ORANGE CITY
NEWSWATCH
LOCAL NEWS DELIVERED WITH — INTEGRITY — WISDOM — BALANCE Saturday 13 June, 2020
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BOOM TOWN! NEW WORKS HELPING ORANGE RECOVER FROM BIG SLOWDOWN
Talking POINTS
with BOB HOLLAND
In Newswatch a few weeks back, I floated the idea of establishing what I called the Orange Walk of Art. The idea being that along the main walking track at the Botanical Gardens, we place murals or other artworks for walkers and visitors to enjoy. I thought then, and still do, it’s a great idea and very doable, so much so that I’d like encourage a serious community discussion on the idea, especially among those who have an interest the Botanical Gardens, local art or simply adding to our tourist offering. I’d particularly be interested in hearing from a service club who may like to consider becoming involved as part of their community service. Let’s start talking about the idea, in the meantime I’ll keep you posted with what do. There are some strange people out there, or maybe just desperate. Last week I heard of someone seen swapping large eggs with small eggs between cartons at a local supermarket. Really, do people do that?
Major new developments for Orange show the colour city is set to become a boom-town as it quickly rebounds from the coronavirus crisis. A near-record Long Weekend for visitors, major new fast-food developments on the northern distributor and in town, a new truck stop development, and plans for three major CBD hotel developments, forecast a bright future, Orange Mayor, Councillor Reg Kidd said. “We’ve got two hotels that will open within 12 months, so that’s incredible in itself,” Cr Kidd said. The coronavirus lockdown has barely-
dented development in the city, Director of Development Services, Mark Hodges said. “We’ve got around 100 development applications for a total value of around $60 million,” Mr Hodges said. “There’s three DA’s for hotels, so that’s pretty impressive on its own,” Mr Hodges added. A proposed new truck stop development and series of fast-food outlets in north Orange on a “greenfields” site near Bunnings on the northern distributor is only one of a number of positive indicators for the local economy, Cr Kidd thinks. “I believe two things are generating the growth for Orange, the health precinct (at Bloomfield) with the hospital, Ronald
McDonald House, nursing homes, and the private hospital that is about threequarters finished. There’s also a new motel adjacent to the private hospital. “There’s also the new DPI building that will contain more than just the department itself. There’s also some infrastructure and planning staff relocating there as well,” Cr Kidd said. The Mayor, in his last term before retiring at the delayed Council elections in 2021, said that Council must pursue as much capital works funds as possible while Federal and State governments are allocating money to help local communities recover from the coronavirus.
See page two for more stories
Recently my wife and I watched a movie called Call of the Wild with Harrison Ford. We thought it would be just another rework of one of the stories about a dog called Buck and his ventures in the Yukon. It sort of was but nothing like we expected. It’s not a blockbuster but for sheer entertainment, it’s a cracker! It’s absolutely amazing what they can do with digital technology today, a la the latest Lion King movie. What do you think of the new lights that adorn parts of Summer Street now? They’re certainly bright! I was encouraged last week when my delivery guy told me our printer had overprinted Newswatch and we ended up getting closer to 6,000 copies rather than the 5,000 we ordered. Better still, he tells me to order an extra 500 each week because they are going so well. Not all local newspapers are dying, eh?