must also deal with a skyrocketing security budget for the games. It was originally projected at under $200 million, but may end up at close to $1 billion.
VANOC says it hopes to have an official transportation plan within the next few weeks. Shuttle buses will be a key component.
