30 June 2017

RUGBY : Country Eagles GM, Andrew Blades and Orange Emus Rugby Club president Steve Fergus are looking forward to October big game.

NRC Background Information :

SUPPLY: Orange Mayor John Davis with Enviroclad branch manager Robert Colafrancesci.

The largest population group in Orange is children aged under 9, making up about 15 per cent of the population, according to the latest census data.

Orange Mayor John Davis said the figures showed Orange was growing steadily and validated council’s plans for the city.

“We knew from the last census data that our biggest age group was 0-4 year olds, five years later and those kids have moved up an age bracket but they’ve been replaced by almost the exact same number of children under 4,” Cr Davis said.

“These figures really justify what we’ve been doing as a council to cater for this population bracket.

“For example, we’ve been expanding our Out of School Hours Care programs and we’re looking into teaming up with local schools to run after school care.

“We’ve installed new playgrounds in our biggest growth areas. The latest, off William Maker Drive is almost complete.

“As well, we’re looking at new initiatives such as interactive outdoor games like Magical Park at the Orange Botanic Gardens.

“We’re also pushing hard for funding for a dedicated sporting precinct off the bypass.

“The Census data is one of many tools we use to back up our applications when applying to the government for funding for these types of ventures.

“But what is also interesting to see is the next biggest population bracket is people aged between 30 and 34.

“When you see an unexpected spike in a population category it backs up the notion people are relocating here with young families.”

Cr Davis said the overall six per cent growth in population in Orange since the 2011 Census was a sign of a strong economy and showed there was a need to focus on jobs creation.

“There’s a range of projects we are taking on to maintain and then push this steady growth we’ve been seeing. The Airport Business Park as well as the Orange Supply Directory are two of these projects we have in the pipeline.”

26 June 2017

Orange City Council is drawing up the list of footpaths to be targeted for repairs following the allocation of $1.4 million over the next four years.

But Orange City Council’s Infrastructure Committee chair, Cr Glenn Taylor is urging the community to make sure their expectations for better footpaths are realistic.

“The council has heard loud-and-clear the community’s call for more spending on footpaths, and that’s why there’s a major jump in the budget spending,” Cr Glenn Taylor said. “Our works team now has a figure to work on, and I’m looking forward to seeing the list of footpaths set down for work in August.”

“It’s important though for the community to keep in mind the reality of what our footpath repair crews are dealing with already. I stopped by where a crew was working on footpath repairs in March Street.

“We’ve all seen the paint marks sprayed on damaged footpaths. That’s a sign of routine inspections happening, which lets the council plan for major repairs, and also a caution sign for pedestrians.

“It’s also a sign that by and large these cracks are happening right alongside our beautiful street trees. I love our trees, and they create a fantastic ambience for our city, but the reality is the roots of these trees will go wherever they can to find water, and that means it’s inevitable that nearby footpaths will be damaged.”

“Council crews will be doing our best to repair more footpaths, but the other side of the coin is that I’d like people to realise that a cracked footpath is an inevitable downside of our beautiful street trees, not a sign of council neglect.”

“I’m sure there are footpaths out there, which haven’t been damaged by tree roots, and which are simply past their useful life, and that it’s time to replace them. “

When cracks in a hot-mix asphalt footpath are repaired, council crews remove the damaged asphalt in the area around the cracks and then carefully expose the tree roots. After assessing the potential impact on the nearby tree’s health and stability, a decision can be made on whether the roots can then be cut away before a new layer of hot-mix is added.

Where a whole section of footpath is being replaced with a new concrete structure, a plastic root barrier is also added.

Cr Taylor said he was pleased there are signs the Orange City Council crews are exploring new ways of dealing with the damage caused by tree roots.

“Where a former asphalt footpath is showing signs of tree damage, it can be cost-effective to build a new concrete footpath along a whole section to replace it. That means root guards can be installed to slow down the impact of tree roots.

“It’s good to see the council is also exploring using an industry technique to install a ‘hinge’ between the control joints of concrete slabs. This can allow some movement in the concrete paths caused by the future growth of tree roots.”

DAMAGE : Infrastructure Committee chair, Cr Glenn Taylor, checks out the damage caused to footpaths in March St by nearby trees.

23 June 2017

Orange Mayor John Davis OAM has welcomed last night’s Orange City Council decision to approve the proposed Airport Business Park. The 22 June council meeting voted 6-3 to approve the proposal which now goes to the NSW Planning Department.

A rescission motion has also been lodged (by Councillors Red Kidd, Ron Gander, Kevin Duffy & Scott Munro) which is set down for a meeting on Tuesday 27 June at 7pm.

“The councilors who have lodged the rescission motion have concerns. They’ll be arguing the case and so will, I because this is an important project,” Cr John Davis said.

“Rather than an industrial park, I prefer to call it the ‘Economic Development and Employment precinct’, which it will be,”

“It was good to hear the views of people who spoke to the meeting last night. As a result of the meeting, I think the objectors have a better idea of where the council is sitting. As a council we won’t support heavy industry, something that is environmentally unfriendly or unsustainable.”

“It’s not Orange versus the country. It’s not people in city areas versus people in rural areas. We’ve brought the proposal from 400 hectares to less than one hundred with buffer zones and we want to see industry out there in the long run that’s acceptable to the whole community.

“We don’t have any DAs before the council for this site. Eventually when a business comes to town and want to puts an industry there, an actual DA would come to council and there’d be room for community comment once again.”

“The meeting heard concerns about cutting up rural land, about the water and about noise. A lot of the rural land around the site has been cut up over the years and some of the people who are objecting are living on land that’s been subdivided.

“Orange City Council has a great record with managing storm water run-off. The water that comes off industrial land and car parks around Orange is remarkably high quality by the time if goes through our stormwater harvesting wetlands, and that’s the kind of thing that will be built near the business park. The run-off might be better quality water than it is now.

“This proposal is all about having the industry to grow jobs for the region, and being able to attract businesses to a new site that is larger than we can currently offer them.

“I’m pleased the airport business park has passed another milestone. This is a fantastic opportunity for jobs creation and growth.

“One of the strengths of the proposal is having a number of key drivers for development right alongside each other. There’s flat land. There’s gas and a future water pipeline. There’s regional road connections and rail and air links.”

14 June 2017

Orange is one of only two locations in NSW on the new Australian edition of the Monopoly board.

The layout of the new board was chosen after a nationwide online poll in November last year.

Orange mayor John Davis OAM was in Sydney for today’s harbor-side announcement. The results of the voting were also unveiled online.

"When it comes to places to land in NSW, there's Sydney Harbour and then there's Orange," Orange Mayor John Davis said. "We're in the blue spot that used to be Park Lane! How good is that!"

GRINNERS : Pictured at the harbourside announcement of the new Monopoly board are (l. to r.) Orange mayor John Davis, Mr Monopoly, Borodell operator (at front) Gaye Stuart-Nairn, NSW Upper House MP Scott Farlow representing the Premier, and (at rear) Borry Gartrell.

"This is a credit to all the Orange locals and visitors who did the hard work of voting for Orange. Well done! Our council communications team and tourism promotion staff did a great job putting the word out at the time and asking people to vote."

“It’s impossible to put a value on how important this is to the ongoing promotion of Orange as a place to visit.

FAMILY HISTORY: Librarian Peter Douglass and members of Orange Family History Group at a Conference planning meeting.

9 June 2017

Orange Mayor John Davis OAM welcomed the announcement today, by Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey, that council will receive more than $3 million for part of the Southern Feeder Road project.

The funding will go towards the $8 million council has already committed to build the road from Huntley Road, over the railway line to Blowes Road. The total cost of that stage of the project is $16.9 million.

"It's fantastic news. This section is a crucial part of the new southern feeder project," Cr Davis said.

"It's right alongside a new housing area, a hospital and an industrial area. Getting a new bridge over the railway line is going to make those great connections and open up this area of south Orange."

"The project is not yet fully funded but we have applied to the federal government for the remaining $3 million and we're confident our submission will get a good hearing."

The 720 metre dual carriageway will connect Huntley Road to Blowes Road, while a further 420 metres of road will be constructed through the old saleyard site, designed to meet the new carriageway.

A concrete bridge will also be constructed over the railway line and a new shared pedestrian and cycle path will be built to link to Orange's existing paths.

Mr Barilaro said the upgrades would benefit mining, agriculture, forestry and manufacturing by creating easy, direct access for large vehicles.

"This new infrastructure will give regional communities easy connections to state-owned roads and highways, allowing goods to be transported faster and more efficiency," he said.

Ms Pavey said better regional roads would lead to stronger local economies, more job opportunities and ultimately stronger communities.

"We are getting on with the job of providing improvements and upgrades across our freight transport networks," she said.

BUILDING BRIDGES: Councillor Ron Gander with Deputy Premier John Barilaro, Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey and Orange Mayor John Davis.