Latest news with #OlympicRegionalDevelopmentAuthority
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Van Ho work may go to statewide vote
LAKE PLACID — The state Legislature is considering a constitutional amendment that would allow New York to purchase at least 2,500 acres of land for the Forest Preserve, if approved by New York voters. The purchase would offset up to 323 acres of Forest Preserve land at the Olympic Sports Complex at Mount Van Hoevenberg that either has already been or could be further developed. The amendment, crafted by state employees, green groups and the state Olympic Regional Development Authority itself, seeks to codify this development on Forest Preserve lands at Mount Van Hoevenberg, an authorization which all parties say has been missing for a long time. Mount Van Hoevenberg operates on land that is owned by both the town of North Elba and the state. The state land is zoned as an intensive use area in the state's land classification system and is the subject of the offset. The facilities there are operated by ORDA. Those include a combined bobsled, luge and skeleton sliding track; trails for Nordic skiing and biathlon events; the Mountain Pass Lodge and various other supporting infrastructure. The site has played host to two Olympic Games and numerous world cup events. Mount Van Hoevenberg The land offset requires an amendment to Article 14, Section 1 of the New York State Constitution, the 'forever wild' clause. The offset stems from development that has taken place on the Forest Preserve land that Mount Van Hoevenberg partially sits on. Protect the Adirondacks! Executive Director Claudia Braymer, whose green group helped draft the amendment, said these developments violated the state constitution's 'forever wild' clause. At the same ime, Braymer said Protect understands the economic and community benefit the venue brings to the region. 'We recognize … that Mount Van Hoevenberg is an important community asset, an economic engine for the area, so it isn't in anyone's best interest to go to court over this,' she said. 'We just want to make sure it's cleared up and the integrity of the Forest Preserve is protected — and in this case, that means making an amendment so that what they have done there is legally authorized.' 'ORDA places a high priority on its environmental stewardship obligations for all of its facilities, and especially the ones located on Forest Preserve lands,' ORDA spokesperson Darcy Norfolk said. Norfolk said since Mount Van Hoevenberg's first Unit Management Plan was created in 1986, nearly every UMP since has noted the need to address the 'forever wild' status of the state lands there. While state-owned ski areas at Whiteface Mountain, Gore Mountain, and Belleayre Mountain each have Article 14 amendments authorizing their use, she said, there's never been a constitutional amendment to explicitly authorize the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex. 'We now have an opportunity through this cooperatively negotiated amendment to place Mount Van Hoevenberg in the same status,' Norfolk said. 'This amendment is intended to protect the integrity of the Forest Preserve by constitutionally authorizing the historic use of this Forest Preserve land to support world-class Nordic skiing and biathlon training and competition, as well as recreational Nordic skiing and other recreational uses.' She added that this is consistent with the state Legislature's intent in establishing ORDA. Norfolk said the amendment would clearly define the parameters of future planning at Mount Van Hoevenberg and provide a certainty about trail development, events and competitions that take place on the Forest Preserve that has been lacking for a long time. Braymer claimed development being at odds with the state constitution have been drawn out over a long time. 'This goes back decades,' she said. 'And to be fair, it goes back before ORDA was even in place managing the lands when they were starting to do tree-cutting and establish Nordic skiing trails on the Forest Preserve side in a way that would have been in excess of the constitutional limits set by case law for tree cutting.' Braymer said that the 323 acres that would be authorized to be developed in accordance with the facility's unit land management plan would not only remedy the developments that Protect! claimed already occurred, but provide some extra room for future expansion. 'It gives some leeway going forward up to the 323 acres to do other things like add additional trails or parking lots … sanitary facilities, offices, lodges,' she said. Corresponding pending legislation also stipulates certain types of facilities that would not be allowed to be built on the Forest Preserve land that Mount Van Hoevenberg operates on. These include hotels, condominiums, zip lines, swimming pools, tennis courts, all-terrain vehicle use or paths for the public and 'other structures and improvements which are not directly related to and necessary for operation, maintenance and public use of the sports complex; or any structure located at or above an elevation of 2,200 feet above sea level used for the sale of any goods, services, merchandise, food or beverage.' A lengthy process Amending the constitution is cumbersome. Voters have the final say, as changes to the state constitution require a simple majority to be ratified. Before that, though, the amendments must be approved by both bodies of the state Legislature in two consecutive sessions. Concurrent resolutions for this amendment having been introduced in both the state Assembly and Senate, and were first passed in the 2023-24 legislative session. The amendment could receive its second passage in either 2025 or 2026 before it is put to voters statewide in either the 2025 or 2026 general election. Environmental groups are hoping that action comes sooner rather than later. Brayer said her organization supports the proposed amendment, but it was worried that with the state budget negotiations running behind schedule and taking up assembly members' and senators' time, other legislative initiatives would be shelved. 'One of the challenges now will be as the budget gets pushed later and later, it just leaves less and less time for the Legislature to do some of these other things that it needs to get through before they all leave for the summer,' she said. 'We don't want to see it get left behind.' State Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, introduced the constitutional amendment resolution in the Assembly, as well as the corresponding legislative 'intent and purpose' resolution providing a roadmap for the state to act, should the amendment make it to the ballot and be approved by voters. The amendment resolution, as well as the intent and purpose resolution, were introduced in the upper chamber by state Sen. Pete Harckham, D-South Salem, and are co-sponsored by state Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury. Jones told the Enterprise on Wednesday that, despite the budget delays, he was confident the resolutions would be passed by both chambers and put on the ballot for voters to decide in the 2025 General Election. 'Hopefully we can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time here in Albany,' he said. 'With the budget getting pushed back, maybe some priorities don't have the timeframe that they should have or usually have, but I believe this still has a great chance of passing this year.' If the amendment does not pass for any reason — the legislature does not get to it or state voters reject it — the state would have to wait another two years to try again. 'On this piece of legislation, I don't see any obstacles that are going to be preventive of doing this,' Jones said. Offset lands Jones said the land offset ratio was 'pretty standard.' He anticipated that, if approved by the voters, the state would be able to identify and purchase land as stipulated in the would-be amendment. While the proposed amendment requires that the land offset occur somewhere within the Adirondacks, it does not specify where it has to be purchased beyond that. John Sheehan, the communications director for the Adirondack Council, a conservation organization, said that traditionally, land offsets have been purchased within the same county — Essex in Mount Van Hoevenberg's case. Sheehan added that until the state is ready to purchase the land for the offset, not much about it is revealed. 'Generally, they don't fix on a single tract so that they don't end up driving the price through the roof by getting it identified ahead of time,' he said. 'But, they've probably got a couple of places in mind.' The proposed resolutions call for the legislature to determine that what is being purchased for the offset is of equal or greater value than the 323 acres at Mount Van Hoevenberg that would be authorized for development in accordance with the aforementioned purposes and restrictions. 'We're not really talking about real estate value here, because that's based on development potential,' Sheehan said. 'What we're talking about is conservation value. We're looking for lands that would be of high conservation potential — whether it's important habitat, maybe steep slopes that would be hard to develop or undesirable to develop or wetlands. … It would not be land that would be really suited to some other purpose. It would be land that is in really pristine shape already or with the potential to grow into really good shape in the future.' To view the concurrent resolution that proposes a state constitutional amendment, visit To view the corresponding concurrent enabling resolution, visit
Boston Globe
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Lake Placid 2026? Winter hamlet has a plan if Milan-Cortina Olympics need it to step in for sliding events next year.
Advertisement 'The most important thing is to give the athletes what they deserve, and that is a true celebration,' said Ashley Walden, the CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which manages the Olympic venues in Lake Placid. 'They've been working for it for four years. It needs to be bigger than the everyday race. That's the key to all of this. That's where New York City and the fanfare that we can offer, in addition to the race-night competition here, is crucial.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up How and when the decision comes on where the sliding races will be is unclear. Every indication put forth by Italian organizers is that the rebuilding of the historic Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, will be done in time. But there is also a push for a definitive answer, especially with homologation — a fancy way of saying getting the necessary testing of the track done as part of the certifying process — set to begin in less than three weeks. Construction was well underway at the Cortina d´Ampezzo Sliding Center, also called the Eugenio Monti sliding track, in September 2024. Sandra Montanez/Getty Simico, the Italian government agency in charge of building the Cortina track, said Friday that 'everything is going according to plan' and that ice is already being laid down on parts of the track, with pre-homologation slated for March 24-31. But International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation president Ivo Ferriani reminded sliders at Wednesday night's opening of their sports' world championships in Lake Placid that they may be back at Mount Van Hoevenberg next year for the Olympics, which caused the Italian contingent in the stands to audibly groan. Advertisement 'To be honest, no matter where it is, I'm going to go to race,' world men's skeleton champion Matt Weston of Britain said after winning the title at Lake Placid on Friday. Ferriani didn't offer a timetable. And that's the part Lake Placid — and really, the rest of the sliding world — is waiting to hear. Lake Placid's plan will take months to execute, and the sooner a decision comes the better, officials there say. 'We are coming to a crucial point where we have to make a decision,' Walden said Friday. 'We have a vision for what it should be, and we want to be successful in achieving that. And the longer and the less lead time that we have, the less likely that is.' Related : Lake Placid's bid plan includes the possibility of charter flights to bring athletes to and from upstate New York from Italy if those Olympians choose to attend the opening or closing ceremony there. It even details how sled transport from Europe will work and how other airports in the area — such as Montreal, Albany and Plattsburgh, N.Y., in addition to New York's John F. Kennedy — could be involved. The Lake Placid plan calls for Paul Smith's College, a small private school about 28 miles from Mount Van Hoevenberg, to serve as an athlete's village; the school would essentially close for January and February, and students there — many of whom are studying either sports management or hospitality — could work the games. Advertisement 'We want the athletes to have their village feel and Paul Smith's lets us accomplish that,' Walden said. 'It's the perfect size.' Hotel rooms in the area have been secured for potential visitors and, either way, ORDA will spend about $80 million in the coming months primarily to build more spectator seating and modernize the refrigeration systems at the track. The construction involved in those projects is already underway and will pick up rapidly once the track is closed for the season around the end of this month. There are parallels within the plans for Lake Placid and Italy that organizers in the Adirondacks point to as well. Part of the marketing plan is touting that there's basically one degree of separation in terms of latitude between Lake Placid and Milan, and how it's essentially five hours between Lake Placid and New York — almost the same distance between Milan and Cortina. 'I can't wrap my head around an Olympics being here,' US men's skeleton athlete Dan Barefoot said. 'I actually don't even know how Lake Placid will handle it. It'd be insane.' New York also cites statistics saying the state is home to about 3.1 million people with Italian heritage, second only to Argentina in terms of non-Italian locales in the world. And while Lake Placid played host to the Olympics in 1932 and 1980, New York City has never been an Olympic site. The Rockefeller Center plan — if that part happens, and nothing has been confirmed — would likely include some collaboration with Olympic broadcaster NBC given the proximity of its studio there. There's ideas for a medals podium, a mini sliding track, athlete interviews on NBC's 'Today,' viewing parties, and athlete meet-and-greets and cultural integration with celebrities, businesspeople and restaurateurs of Italian-American descent. Advertisement 'You have this incredible city that loves to celebrate, and these athletes that are displaced from one country now in a place and competing here and have these special elements of celebration,' ORDA spokeswoman Darcy Norfolk said. 'It's the piece that I think also showcases New York state, Lake Placid to New York City, and kind of what we can do together.'
CBC
07-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
If Lake Placid becomes 2026 Olympic sliding site, New York's Rockefeller Center will be play big part
Picture this: A sliding athlete wins an Olympic medal in Lake Placid next winter, then is chauffeured down to New York for an award ceremony at Rockefeller Center a few days later with thousands of people there to cheer on both moments. It could happen. The element of incorporating New York into the Olympics is just one of the unique details inside Lake Placid's plan if the two-time Olympic host gets asked to be the site of the sliding events for next winter's Milan-Cortina Games, according to documents reviewed this week by The Associated Press. Lake Placid was picked as the just-in-case backup track last year, and with the Olympics less than a year away a decision could be looming on whether the Adirondack village will be called to serve once again. "The most important thing is to give the athletes what they deserve, and that is a true celebration," said Ashley Walden, the CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which manages the Olympic venues in Lake Placid. "They've been working for it for four years. It needs to be bigger than the everyday race. That's the key to all of this. That's where New York City and the fanfare that we can offer, in addition to the race-night competition here, is crucial." How and when the decision comes on where the sliding races will be is unclear. Every indication put forth by Italian organizers is that the rebuilding of the historic Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, will be done in time. But there is also a push for a definitive answer, especially with homologation — a fancy way of saying getting the necessary testing of the track done as part of the certifying process — set to begin in less than three weeks. Simico, the Italian government agency in charge of building the Cortina track, said Friday that "everything is going according to plan" and that ice is already being laid down on parts of the track, with pre-homologation slated for March 24-31. But International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation president Ivo Ferriani reminded sliders at Wednesday night's opening of their sports' world championships in Lake Placid that they may be back at Mount Van Hoevenberg next year for the Olympics, which caused the Italian contingent in the stands to audibly groan when he said that during his brief opening speech. Ferriani didn't offer a timetable. And that's the part Lake Placid — and really, the rest of the sliding world — is waiting to hear. Lake Placid's plan will take months to execute, and the sooner a decision comes the better, officials there say. "We are coming to a crucial point where we have to make a decision," Walden said Friday. "We have a vision for what it should be, and we want to be successful in achieving that. And the longer and the less lead time that we have, the less likely that is." Bid plan Lake Placid's bid plan includes the possibility of charter flights to bring athletes to and from upstate New York from Italy if those Olympians choose to attend the opening or closing ceremony there. It even details how sled transport from Europe will work and how other airports in the area — such as Montreal, Albany and Plattsburgh, New York, in addition to New York's John F. Kennedy — could be involved. The Lake Placid plan calls for Paul Smith's College, a small private school about 28 miles from Mount Van Hoevenberg, to serve as an athlete's village; the school would essentially close for January and February to accommodate that plan, and students there — many of whom are studying either sports management or hospitality — could work the games. "We want the athletes to have their village feel and Paul Smith's lets us accomplish that," Walden said. "It's the perfect size." Hotel rooms in the area have been secured for potential visitors and, either way, ORDA will spend about $80 million in the coming months primarily to build more spectator seating and modernize the refrigeration systems at the track. The construction involved in those projects is already underway and will pick up rapidly once the track is closed for the season around the end of this month. There are parallels within the plans for Lake Placid and Italy that organizers in the Adirondacks point to as well. Part of the marketing plan is touting that there's basically one degree of separation in terms of latitude between Lake Placid and Milan, and how it's essentially five hours between Lake Placid and New York — almost the same distance between Milan and Cortina. "I can't wrap my head around an Olympics being here," U.S. men's skeleton athlete Dan Barefoot said. "I actually don't even know how Lake Placid will handle it. It'd be insane." New York also cites statistics saying the state is home to about 3.1 million people with Italian heritage, second only to Argentina in terms of non-Italian locales in the world. And while Lake Placid played host to the Olympics in 1932 and 1980, New York City has never been an Olympic site. The Rockefeller Center plan — which would include some collaboration with Olympic broadcaster NBC, which has a studio right there — calls for a medals podium, a mini sliding track, athlete interviews on NBC's "Today" with their medals, viewing parties, athlete meet-and-greets and cultural integration with celebrities, businesspeople and restaurateurs of Italian-American descent. "You have this incredible city that loves to celebrate, and these athletes that are displaced from one country now in a place and competing here and have these special elements of celebration," ORDA spokeswoman Darcy Norfolk said. "It's the piece that I think also showcases New York state, Lake Placid to New York City, and kind of what we can do together."
The Independent
07-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
If Lake Placid becomes the Olympic sliding site, New York's Rockefeller Center will be a big part
Picture this: A sliding athlete wins an Olympic medal in Lake Placid next winter, then is chauffeured down to New York for an award ceremony at Rockefeller Center a few days later with thousands of people there to cheer on both moments. It could happen. The element of incorporating New York into the Olympics is just one of the unique details inside Lake Placid's plan if the two-time Olympic host gets asked to be the site of the sliding events for next winter's Milan-Cortina Games, according to documents reviewed this week by The Associated Press. Lake Placid was picked as the just-in-case backup track last year, and with the Olympics less than a year away a decision could be looming on whether the Adirondack village will be called to serve once again. 'The most important thing is to give the athletes what they deserve, and that is a true celebration,' said Ashley Walden, the CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which manages the Olympic venues in Lake Placid. 'They've been working for it for four years. It needs to be bigger than the everyday race. That's the key to all of this. That's where New York City and the fanfare that we can offer, in addition to the race-night competition here, is crucial.' How and when the decision comes on where the sliding races will be is unclear. Every indication put forth by Italian organizers is that the rebuilding of the historic Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, will be done in time. But there is also a push for a definitive answer, especially with homologation — a fancy way of saying getting the necessary testing of the track done as part of the certifying process — set to begin in less than three weeks. Simico, the Italian government agency in charge of building the Cortina track, said Friday that 'everything is going according to plan' and that ice is already being laid down on parts of the track, with pre-homologation slated for March 24-31. But International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation president Ivo Ferriani reminded sliders at Wednesday night's opening of their sports' world championships in Lake Placid that they may be back at Mount Van Hoevenberg next year for the Olympics, which caused the Italian contingent in the stands to audibly groan when he said that during his brief opening speech. Ferriani didn't offer a timetable. And that's the part Lake Placid — and really, the rest of the sliding world — is waiting to hear. Lake Placid's plan will take months to execute, and the sooner a decision comes the better, officials there say. 'We are coming to a crucial point where we have to make a decision," Walden said Friday. "We have a vision for what it should be, and we want to be successful in achieving that. And the longer and the less lead time that we have, the less likely that is.' Lake Placid's bid plan includes the possibility of charter flights to bring athletes to and from upstate New York from Italy if those Olympians choose to attend the opening or closing ceremony there. It even details how sled transport from Europe will work and how other airports in the area — such as Montreal, Albany and Plattsburgh, New York, in addition to New York's John F. Kennedy — could be involved. The Lake Placid plan calls for Paul Smith's College, a small private school about 28 miles from Mount Van Hoevenberg, to serve as an athlete's village; the school would essentially close for January and February to accommodate that plan, and students there — many of whom are studying either sports management or hospitality — could work the games. 'We want the athletes to have their village feel and Paul Smith's lets us accomplish that,' Walden said. 'It's the perfect size.' Hotel rooms in the area have been secured for potential visitors and, either way, ORDA will spend about $80 million in the coming months primarily to build more spectator seating and modernize the refrigeration systems at the track. The construction involved in those projects is already underway and will pick up rapidly once the track is closed for the season around the end of this month. There are parallels within the plans for Lake Placid and Italy that organizers in the Adirondacks point to as well. Part of the marketing plan is touting that there's basically one degree of separation in terms of latitude between Lake Placid and Milan, and how it's essentially five hours between Lake Placid and New York — almost the same distance between Milan and Cortina. 'I can't wrap my head around an Olympics being here,' U.S. men's skeleton athlete Dan Barefoot said. 'I actually don't even know how Lake Placid will handle it. It'd be insane.' New York also cites statistics saying the state is home to about 3.1 million people with Italian heritage, second only to Argentina in terms of non-Italian locales in the world. And while Lake Placid played host to the Olympics in 1932 and 1980, New York City has never been an Olympic site. The Rockefeller Center plan — which would include some collaboration with Olympic broadcaster NBC, which has a studio right there — calls for a medals podium, a mini sliding track, athlete interviews on NBC's 'Today' with their medals, viewing parties, athlete meet-and-greets and cultural integration with celebrities, businesspeople and restaurateurs of Italian-American descent. 'You have this incredible city that loves to celebrate, and these athletes that are displaced from one country now in a place and competing here and have these special elements of celebration," ORDA spokeswoman Darcy Norfolk said. 'It's the piece that I think also showcases New York state, Lake Placid to New York City, and kind of what we can do together." ___ AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed from Italy. ___
Associated Press
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
If Lake Placid becomes the Olympic sliding site, New York's Rockefeller Center will be a big part
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Picture this: A sliding athlete wins an Olympic medal in Lake Placid next winter, then is chauffeured down to New York for an award ceremony at Rockefeller Center a few days later with thousands of people there to cheer on both moments. It could happen. The element of incorporating New York into the Olympics is just one of the unique details inside Lake Placid's plan if the two-time Olympic host gets asked to be the site of the sliding events for next winter's Milan-Cortina Games, according to documents reviewed this week by The Associated Press. Lake Placid was picked as the just-in-case backup track last year, and with the Olympics less than a year away a decision could be looming on whether the Adirondack village will be called to serve once again. 'The most important thing is to give the athletes what they deserve, and that is a true celebration,' said Ashley Walden, the CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which manages the Olympic venues in Lake Placid. 'They've been working for it for four years. It needs to be bigger than the everyday race. That's the key to all of this. That's where New York City and the fanfare that we can offer, in addition to the race-night competition here, is crucial.' How and when the decision comes on where the sliding races will be is unclear. Every indication put forth by Italian organizers is that the rebuilding of the historic Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, will be done in time. But there is also a push for a definitive answer, especially with homologation — a fancy way of saying getting the necessary testing of the track done as part of the certifying process — set to begin in less than three weeks. Simico, the Italian government agency in charge of building the Cortina track, said Friday that 'everything is going according to plan' and that ice is already being laid down on parts of the track, with pre-homologation slated for March 24-31. But International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation president Ivo Ferriani reminded sliders at Wednesday night's opening of their sports' world championships in Lake Placid that they may be back at Mount Van Hoevenberg next year for the Olympics, which caused the Italian contingent in the stands to audibly groan when he said that during his brief opening speech. Ferriani didn't offer a timetable. And that's the part Lake Placid — and really, the rest of the sliding world — is waiting to hear. Lake Placid's plan will take months to execute, and the sooner a decision comes the better, officials there say. 'We are coming to a crucial point where we have to make a decision,' Walden said Friday. 'We have a vision for what it should be, and we want to be successful in achieving that. And the longer and the less lead time that we have, the less likely that is.' Lake Placid's bid plan includes the possibility of charter flights to bring athletes to and from upstate New York from Italy if those Olympians choose to attend the opening or closing ceremony there. It even details how sled transport from Europe will work and how other airports in the area — such as Montreal, Albany and Plattsburgh, New York, in addition to New York's John F. Kennedy — could be involved. The Lake Placid plan calls for Paul Smith's College, a small private school about 28 miles from Mount Van Hoevenberg, to serve as an athlete's village; the school would essentially close for January and February to accommodate that plan, and students there — many of whom are studying either sports management or hospitality — could work the games. 'We want the athletes to have their village feel and Paul Smith's lets us accomplish that,' Walden said. 'It's the perfect size.' Hotel rooms in the area have been secured for potential visitors and, either way, ORDA will spend about $80 million in the coming months primarily to build more spectator seating and modernize the refrigeration systems at the track. The construction involved in those projects is already underway and will pick up rapidly once the track is closed for the season around the end of this month. There are parallels within the plans for Lake Placid and Italy that organizers in the Adirondacks point to as well. Part of the marketing plan is touting that there's basically one degree of separation in terms of latitude between Lake Placid and Milan, and how it's essentially five hours between Lake Placid and New York — almost the same distance between Milan and Cortina. 'I can't wrap my head around an Olympics being here,' U.S. men's skeleton athlete Dan Barefoot said. 'I actually don't even know how Lake Placid will handle it. It'd be insane.' New York also cites statistics saying the state is home to about 3.1 million people with Italian heritage, second only to Argentina in terms of non-Italian locales in the world. And while Lake Placid played host to the Olympics in 1932 and 1980, New York City has never been an Olympic site. The Rockefeller Center plan — which would include some collaboration with Olympic broadcaster NBC, which has a studio right there — calls for a medals podium, a mini sliding track, athlete interviews on NBC's 'Today' with their medals, viewing parties, athlete meet-and-greets and cultural integration with celebrities, businesspeople and restaurateurs of Italian-American descent. 'You have this incredible city that loves to celebrate, and these athletes that are displaced from one country now in a place and competing here and have these special elements of celebration,' ORDA spokeswoman Darcy Norfolk said. 'It's the piece that I think also showcases New York state, Lake Placid to New York City, and kind of what we can do together.' ___
