Council puts “extra hands on deck” for the upcoming road building season

Orange City Council’s Infrastructure Committee Chair Glenn Taylor said Council would employee four additional labourers to work with the existing road crews and concrete and drainage teams.

That will take staff numbers in road construction, maintenance and concrete and drainage from 22 to 26.

“It’s another way we’re making sure we take full advantage of the coming drier weather and the $15.2 million,” he said.

“We need long periods of dry and warm weather to build roads. In Orange we have a limited road-building season that usually starts around November.”

“We’ve got a record budget and the long list of projects will be pushing the limits of our current staff numbers, so we’re putting on extra staff in a temporary capacity for six months,” Cr Taylor said.

He said the record rain had taken its toll on the city’s road network but Council was committed making a major contribution to the quality of the road network in Orange.

“We’ve had record rainfall for three out of the last four months and that has impacted what work can be done,” he said.

Orange Mayor John Davis said Council had taken the weather into account and realised it would need “extra hands on deck”.

“It takes some time to do the engineering and design work that goes before major road building projects,” Cr Davis said.

“Those preliminary stages are underway and we’re gearing up to put those projects out to tender.”

The positions are currently advertised on Orange City Council’s website and the closing date for applications is October 9 at 11pm.

People can apply online at www.orange.nsw.gov.au/employment