November 12, 2003 – The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority announced Tuesday improvements that have been made, and are still under construction, at the Verizon Sports Complex. Throughout the summer and fall work has been done at the cross county ski center and at the sliding venue.

Some of the most visible improvements made to the cross country venue begin right at the lodge. The inside of the building received some updating and remodeling, which opened more space and now creates a nicer look for visitors. A 30-foot diameter yurt will soon be located on a large deck adjacent to the base lodge, providing even more space for visitors. Out in the stadium, the old scoreboard – dating back to the 1980 Winter Games – was removed and allowed the stadium to be widened by 10 meters while a new lane was created behind the scoring building. The work continued onto the trails, most notably on the Ladies Five and East Mountain where grading, widening and rock removal took place.

At the biathlon range, the lodge received a new roof, a competition office and minor building upgrades. Out on the shooting range, major work was done including grading and rock removal. A new covered target system is now in place at the biathlon range. Also added to the biathlon area was a trailer to accommodate event staff and volunteers.

Over at the sliding tracks on Mt. Van Hoevenberg, improvements to the combined track include the completion of the Start 1 building, which is the official start area for bobsled, skeleton and men's luge athletes. This two-story building is complete with athlete warming/prep areas on the first level and a hospitality/group function room with an observation deck on the second story. There is also a paved parking lot and a sprint area for athletes. A spectator walkway at the start of the track has been erected. It runs almost all the way down to the 50-meter timing eye, allowing spectators an unobstructed view of the athletes on the start deck and the first curve of the track.

The Start 3 building – used for women's and doubles luge and junior programs among others – is currently under construction. The building includes a warming area and restrooms for the athletes and may accommodate group functions. For the intrepid visitor, this is also the start area for the public luge rocket ride. The deck has also been expanded to better accommodate athletes and sleds.

A new building at the finish area was completed, providing the athletes with a warming/changing area. The old scale building at the end of the run was enlarged to include a space for sled checks by officials.

The entire combined track is now outfitted with a permanent lighting system for evening sliding, a big bonus for programs like the Localuge Series and junior sliding. The lighting also creates more available practice times for the sliding athletes. Over on the 1980 bobsled track, the half-mile passenger ride program is awaiting the delivery of five brand new sleds created specifically for Lake Placid's infamous track.

For more  information on ORDA venues and events, and for web shots from five locations, please log on to www.orda.org