From left, ORDA Board of Directors Chairwoman Kelly Cummings, CEO Michael Pratt and board member Cliff Donaldson applaud ORDA staff for working through the coronavirus pandemic at a board meeting on Friday. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

LAKE PLACID — The state Olympic Regional Development Authority’s Board of Directors welcomed a new member to its ranks on Friday, approved a slate of contracts and equipment purchases, and thanked ORDA employees for their work through the coronavirus pandemic.

The ORDA board met at the Mountain Pass Lodge at the Olympic Sports Complex at Mount Van Hoevenberg for the first time in person since March 2020.

ORDA’s new board member is Frank Cardinale, representing Ulster County. Cardinale was chairman of the Ulster County Democratic Committee. He is filling the seat of Thomas Keegan, who died in May after suffering a heart attack at the age of 50.

The board adopted a resolution thanking ORDA staff for their work throughout the pandemic, and approved a one-year contract renewal with Centerplate for concession services at ORDA venues.

The board also approved a $215,000 change order, raising the total estimated cost of upgrades at Mount Van Hoevenberg done by the Pike Company to more than $33.3 million. The company, during foundation excavation work for the new Mountain Pass Lodge, found “unsuitable soils” in the building footprint that required them to remove and replace the soil with engineered structural fill, according to ORDA documents.

The board also authorized ORDA to purchase some new snowmaking equipment and snow grooming machines.

Old Placid Hospital

On the upcoming demolition of the old Placid Hospital and construction of ORDA’s new office building on Church Street, ORDA CEO Michael Pratt said on Friday that “both are imminent.”

“The demolition, we had to get the administrative permits for the abatement and everything else all finalized, but that, right after the Fourth of July, should be starting,” he said.

After the hospital is demolished, ORDA plans to ask contractors to build a steel frame for the new ORDA administration building, do site work and utility service installations, install a fire protection system, install piping for water and sewer service, install heating and air conditioning equipment, and set up electric service and conduit systems to power the building.

Pratt said ORDA has already ordered the steel for the new office building, but the authority isn’t under “as much of a time crunch” to complete that.

ORDA is also planning to ask a contractor to install new siding on the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, which is owned by ORDA but operated by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The contractor would also be asked to install new walls and ceilings, windows and doors, plus upgrade ventilation systems and replace the fire protection system.

The ORDA board has authorized the authority to spend about $23.1 million on the demolition of the old Placid Hospital, construction of the new office building and upgrades to the neighboring Olympic & Paralympic Training Center ahead of the 2023 Winter World University Games.