Construction on the Jeux du Canada Games Centre isn't finished, but Bernie Van Hoft, supervisor of the sports centre, is already thinking about what will be added after the site has been opened for a year or two.

During a tour of the centre off Hamilton Boulevard Friday afternoon, looking into the playground area, Van Hoft pointed to the left side wall noting he would like to order triangular foam blocks for kids to play with in a year or two.

For now though, the indoor playground is set up with structure equipment which will allow kids space to climb, slide, crawl through tubes and play.

'This will be nice when it's 30-below,' Van Hoft said, smiling.

While much of the colourful equipment is in place in the playground, the rubberized flooring has yet to be added to the place. Walking through the main corridor of the ground floor, the room is the first space on the left, which can be viewed through the windows lining the wall.

Looking into the space, Van Hoft says there will be child-minding times set aside at the playground for parents who want to use other parts of the centre such as the Whitehorse Lions Aquatic Centre, running track, fitness site or any other feature.

'We'll have monitors here all the time,' he said. 'And we'll bring in additional staff for the child-minding times.'

Staff are currently working on the schedules, Van Hoft said.

Across from the indoor playground is the entrance to the small leisure ice area, which is attached to the Olympic ice surface - one of the requirements for the 2007 Canada Winter Games which the building is being constructed for.

The more than $30 million second phase of the multiplex is being built with a $20 million investment from the federal government. The city and territory are sharing the remainder of the costs. The first phase of the structure, the Whitehorse Lions Aquatic Centre, opened in 2002 at a cost of $12.3 million which was shared by the territory and city.

The Olympic ice, at 30.5 metres by 61 metres long (100 feet wide by 200 feet), will be used for speed skating events in the Games.

As for groups in the city, Van Hoft said he's heard from hockey players who would rather use the NHL surface, which measures 26 metres by 61 metres (85 feet wide by 200 feet).

'The adult hockey guys, they said, We don't want to play here. It's going to be too hard. We'd have more ice to cover',' Van Hoft said standing in the Olympic-size arena. 'But it is a lot of more work because you've got that extra 50 feet for the defence to cover.'

The NHL arena also sits on the left side of the building, with the change and locker rooms as well as seating on the second floor between the two arenas. A total of 500 seats will be available on each side with room for additional temporary seating for major events like the Canada Winter Games.

Already some boards and seating are being placed in the NHL portion of the structure with windows in place to allow viewing from the side.

Through marketing of the centre, Van Hoft is expecting hockey schools will want to host their camps at the site, with the many recreational opportunities the multiplex presents.

'You can't skate kids for eight hours a day,' he said.

On the right is a small hallway leading to three meeting rooms of varying sizes.

'These will be booked solid,' Van Hoft predicted.

In addition to the meetings which could be held by various associations, there might also be interest in booking a room for a course, he said.

That part of the building also includes where Van Hoft's and other staff offices will be. He's currently working out of the aquatic centre.

There's also space being built for a concession and a merchandise store. While the merchandise area will initially be used for selling 2007 Games paraphernalia, it will then be leased out for sports merchandise. Van Hoft pointed to The Running Room store as an example of the type of retail shop which could use the 1,500 square feet.

The proposals on various lease spaces in the centre, like the concession, are scheduled to come in at the end of the month, though the merchandise area won't be included as part of that.

Next to the retail space are windows which will allow for viewing into the pool.

The two gymnasiums, across from the aquatic centre window, will be similar to the arena set up, with change rooms and seating in between the two.

The seating will be a little different though with bench seats compared to the individual seats being placed in the rink area.

The gym which sits in between the NHL arena and other gymnasium will be designed specifically for soccer. On the cement floor sat rows of turf for the field.

The boards will go up prior to the turf being placed.

Meanwhile, city parks and recreation staff are still deciding what colour the end gymnasium will be.

A white wall can impact a badminton game because of the white birdies, said Linda Rapp, the city's manager of parks and recreation. At a certain height a white birdie can be difficult to see against a white wall.

Technical representatives said shades of green or blue tend to be colours used for the contrast in badminton.

'They said the best overall colour for badminton is army green,' Rapp said as Van Hoft questioned with a laugh, 'What's our second choice?'

In addition to badminton players, the cultural community has also shown an interest in that section of the building to be used for concerts and other events.

'It's a different environment, for sure,' Rapp said. 'And it's a large open space that is different than going to the arts centre and having the performances on the stage.'

That's not the only space where culture will come to the sports centre.

Throughout the tour, Van Hoft pointed to locations for artwork which will be located throughout the building. Paintings, sculptures and mobiles will all help in adding some artistic character to the massive structure, Van Hoft said.

Two elevators and two flights of stairs are available to access the second and third floors, though one elevator and one flight of stairs only go as far as the second floor.

That's where the centre's users will find access to seating at the arenas and gymnasiums, along with the fitness area and space for a restaurant.

The restaurant space, to be leased out, looks out over the NHL-size hockey arena.

A multipurpose room on the second floor across from the seating areas for the rinks could be used for yoga or dance classes or meetings. It also features a change room.

The third floor allows for a view of almost the entire centre which also features a three-lane, 200-metre running track in place, thanks to the badminton ceiling requirement for the 2007 Games.

'The only reason we ended up with the opportunity for the running track was because badminton (needs) a 30-foot ceiling,' Rapp explained. 'So we had to build these two (gymnasiums) high enough for that so it wasn't a huge additional cost to be able to put the track in.'

A clear mesh will be place around the track to prevent items from falling down or things like soccer balls flying up onto the track.

'Our arenas already have that system,' Rapp said of the mesh.

Some of the blue polastic track has already been laid down, but there are still numerous rolls standing up, waiting to be laid out. Polastic is a durable material, expected to last approximately 25 years 'and still look new,' Van Hoft said.

Finding things like Polastic in the Yukon hasn't been easy, which means much of the multiplex's materials come out of Edmonton.

'There's not much of a demand for this other than an industrial kind-of a situation a fitness centre, a hospital, things like that,' Rapp said.

The construction has meant using a lot of local labour, with local contractor Ketza Construction awarded the contract for building the site.

While the centre will likely open in September, city staff are hoping it will be turned over to the city in July when art would then be installed, computers set up and other work done for the opening.

'We've got lots of work to do once we take over the building,' Rapp said.