Just last week I took a tour of the renovations going on inside the Olympic Center in Lake Placid. The tour was conducted by longtime Olympic Regional Development Authority staffer Shawn Fredericks, who at age 14 was driving a Zamboni before he could drive a car. Sean pointed out ORDA’s new, shiny black, electric Zamboni.

Wait a minute — “didn’t we just finish building this magnificent structure?” Talk about an out-of-body experience. I was lucky enough to work for the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee, and one of my duties was to write the 12 official reports to the International Olympic Committee, and of course, the technical (construction) writeup of the Olympic Center was in one of the reports.

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Enterprise AP story, Jan. 20, 1981

Kathy Buckley (22) of Saranac Lake scores one of three baskets in a January 1981 game against Canton. (Enterprise photo — Linda Lumsden)

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“ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The debts of the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee, which have cast a pall over the Adirondack Mountain community since it hosted the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, might be cured with a stiff dose of state aid.

“Gov. Hugh Carey [I escorted Roger Tubby and Gov. Carey on a tour of the facilities under construction] announced Monday he was adding $3 million into his new budget and directed the state’s Urban Development Corporation to begin paying off the debts of the corporation. Carey said the UDC is prepared to kick in $5 million more in existing funds to wipe out the LPOOC’s debt still owned to some 300 creditors since before last February’s games. [One of the creditors was the small translating company from Montreal we had hired to do the French edition of the aforementioned reports — that debt almost put them under.]

“But in addition, Carey said the facilities constructed for the 1980 Games, including the Olympic Fieldhouse, speed skating complex and ski jumps, should be turned over to the proposed Olympic Regional Development Authority.

“‘We cannot wait any longer for federal help in solving the Olympic Committee’s problems,’ Carey said. ‘I believe that the new Congress [see above date of this newspaper, the day President Ronald Reagan was sworn in] would eventually recognize the federal responsibility to help, but the critical financial situation of many New York creditors will not permit us to wait.’

“State officials had hoped to get the federal government to pay for at least part of the LPOOC debt, but the latest of those attempts failed last year when Congress voted down a $2.7 million aid package which the state said it would have matched.”

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Tupper Lake news — 1981 or 2021?

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“The Town of Altamont will begin immediately to consider possible sources of funding for snowmaking equipment at the town-owned Big Tupper Ski Area, according to Town Supervisor Pat Quinn, despite the fact that installation is likely at least two years away.

“Quinn made the announcement at a meeting of the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce Friday.

“Present at the meeting to advise on possible sources of loans and grants to pay for the equipment were Doug Yando, recently appointed full-time executive director of the Franklin County Industrial Development Agency, and Jim Baughman, executive director of the Black River-St. Lawrence Economic Development Commission.

“Donald LaValley of Tupper Lake, who serves as secretary of the development commission, was also present Friday for the meeting which was arranged by Chamber of Commerce Director Dan McClelland.

“Also present were Big Tupper Manager Edgar Fletcher; Chamber President Dick Azar and Chamber Directors Stuart Nichols, Bill Hill, Rick Gedney and Ken Baker; also Town Councilman Jim Kucipeck, who with Councilman Vic Lamora acts as liaison between Big Tupper and the Town Board.

“It did not appear likely, from information made available by Yando and Baughman, that the equipment could be fully financed by a state or federal grant — a condition that Quinn and others had formerly said would be necessary to avoid burdening local taxpayers.

“But a good possibility seemed to be a combination of a grant from the Heritage Conservation Service and a long-term, low interest loan from the United States Farmers Home Administration.”

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NCCC icers #1 in the East — #2 in U.S.

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“The North Country Community College hockey squad got an early Valentine Monday when it received word it is ranked second in the nation among junior college teams.

“The Saints, who lead Region III and are ranked 9-3-1 overall for the year, are ranked as the top junior college team in the East by the National Junior College Hockey Association, according to Coach Tim Gerrish.

“‘We were surprised, to say the least,’ said the happy coach, who received a telephone call earlier in the day from association headquarters in Hutchinson, Kansas.

“The Saints Saturday defeated former nemesis Canton A.T.C. 6-4, marking the first time that team had lost a game in at least 12 years.”