VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Temporary housing being built for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics will be converted after the Winter Games into affordable residences for the elderly and homeless in six communities in the province. The Olympic committee, its sponsors RONA and Britco, and an unnamed major donor are covering the US$18.2 million cost to build the modular homes in Whistler, which will provide space for 640 athletes. The province will pay about US$20 million to turn the housing into 156 apartments.
"It's never happened that there's been an Olympic facility that has been taken and used in this kind of manner in a variety of communities," B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said on Tuesday. "We want everyone in the province to know that this is their Olympics, this is a legacy for people outside of the immediate vicinity where the Olympics is taking place."
Olympic organizers announced this year that to fulfill the requirements for housing athletes in Whistler, they would have to turn to a temporary facility because the town wasn't prepared to build more permanent homes for the Winter Games.
The 320 temporary units being built in Whistler are on top of permanent space for about 2,300 athletes and officials being built by the mountain community as part of its commitment to the event. "We went from this temporary solution to this solution that will provide a spectacular village addition for the games in Whistler but a wonderful asset and legacy for the community after the games," said John Furlong, the chief executive officer of the Olympic organizing committee.
Source: iht.com