Construction on the new Whitehorse multiplex is scheduled to get underway in just a few weeks, as soon as the ground is thawed.

At a public meeting held Tuesday evening at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre, Tony Zedda of Kobyashi and Zedda Architects (one of the multiplex partners) said construction will last about 16 months, so it should be complete by the end of next summer.

Zedda said this coming summer is when residents will see a lot of action on the site, and by the time ski season starts, most of the work will be inside.

While the design is intended to have as little impact as possible on the Mt Mac and its ski trails, the Whitehorse Cross County Ski Club (WCSC) is now having to consider some significant changes.

First of all, when construction beings, the lower ski trail will be taken out almost immediately. The trail, known as Water Resources Hill trail, is used a great deal in races and is important for access to the cross-country ski trail system.

So WCSC is proposing a new trail on the east side of the current Mount Mac parking lot. The new trail would 'steal' about eight metres from the parking lot, eliminating a row of parallel parking between the two main rows of parking.

'We're proposing a retaining wall between the parking lot and the new twin trails,' said ski club consultant Jim Gilpin.

Gilpin said the cost of the new trail is in the budget, and he believes the change would actually make the parking more efficient and lose maybe a dozen spaces.

The WCSC is also hosting the 2006 Western cross-country skiing championships, which along with the CWG, will entail a new sprint course. Gilpin said the creation of an eight-metre-wide, by one-kilometre-long trail was needed in the immediate vicinity of the stadium.

The proposal is for the development of a new trail that climbs the slope on the west side next to Sumanik Drive, resulting in the need to remove some if not most of the trees on the slope.

'The objective was to accommodate our new neighbour, the multiplex,' said Gilpin. 'We had to adjust the trail system to accommodate them, and we needed to create a sprint trail circuit for a new event which will be part of Canada Winter Games.'

In what Gilpin called 'the least offensive plan' he stressed the Club wanted as much as possible to preserve the view of the trees. But they also recognize it is going to have a huge impact.

'We might have to remove two hectares of trees,' he admitted. 'But we can't help that.'

Both the city and the club will benefit from the changes to the stadium. Due to some last minute changes, there will be excess fill form the multiplex construction that will need to be disposed of. The two sides have agreed to spread the fill around the stadium, and also widen the east side of the stadium slightly.

'It's a win-win situation,' smiled Gilpin. 'The multiplex was looking to get rid of leftover waste and we needed to make significant adjustments to the requirements of the stadium.'

The only problem is, construction crews will be dumping the waste by the end of April. WCSC manager Mike Gladish admits there's a time crunch. Three things have to be done around the stadium before the gravel can be laid down; the club must remove trees, remove poles and remove the current shack.

Gladish said the ski club will probably have to pay the money up front, in order to get the job done quicker. The club is currently waiting for approval from the city's development review committee, since the city owns Mt. Mac and all the land it's on.

'It's all moving very quickly,' said Gladish. 'They're going to be moving dirt here in probably ten days. We don't want them to haul dirt 10 miles away and then have to haul it back. We need the dirt where we want it.'

Gladish said it's important the process goes the way the ski club wants it to. He said decisions regarding CWG were made which affected the club, even though they didn't ask for it.

'We're hoping that those decisions work to our advantage,' he said. 'There's a good chance we'll end up with a really great facility for these events. The stadium will be a great focus point for the club.'

Claude Chabot, the chair of the cross-country skiing steering committee for 2007, agreed that despite all the work, the Canada Games 'is an opportunity to build a legacy here.

'The new stadium area is going to be great,' he said. 'Not just for Canada Winter Games and not just for races. It's going to be great for that, don' t get me wrong, but we're also going to end up with a really good legacy and teaching area.'

Mt. Mac manager Derek Charlton said he supports everything the ski club is trying to do, but he is somewhat concerned about the lack of parking not just with the new trail changes, but overall for 2007.

'My ultimate concern is: a, nobody seems to know who controls this parking lot, and before 2005, we have a parking lot that everybody knows how to park in and that can generally handle the excess of people.

'But 1,500 people using the facility is a little tight.'

At the meeting, Charlton again suggested paving the upper parking lot, which is currently not used something he has been discussing with city council for the past two years.

'We want the upper parking lot leveled out and paved,' he stated. 'It could handle 30-40, maybe even another 50 vehicles.'

Charlton would also like to see a covered stairwell between the two parking lots, as well as one between the Mt. Mac recreation centre and the multiplex. He's confident something can be worked out with the city.

'All it takes is the will to do it, and there's some will there,' he said.