It seems almost everywhere you look these days in Whistler, you see yellow construction fencing, heavy machinery and other evidence of construction.

So what exactly are all those projects? How much are they costing taxpayers in these days of strained municipal budgets? And how much of it is related to the 2010 Winter Games?

The Question has prepared a brief rundown of all the current and upcoming municipal-led projects in the Village area:

Upper Village trail

The connector trail through the Day Lots to the Upper Village is being upgraded to improve accessibility for guests in wheelchairs and provide an improved visitor experience, said Andy Chalk, capital projects supervisor for the municipality.

The work includes re-grading and resurfacing with paving stones to create more of a Village feel, he said.

The first phase, from the Village to the covered bridge over Fitzsimmons Creek, is expected to be finished by the end of July. Phase two, from the bridge to the base of Blackcomb, will begin in September, Chalk said.

Cost: Approximately $350,000

Olympic connection?: Chalk said though the improved accessibility makes sense for Whistler as host resort for the Paralympics, the project is not Olympic-related. The project has been in the municipal budget for a couple of years.

Rebagliati Park

The park will re-open next week after a closure to replace the grass, improve the surface for water drainage and upgrade the irrigation system, Chalk said. The project was on the municipal radar for a few years because drainage on the site was poor and the turf wasn’t growing well. The timing was right to do it now with work already underway on the adjacent trail, he said.

Cost: Approximately $35,000

Olympic connection?: The project is not Olympic-related, Chalk said.

Day Lot paving

Paving is complete on Lots 1 and 2, and work began this week on Lot 3. A roadway along the dyke will be kept open to provide vehicle access to Lots 1 and 2 while Lot 3 is paved, said Brian Barnett, the municipality’s general manager of environmental services.

When Lot 3 is complete, paving will commence on Lot 4, he said. The entire project is scheduled for completion in October.

Cost: $4.6 million

Olympic connection?: Though the main reasons for paving the lots are to improve the visitor experience and provide a product people will pay for (pay parking will fund the cost of the Fitzsimmons Creek debris barrier), the municipality agreed to complete the paving in time for the Games. The paving of Lot 4 was added to the project at the request of 2010 Olympic organizers (VANOC) for staging of the Games. VANOC is contributing $700,000 for Lot 4 over and above the municipality’s $4.6 million.

Austria Passive House

Construction is underway and on track at the entrance to the Lost Lake trails, with the footings for the building already in place and foundation work set to begin as early as this week, said Bob MacPherson, general manager of community life.

Construction of the building itself is underway in Austria, and it’s expected to arrive in late summer, MacPherson said. Total project completion is slated for late 2009.

Cost: $280,000 (Whistler’s share)

Olympic connection?: The building would not be constructed if Whistler wasn’t hosting the Games. Austria will use the building during the Games, then it will be given to Whistler for community use.

Village Stroll excavation

Fiber-optic network cable is being installed under the Village Stroll from Skiers Plaza to the Celebration Plaza, and also into the Conference Centre, Chalk said. The project is to improve communications infrastructure in the Village for celebration site programming and broadcasting during the Games.

Installation of the “main line” wraps up this week, and the paving stones will be replaced, he said. Additional, less disruptive work will begin in September to make minor connections to the main line.

Cost: Chalk said final negotiations and calculations are still underway, but a “large portion” of the cost will be paid by Olympic Broadcasting Services. He said he can’t provide budget information right now, but the cost to taxpayers will be “insignificant” given the asset the project provides.

Olympic connection?: The project is directly related to the Games but includes a legacy benefit to Whistler, Chalk said.

Blackcomb Way roadwork

The median on Blackcomb Way along the Celebration Plaza site will be removed this summer, Barnett said. The road will likely include one-way traffic during the Games and more road space will be required to allow vehicles to pass buses that are loading/unloading spectators from the Plaza, he said.

A start date for the work hasn’t been identified yet, and it’s unknown whether the project will result in full road closures or single-lane, alternating traffic, Barnett said.

Cost: Approximately $150,000

Olympic connection?: The project is directly related to the Games.

Celebration Plaza

Installation of sewer and water infrastructure is wrapping up, with the tender for installation of electrical, fiber optic and other services to be awarded in the near future, said Martin Pardoe, manager of resort open space planning. Surfacing work is due to begin in late August, with completion expected in late October. The project is on schedule, he said.

Cost: $13.67 million total (about $4.3 million municipal share)

Olympic connection?: Direct.