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VANOC closer to finalizing workforce accommodation

More Homestays still needed, cruise ship will house 1,000 in Squamish

More than 6,000 Olympic workers will be living in Squamish and Whistler leading up to and over the 2010 Games.

Olympic organizers have now confirmed accommodation for them, with 2,000 staying in Squamish. Of those, over 1,000 will be housed on a cruise ship tied up at a berth at Squamish terminals.

The MV Mona Lisa will arrive Jan. 26 from Greece.

"It has been tested in a variety of similar environments," said Jacqui Murdoch, vice president of services and accommodation for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee.

While Murdoch would not confirm the identity of the ship she did say it had been used at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. The Mona Lisa was in Doha.

The cruise ship is owned by Leonardo Shipping and operated under charter by Lord Nelson Seereisen. She was built in 1966 by the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank , Scotland as the combined ocean liner -cruise ship MS Kungsholm for the Swedish American Line . She was later rebuilt as a full-time cruise ship.

The ship currently has eight passenger decks, four passenger elevators, two outdoor and one indoor swimming pool, a sauna and a massage parlor. She has three restaurants, four lounges, four indoor bars, one outdoor bar and a 300-passenger capacity theater. There is also a full-service fitness centre, hair salon and a hospital.

Murdoch said the dining facility will be in use along with some but not all of the recreation facilities.

"...We haven't staffed for that and that is how we have been able to maintain costs," she said. The ship comes with a crew of 300 that perform the operational functions of the ship.

Another 500 Olympic workers and volunteers will stay at Quest University starting in early January and 300 will stay at Squamish hotels.

Murdoch hopes the workforce and volunteers in the Squamish area will bring increased business for local companies.

"This is an enormous economic generator," she said.

"We are putting in in excess of 2,000 people for the larger part of six weeks and they will be looking for opportunities to really engage with the community in celebrating the Olympics and Paralympics.

"...We are hoping that the restaurants and all the local businesses that have a service orientation will really benefit from the fact that we have so many people permanently staying there."

The workers will get to work at the Whistler venues by dedicated shuttle. The transportation plan for them is in the final stages.

About 2,000 workers and volunteers will stay in condos in Whistler. They will be located as close as possible to the venues, so alpine volunteers for the most part will be housed at Creekside.

VANOC is also creating a temporary facility at the north end of Northlands Boulevard to house up to 300 people in three modular housing units between January and March. Some of those beds, said Murdoch, would be for emergency one-night stays when workers can't get back to their regular accommodation.

The Whistler Games Service Centre will be located at this site and it will also be used as a uniform and accreditation centre, the Homestay reception centre for Whistler and a dining area for workers.

While Murdoch admits that adding thousands more people to the mix in Whistler may stretch the community she believes the resort can take it.

"I really believe that there is a lot of good planning that has been done and people are prepared," said Murdoch.

"Yes, it will definitely stretch the community and it will stretch all of the service providers but I really believe everyone is engaged and ready for the numbers that are going to come and make this such a good event."

Whistler expects to host about 55,000 people a day during the Games.

She also pointed out that even with the 3,000 Olympic family guests VANOC had to find accommodation for, the organizing committee is still taking up less than 50 per cent of the accommodation available in Whistler.

There are still some VANOC volunteers trying to get accommodation on their own in Whistler. Jeanne Johnson has been searching for several weeks now.

"I start on (February 8) and I go to the 24 th ," she said from her Michigan home. Johnson was told she needed to find her own accommodation.

"I am a fleet driver taking people from site to site up in Whistler.

"I've always wanted to be involved at some level. Really it has been a dream of mine and this is the first Olympics I have ever even got a whole call back."

Johnson (bc1of3@yahoo.com) applied close to two years ago for the position.

She has found some places to stay ranging from $2,400 for 20 days to $800 a month for a two-month minimum sharing a condo with two others.

"I would hate for this to be the reason I can't participate. I will sleep in a bus station, or hide in a gondola if it came to that," said Johnson.

VANOC is still looking for Homestays in Whistler. To date 680 people have signed up to offer a room to volunteers for the Olympics. More than 300 have signed up for the Paralympics.

Murdoch said she would like another 600 to 700 beds in Whistler at Games time, to get people off buses and closer to their work stations.

"If we can achieve that through the Homestay program that would be very helpful," she said.

"... I really believe that is another way that people can experience a much closer association with the Games if they are not involved."

To volunteer for Homestay go to www.vancouver2010.com and follow the links.

Now, said Murdoch the focus is on the experience provided to the workers and volunteers.

"We are really excited and we have some great plans in place," she said.

"We are talking to all of our stakeholders and making sure that everyone gets fed and making sure that they all know what the transport is going to be like. We really want this to be an experience where people can go away and say they've just made some wonderful friendships and that is a key part of any major event."