About ORDA
The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface Mountain and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex, located five miles from Lake Placid at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; and the Olympic ice and jumping complexes. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectators, and With the great assistance of New York State, ORDA has seen unparalleled support of its operation from Albany.
In the past 10 years, the state has provided ORDA over $70 million for venue upgrades. The organization used these funds in 1999 to install heated, high-speed, state-of-the-art gondolas at both Gore and Whiteface mountains as well as improvements elsewhere, including a high-speed quad chair lift at Whiteface. In addition, Albany contributed over $18 million toward the $24 million price tag needed to construct the world's second newest bobsled, luge and skeleton track on Mt. Van Hoevenberg which opened in 2000.
The federal government has supplied the remainder of the funding for this track as well as assisting ORDA with money for other projects.
New York State, the Department of Economic Development and our local elected officials contribute to a synergy allowing ORDA and Lake Placid to remain at the forefront of winter sports training and competition by investing in the modernization of these facilities. This not only insures Lake Placid's place in sports, but enables ORDA to be the economic engine that drives the tourism industry in the North Country of upstate New York.
- To find out more about New York and to do business with its' many agencies, log on to www.state.ny.us.
- For general tourism information on locations in New York state, log on to www.iloveny.com.
- For a copy of ORDA's Annual Report, please click here.
Board Of Directors
The ORDA Board of Directors is chaired by Joe Martens. Ted Blazer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of ORDA.
- Joe Martens, Chairman
- Serge Lussi, Vice Chairman
- Carol Ash, Commissioner New York State Dept of Parks and Recreation
- Pete Grannis, Commissioner Dept of Environmental Conservation
- Dennis Mullen, Empire State Development Corporation
- Patrick Barrett
- Cliff Donaldson, Jr.
- Robert Flacke
- Jerry Strack
- Edwin Weibrecht
Our Venue Mission
Established by the New York State legislature (Article 8, Title 28, NYS Public Authorities Law) on July 3, 1981, ORDA was given the mandate to manage and promote the sports facilities used to host the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. State and local government cooperatively created a long term solution to protect the public's investment in the Lake Placid Olympic facilities through the establishment of ORDA. New York State had contributed $44 million to the construction and operation of the 1980 Olympic facilities while the federal government and the organizing committee provided an additional $150 million investment. ORDA's legislative mandate is to:
- Institute a comprehensive, coordinated program of activities utilizing the Olympic facilities in and around Lake Placid, New York, in order to insure optimum year-round use and enjoyment of these facilities to the economic and social benefit of the Olympic Region and to minimize the financial burden on state and local government by maximizing revenue opportunities.
- Improve the physical fitness and recreational education of the people of New York and the United States.
- Develop, implement and supervise a comprehensive, coordinated program for the management, promotion and scheduling of a wide range of national and international athletic training and competitive opportunities that maximize the utilization of the Olympic facilities.
- Develop, construct, operate, manage and maintain facilities for the training and housing of amateur athletes in connection with the United States Olympic Committee's training center program and ORDA's conduct of national and international sports events.
Our Guest Services Mission
Outstanding
Recreational Experiences
Delivering Excellence with
Attention to Detail
NYS Olympic Regional Development Authority
Olympic Center
2634 Main St.
Lake Placid, NY 12946
Tel: 518-523-1655 / Fax: 518-523-9275
Olympic Center Box Office: 518-523-3330
e-mail: info@orda.org
