MAKING STRIDES.

Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald The Register-Guard

With just a year to go until Eugene hosts the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, local organizers appear to be ahead of schedule in most areas of planning. But they still need to raise about $2 million from corporate partners to meet their $7 million budget. And the University of Oregon still needs donations of about $1.8 million to cover the $7.4 million renovation of Hayward Field.

In the 1 1/2 years since Eugene beat out Sacramento to host the Trials, hundreds of volunteers, organized into 16 committees, have been planning the event - the largest national track meet in the world.

Organizers say they're pleased with the work accomplished so far. "We're definitely where we should be on the time line," said Greg Erwin, past president of the Oregon Track Club and co-chairman of the local organizing committee with Vin Lananna, UO track coach.

USA Track & Field - the national governing body for track and field that is working with local organizers to stage the Trials, which are scheduled for June 27, 2008 to July 6, 2008 - also is happy with the progress.

"I think they're doing great," said Craig Masback, CEO of USA Track & Field. "They're way ahead of schedule" in preparing for the Trials, he said.

"I think it's going to be the best Olympic Trials ever, and it's going to do a great deal for our sport nationally and internationally and, obviously, a great deal for Eugene."

Organizers say they want to impress all participants - fans, athletes, officials, and donors - so there's no question that Eugene should host the Trials again in 2012.

"We want all the constituents to go home thinking, 'Wow, Eugene really knows how to do it right,' " said Mark Pilkenton, the Nike marketing executive who is helping local organizers.

Here's a look at progress in the countdown to Eugene '08:

Fan festival

With only 15,000 seats in Hayward Field - a sizable boost from its usual capacity of 10,500 - probably not everyone who wants to see the Trials up close will be able to.

The ticketless can still get in on the action, though, by going to a fan festival area, which will spring up on a field near the West Grandstands. Organizers hope to set up a jumbo TV screen and a beer garden there, and vending tents for major sponsors such as Nike.

Temporary bleachers will jut out toward 15th Avenue, which will be closed for the Trials. Food and fitness-related vendors are planned for that area.

The aim is to create a street festival feeling, Pilkenton said, with live music before each day's competition.

Money matters

In just 1 1/2 years, the Trials budget has more than doubled, to $7 million for the event, plus $7.4 million in Hayward Field improvements, up from an initial estimate of $5 million to $6 million, which included $2 million to $2.5 million to renovate Hayward.

"As you work through this there are always surprises and things you hadn't counted on," Erwin said.

"Everything is more than we thought."

The eight high-powered light poles installed at the track earlier this year, for example, cost "double or triple what we thought," Erwin said.

Organizers are trying to make this a special experience for everybody, Erwin said. And that comes at a price. "That has probably been the biggest driver on the cost side," he said.

Tickets, which will contribute about $3 million to the event's $7 million budget, are already sold out. "I'd say that's highly unusual, but very positive," said Masback, CEO of USA Track & Field.

Organizers are tapping corporate and government partners for the remaining $4 million, Erwin said. Nearly half of that fundraising goal has been reached, he said. "We're cautiously optimistic that we'll reach our goals by the fall."

Beaverton-based Nike, which helped Eugene produce its winning bid for the Trials and has continued to lend branding and marketing support, stepped forward in December 2006 as a gold level sponsor, with a seven-figure commitment, mostly cash.

Other major corporate partners include Dick's Sporting Goods, based in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Northwest Airlines; PeaceHealth; and King Estate. Organizers are in talks with more potential corporate partners and hope to sign contracts with them in the next 60 days, Erwin said.

Government partners also have pledged support, including $250,000 from Lane County, $150,000 from Eugene and $100,000 from Springfield.

Two bills in the state Legislature may result in more money: HB 3223 would provide $300,000 to help cover security costs, and HB 3224 would allocate $240,000 from the state Department of Parks and Recreation to improve local running trails. Rep. Nancy Nathanson sponsored both bills, which were referred to the Ways and Means Committee on April 19.

Hayward Field rehab

Aside from the light poles, other improvements at Hayward Field cost more than early estimates, Erwin said.

There were significant drainage issues that cost several hundred thousand dollars to address, he said. Adding the walkway behind the West Grandstands to direct traffic flow cost $300,000 to $400,000. The state-of-the-art video board is budgeted to cost at least $1 million, he said.

The lights and walkway were installed earlier this year. Work on the infield that began this month is scheduled to be completed by November, said Michael Reilly, UO assistant athletic director. The video board will be installed at the south end of the track in winter. Temporary bleachers, including sky boxes, on the south turn and north turn, will start in May and finish up in early June, Reilly said.

The university has raised about $5.59 million of the $7.39 million - all from private donations.

As part of a broader request to the state by the Oregon University System, the governor and local organizers are asking the Legislature for $5 million in state bonds to help pay for Trials-related improvements at Hayward. On Friday a subcommittee approved $2.5 million.

Mass transit 

Parking near Hayward Field will be so scarce that reserved parking passes are one of the top perks in packages offered to corporate donors of $5,000 to $50,000.

To reduce congestion around Hayward, organizers plan a series of free shuttle buses. Shuttles will carry spectators every 15 minutes between Autzen Stadium or a park-and-ride at South Eugene High School and Hayward Field, project manager Tom Jordan said.

Shuttles will carry athletes every 20 to 30 minutes from their hotels to Hayward Field or to the practice track at South Eugene High School. A media shuttle will carry journalists every 40 minutes between Hayward and their hotels in Springfield's Gateway area. The transportation committee is crunching the numbers on how much the shuttle service will cost. The Lane Transit District board recently agreed to apply its community service rate (a 22 discount from full cost) for the Trials shuttle service it will provide - an estimated value of $35,000, Jordan said.

Organizers also will provide qualified athletes with shuttles between the Portland and Eugene airports and their hotels, Jordan said.

Room reservations

The race for rooms during the Trials is on.

"We're starting to get a steady stream of calls and e-mails from people looking to book their rooms," said Lisa Lawton, community relations director for the Convention & Visitors Association of Lane County Oregon. The association will help spectators find housing, while Northwest Event Management will launch a housing bureau on July 17 for credentialed people, including athletes, their traveling companions and members of media. As of this week, 1,618 rooms were available in Eugene and Springfield, and 14 local hotels and motels - a total of 1,376 rooms - were listed as sold out. Among those hotels are the Hilton Eugene, which will be the headquarters for athletes, and the Valley River Inn, which is the primary hotel for officials.

Another option for athletes, as well as spectators, is to stay in university dorms.

Spectators may book a dorm room, starting July 17, by clicking on "housing" at eugene08.com. The rate will be $49 per night per person for double occupancy and $59 for a single, which includes three meals, Jordan said.

Security plan

A 51-member security committee has been meeting since November 2005 to design a plan to ensure the safety of everyone attending the Trials.

Capt. Chuck Tilby of the Eugene Police Department, who is chairman of the committee, said it's a balancing act between providing security for the event and maintaining service to the rest of the city.

Eugene police routinely provide security for football games at Autzen Stadium, which holds many as 59,000 fans. But the Trials will be no home football game. "The challenge with this is it lasts so long," Tilby said.

Also, the Trials will be on NBC and the USA Network.

"Any time you've got national live TV coverage, that's a pretty attractive stage on which to portray a drama," Tilby said. "Because we're picking a national team out of this, national and international issues come into play."

The committee has developed a security plan, which would involve city, county, campus and federal officers, as well as private security. A perimeter around Hayward Field will have three bag checkpoints to enter the area.

The cost of security and who will provide it is still being worked out, Tilby said. Eugene has estimated that the Trials would cost $1.2 million to $1.5 million for security.

Volunteer effort

More than 200 individuals have donated their time to help plan the Trials. Without any recruiting, 300 more people have signed up as possible event volunteers, who would perform such jobs as greeting visitors at the airport and park-and-rides, or helping process 3,000 to 4,000 people through the credentials center, Jordan said.

Organizers project that they'll need at least 1,000 event volunteers. Anyone interested may sign up at eugene08.com.

Under construction

Hayward Field is undergoing significant renovations to prepare for the Trials, but the UO still needs to raise about $1.8 million to cover the cost.

Event security

A law enforcement plan to keep order during the Trials includes three bag checkpoints and officers from multiple agencies.

Wooing sponsors

Organizers have won sponsorships from companies such as PeaceHealth and Nike, with more expected to join in the next 60 days.

Transit strategy

Free shuttles will taxi spectators, athletes and the media to and from Hayward Field. LTD also will offer a discounted rate for its shuttle service.

WANT TICKETS? THAT MAY BE A TRIAL, TOO

All the ticket packages for the Eugene Trials have already been sold. But seats still can be had.