Olympic Regional Development Authority
skip breadcrumbsAgency Web Site: https://orda.org/
Mission
The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was established in 1981 to create and administer a post-Olympic program for the facilities and venues utilized during the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games. These facilities include: the Olympic Ice Center; the Olympic Speedskating Oval; the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area and Veterans’ Memorial Highway; the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Complex that includes bobsled and luge runs, cross-country ski trails and a biathlon range; the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex; and the U.S. Olympic Training Center. In 1984, ORDA’s responsibility expanded to include the management of the Gore Mountain Ski Center in North Creek, Warren County, and in 2012, Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in Shandaken, Ulster County.
Organization and Staffing
ORDA is headed by a CEO and governed by a 10 person board comprised of Executive, Legislative and Local appointees.
Budget Highlights
The State has historically provided a subsidy for a portion of ORDA’s budget. The FY 2023 Executive Budget recommends $119 million in appropriations for ORDA (including $2.5 million from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation). This includes $14.1 million in operating support and $105 million in capital support, unchanged from FY22 levels.
Major budget actions include:
- $92.5 million in new capital funding to implement a strategic plan to modernize ORDA's facilities and venues, including investments to support the 2023 World University Games.
- $30 million of the new capital funding is dedicated to develop the North Creek Ski Bowl.
- $10 million in new capital funding for energy efficiency and renovation projects that will allow the Authority to reduce operating and maintenance costs at ORDA facilities and venues.
- ORDA will also receive $2.5 million in New York Works infrastructure capital funding which will be suballocated to ORDA from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s New York Works appropriation. ORDA will use these funds to perform a variety of capital improvement projects at the Authority’s facilities.
Program Highlights
The Olympic Regional Development Authority manages one of four primary sites (the others being in California, Colorado and Utah) for year-round training of America’s Olympic athletes. As a result of recent investments in venue modernization and enhancements, various US Olympic Teams have moved their training to Lake Placid, including USA Nordic, USA Luge and USA Bobsled. In recent years, the Olympic facilities at Lake Placid received more than 850,000 visitors. The Authority hosts numerous national and international athletic and entertainment events. Recent ORDA-hosted major events include: the NCAA ECAC Men’s Hockey Championships; Lake Placid Freestyle Skating Championships; Lake Placid Ice Dancing Championships; Eastern Synchronized Skating Championships; World Cups in Bobsled/Skeleton and Luge; the 2020 USBS Bobsled and Skeleton Team Trials; the 2021 Olympic trials for Nordic and Ski Jumping; the Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp and several festivals and shows.
The Authority also manages the Gore, Whiteface Mountain, and Belleayre ski centers, three major downhill ski facilities that received more than 660,000 visitors in the past couple ski seasons, and over 188,000 visitors for off-season activities such as mountain biking and sightseeing tours.
| Category | Available FY 2022 |
Appropriations Recommended FY 2023 |
Change From FY 2022 |
Reappropriations Recommended FY 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Operations | 14,090,000 | 14,090,000 | 0 | 16,000,000 |
| Capital Projects | 102,500,000 | 102,500,000 | 0 | 130,055,000 |
| Total | 116,590,000 | 116,590,000 | 0 | 146,055,000 |
| Fund Type | Available FY 2022 |
Recommended FY 2023 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund | 13,940,000 | 13,940,000 | 0 |
| Special Revenue Funds - Other | 150,000 | 150,000 | 0 |
| Total | 14,090,000 | 14,090,000 | 0 |
| Program | Available FY 2022 |
Recommended FY 2023 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Facilities Operations | |||
| General Fund | 13,940,000 | 13,940,000 | 0 |
| Special Revenue Funds - Other | 150,000 | 150,000 | 0 |
| Total | 14,090,000 | 14,090,000 | 0 |
| Program | Total | Personal Service Regular (Annual Salaried) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | Amount | Change | |
| Olympic Facilities Operations | 7,125,000 | 0 | 7,125,000 | 0 |
| Total | 7,125,000 | 0 | 7,125,000 | 0 |
| Program | Total | Supplies and Materials | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | Amount | Change | |
| Olympic Facilities Operations | 6,815,000 | 0 | 2,788,000 | 0 |
| Total | 6,815,000 | 0 | 2,788,000 | 0 |
| Program | Contractual Services | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | |
| Olympic Facilities Operations | 2,540,000 | 0 |
| Total | 2,540,000 | 0 |
| Program | General State Charges | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | |
| Olympic Facilities Operations | 1,487,000 | 0 |
| Total | 1,487,000 | 0 |
| Program | Total | Personal Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | Amount | Change | |
| Olympic Facilities Operations | 150,000 | 0 | 65,000 | 0 |
| Total | 150,000 | 0 | 65,000 | 0 |
| Program | Nonpersonal Service | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | |
| Olympic Facilities Operations | 85,000 | 0 |
| Total | 85,000 | 0 |
| Comprehensive Construction Program | Available FY 2022 |
Recommended FY 2023 |
Change | Reappropriations FY 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance and Improvements of Existing Facilities | ||||
| Capital Projects Fund - Authority Bonds | 102,500,000 | 102,500,000 | 0 | 130,055,000 |
| Total | 102,500,000 | 102,500,000 | 0 | 130,055,000 |
Note: Most recent estimates as of 05/11/2020