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The construction company working on widening the East Orange Channel has a challenging task, construction within an active storm water channel.

Bathurst-based company Hibbo Hire, won the million dollar tender for the job of widening the channel from two metres to six metres, and it has started construction on the150 metre section between Byng Street and McLachlan Street.

Orange City Council’s Infrastructure Committee Chair Glenn Taylor said he was delighted construction had started last week.

“The new channel will be 6 metres wide at the bottom compared to the previous two metres, doubling the capacity of the structure to carry stormwater away,” Cr Taylor said.

“Stormwater channels are an often overlooked piece of infrastructure, but they’re crucial particularly in wet years like this one.”

One of the first steps will be digging out the old channel lining and widening the base.

The excavation will then be covered with a layer of large, weaved fabric called geo-fabric and coarse gravel to let the water continue to flow underneath while the new base slab is constructed.

Weather permitting construction is expected to finish by the end of the year.

WORK BEGINS: Construction widening the East Orange Channel has begun and is expect to be completed by the year's end.

About 20 minutes is all it takes to potentially save a life.

That’s all it takes for trained healthcare professionals from the OzHelp Foundation to pick up possibly life-threatening illness such as diabetes, high cholesterol and depression.

Orange City Council teamed up with the charitable organisation to provide free health checks for its employees to stave off any health concerns as early as possible.

OCC Work Health and Safety Co-ordinator Charmaine Bennett said the initiative had been well received by staff and was offered to all new and existing employees regardless of their age, gender or job title.

“We take the wellbeing of our employees very seriously and want to do everything possible to ensure our employees are healthy both in mind and body,” she said.

The program has assisted several Council employees with the diagnosis of medical conditions and relevant treatment plans.

The 15 to 20 minute health assessment done by OzHelp field officers, at the workplace, looks at cholesterol levels , blood pressure, weight and stress awareness.

OzHelp Foundation field officer Julianna McDonald, who was in Orange this week, said she could think of countless examples where the organisation had helped change a person’s life.

“I remember a young man who had been couch surfing and had bi-polar and he’d been to see his local doctor but for whatever reason he couldn’t get a mental health care plan.

“So I called around and found a doctor and he got in to see him,” she said.

“He called a few months later to tell us how he’d been going and it was really pleasing to hear he was travelling much better.”

She said the OzHelp team had been able to put an employee in touch with a hypnotist, paid for by his workplace, so he could quit smoking and there was another client who was referred to a doctor because one of the registered nurses picked up that he had haemophilia.

Ms McDonald said she hoped the team had made a difference to the lives of some Council employees and urged any other business who was interested in the service to look up OzHelp online at ozhelp.org.au

IN GOOD HEALTH: OzHelp registered nurse Suzy Brown checks Orange City Council employee Kim Thompson's blood pressure.

A $6.8 million development for Orange’s Myer store will transform Post Office Lane and provide 16 speciality shops, two ‘mini-major’ stores and two kiosks.

The development application lodged by Alceon was given the go-ahead at the recent Orange City Council meeting and construction is expected to start shortly after the Myer store closes early 2017.

Councillor Jeff Whitton said it was sad to see Myer leave Orange but it was fantastic to see the developer getting on the front foot to encourage other businesses to fill the void.

“There were some heritage concerns from the Council and the public and we’ve worked with the developer to have those concerns addressed,” Cr Whitton said.

After discussions between the Council and the developer some of the original cast irons columns will be re-used, the original pulley systems used to transport goods will be retained or displayed and a spiral iron staircase leading to the cellar would be saved.

“The development will give a big lift to the streetscape in the Summer Street heritage conservation area and it’s great that the space will be rejuvenated,” Cr Whitton said.

“There will be access to the centre from Post Office Lane, which will change the atmosphere of that area and open it up.”

The proposal includes four ‘specialty’ tenancies on the ground floor seen from Summer Street, eight completely internal shops, and one shop with access internally and from Post Office Lane.

There will be another two larger stores, one internally and one with frontage onto Anson Street and the reinstatement of the central main entrance from Summer Street.

Details of the development application can be found from Page No. 205 in this document.

HERITAGE: The Dalton building in Summer Street is set to get a multi-million redevelopment.

More than 100 Orange businesses from a variety of industries were represented at the Council's recent tourism workshops.

Members of the Orange business community were called upon to discuss their ideas, in a constructive forum, to help shape the future of Orange's tourism.

Orange City Council's Employment and Economic Development Committee chair Jeff Whitton said the two independently-facilitated workshops, held last week, brought together representatives from many groups and organisations that influence and impact tourism in the Orange region.

"It was encouraging to see a broad range of local businesses come to have their say," Cr Whitton said.

"Over the two events 117 people attended.

"The food and wine producers of Orange have built a solid reputation which attracts thousands of visitors, and now it’s time to build on those foundations.

Cr Whitton said the Council needed to make sure the wine and food area continued to prosper, but it also needed to ask where else we can grow the tourism sector.

"It’s important that the views of all local business are heard when we look at the future direction of tourism strategies," he said.

A report on the findings is being developed.

"We’ll hear back from the consultants is due course, and their work will help to inform that planning," Cr Whitton said.

Representatives included government agencies, retail businesses, accommodation venues, hospitality venues, culture, music and entertainment, transport and sporting industries.

BRAINSTORM: People representing a broad range of industries came together to determine the future of Orange tourism.

The Orange Visitors Centre is moving into a new location at the front of the Orange Regional Museum building.

The centre staff spent months working from the foyer of the Orange Civic Theatre while the construction of the museum was completed.

The centre started moving in over the weekend and deliveries of shop fittings were still being delivered yesterday (Tuesday) as staff helped tourists from across Australia with their inquiries.

Don and Margaret Burns, from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, called in to the new location yesterday. The couple wanted help with planning a few days in Orange as part of a 3 week road trip through central west NSW.

“We usually go to a visitors’ centre, find the accommodation and set ourselves up, whether we stay one two or three nights,” Don Burn said.

“We’ve got good information. There are a couple of caravan parks we’re going to look at and we’ll decide from there.’”

“We love coming back to Orange. We come back a few times a year and we always enjoy it,” Susan Johnston said.

“We went to the art gallery which we always like to visit and then we saw the Visitors’ Centre and thought it looks nice, and we wandered in,” Susan Johnston said.

“We’ve found some information about Carcoar, and we’ve found stubbie holders,” she said.

They were also keen to pick up some Australian souvenirs forfriends visiting from overseas.

”I’ve got relatives visiting from Canada, and I bought them little kangaroo pins,” Pauline Garde said.

Ms Johnston was impressed with the look of Orange’s new hub for tourist information, especially the wooden slat ceiling : “We think it’s beautifully set out, and the ceiling, it’s a work of art in itself. It’s really special.”

“It’s a very attractive space,” Ms Garde said.

“It’s quite welcoming with the chairs and the view, plus there’s a good range of information.”

While many travellers do their research online or via a smartphone Pauline Garde saw value in coming to an information centre.

“Susan picked up a map, and that will stay in the car now. Trying to fiddle with an ipad when you’re driving is not so easy," she said.

”Having a map with you is a wonderful thing.

“Yesterday we were in Cook Park and we were saying that we don’t know the early history of Orange well, but I looked here and there are books which are absolutely on topic.”

Around eighty thousand travellers call in to Orange Visitors Centre each year.

While a new information desk and brochure stands are in place, large information screen and ipads for use by travellers are still to be installed in the coming weeks.

VISITORS : Don and Margaret Burns from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria picked up useful information about where to stay in Orange from Visitors Centre staff member Aimee Zarnow.

Ethan Wilson is leading a small group of young people who want to make a difference in their community.

The Youth Action Council (YAC) was founded by Ethan and five other members with the help of Orange City Council’s Youth Development Officer Katrina Hausia.

“It’s designed to help the youth of Orange with advice on things such as job seeking and how to access educational programs, for example,” Ethan said.

It is also designed to change the ‘age-old’ view that there’s nothing in Orange for young people to do.

As part of the YAC’s mission to make Orange a better place for youth, it is hosting a drug and alcohol free, no nonsense band night at the Country Women’s Association (CWA) hall in Robertson Park, August 19.

Similar events have been run in the past with varying degrees of success and with this in mind Ethan believes he has a winning formula to draw crowds and ensure a good night is had by all.

“It will be an uphill battle that we’re prepared for,” Ethan said.

“Before I joined the Youth Council, I put on youth concerts, [My friends and I] put it on all by ourselves, with own money and one night we had about 100 people.

“We’ve sourced the best bands in the area and we think it’s going to be a good, safe night out.”

There are a few other motives behind the implementation of the upcoming band night, Ethan said he wanted to promote the (YAC) and encourage people to join, but he also wanted to show young musicians in the region, there were gigs around and opportunities to hone their skills.

“The gigs are a great opportunity to get contacts and get to know other musicians in the area,” he said.

The YAC meets once or twice a month on a Wednesday evening.

Ethan said the group is looking for young people who are willing to push for change, bring new ideas and who are dedicated to making a better Orange for young people.

The YAC band night starts at 6pm and is for people aged between 15 and 25 years.

It will feature G.T.O., Violet Skies, Tempermore and The Spooks.

For information contact Katrina Hausia by email at khausia@orange.nsw.gov.au

LIVE AND LOUD: Three parts of Violet Skies- Jericho Boquiren, Alasdair Denholm and Ethan Wilson hope the free band night on August 19 will be the first of many.

CONGRATULATIONS: Orange Civic Theatre staff (front) Blake Thomas, Peter Campbell, Peter Telford (front) Alisa Nicol, Michelle Pearce, Liz Kenny and Christine Nightingale are nominated for the Drover Award.

Orange City council’s Youth Development Officer Katrina Hausia meets young people every day but she said she has never met a young woman like Achok Aluk.

Achok has made such an impression on Ms Hausia and the rest of the youth development team that there was no debate when it came to nominating her for the Youth of the Month.

“She didn’t know anyone when she first came to me,” Ms Hausia said.

“I met her through the MERGE program…she is in the secondary school MERGE program now but she comes a week early every time to volunteer with the primary school kids MERGE.

“She is so confident, she readies lunches and supervises kids, she is just so mature that you can ask her to do anything and she will just go and do it.”

Achok came from Sudan when she was eight years old and did not speak English and said she found it difficult to make friends.

She said because of her experience, she volunteers her time helping others.

She wants all children in Orange to feel like they have someone to look up to, someone to talk to and someone who understands what they might be going through.

“I enjoy experiencing different things and it is good when the kids look up to you,” she said.

“It also make me feel very confident.”

Ms Hausia said Achok was an active member on the Council’s Youth Action Council and was a role model to younger Sudanese children.

Achokwas presented with Orange City Council’s latest Youth of the Month award, last week, by Mayor John Davis.

“People like Achok don’t do what they do for thanks, but she deserves thanks, wholeheartedly.”

YOUTH OF THE MONTH: James Sheahan Catholic High School student Achok Aluk is supported by Youth Development Officer Katrina Hausia as she is awarded Youth of the Month by Orange City Council Mayor John Davis.