RICHMOND - A large crowd of officials, dignitaries and the media gathered today to see the last piece of wood roof dropped into place at the Olympic speed skating oval in Richmond.
The Oval, which will house 8,000 people and host 12 speed-skating events at the 2010 Olympics, has a roof made of wood killed by the pine beetle and milled in Williams Lake.
The building has other environmentally friendly attributes, such as a rain water toilet, Premier Gordon Campbell said at the ceremony.
"We've got rain water recovery that will be providing the water for toilets and for making ice we've got a geothermal ground source heating source," Premier Campbell said.
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and VANOC CEO John Furlong also attended the ceremony.
Originally intended for Burnaby, the Olympic Organizing Committee caused controversy when it gave the Oval to Richmond instead.
Several police officers attended the ceremony but there were no protesters.
The budgeted cost of the facility is $178 million dollars. It is scheduled to open in fall 2008.
Fast facts:
33, 750 square metres is the size of the Oval
19,000 sheets of 4x8 plywood were used to cover the roof's surface
6.5 acres is the size of the Oval's roof
Four jetliners can park wingtip to wingtip on the Oval's main floor
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dag Sharman
