Feedback aplenty!
When Orange City Life decided to make our Community Project this year Put Orange First, we knew it would take a while before any worthwhile momentum might start to happen.
Well I think that time may now be fast approaching. Nothing too exciting has happened yet but the signs that something soon will are there. Let me give you another update.
Before I do, let me restate our main aims with Put Orange First. There are a lot of things that we may do along the way but behind the initiate our main objective is to support and encourage local small business owners. We want the public to better appreciate the value small business owners are to our local community, and we want the owners themselves to feel they are appreciated. Part of the process is for Put Orange First to try and get more people coming to Orange to do business more often. That, along with encouraging locals to shop locally more often, will go a long way towards our small business owners, one of who I am, to feel better about a lot of things.
Main street flags
Our idea to try and have colourful flags flying permanently along Summer Street is progressing well. We are well down the track with concept designs etc. and we’ll soon be talking to Council about what we and they can and can’t do. We’ll keep you informed.
Pot Luck Saturdays
Our next one of these is on Saturday March 30th and it will be better than our first attempt held last month. For these to become something that people take notice of and support, we need more businesses involved and more publicity from those with the power to help us get the word out. We’re doing our part and we’re talking to others about coming on board. More will be known after our next one next week.
Main street
Last week we put a call out on Facebook asking people for suggestions on what we could do to brighten up our Main Street (Summer St.)? We specifically asked for ideas that would not be overly expensive to implement. We received a pleasing response and some great suggestions came forward. We’ll process the ideas and let you know more on these later, but one thing did come through loud and clear. There is a strong belief that something could and should be done.
Council’s role
I have also fielded quite several calls from readers, including business owners, wanting to say that they appreciate what we are trying to do for Orange. There is also a strong feeling that other Centres are progressing much faster than Orange, mainly because, on appearances, nothing is happening in Orange. There is a feeling, among the people who have contacted me at least, that our Council has ground to a stop. I think it’s fair to say that’s not the case but as they say, perception is reality and many people perceive that nothing of value or what’s needed is happening.
My personal feelings are well known by anyone who has been following my Put Orange First updates and comments, so hearing from others and that they are feeling the same way is encouraging. My hope now is that the general feelings I’m hearing from people find their way into the ears of those who have the responsibility and power to do something about it. Dear Orange Councillors, are you listening?