THE issue of funerals, complete with coffins and hearses, returning to the Orange Botanic Gardens produced some emotional debate at Tuesday night's Orange City Council meeting.
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Council staff had recommended funerals be permitted after overwhelming community support through the YourSay Orange website where 75 per cent of respondents agreed with the proposal.
However Cr Kevin Duffy asked for an amendment to council's recommendation, to factor in a 12 month trial period with a review of the matter in May 2023.
He said he had received calls from the number of elderly people who were against the motion.
Deputy Mayor Gerald Power, who was the original author of the proposal, said the survey numbers reflected the community's decision.
"The numbers have come in and the numbers are here. If we visit this is another 12 months, what are we doing ... we're just not doing the right thing," he said.
"The community have spoken."
Cr Tammy Greenhalgh agreed, saying there was no reason the matter couldn't be revisited at a later date and the motion had already been on exhibition for 28 days, resulting in widespread support.
"I think if we're going to do it we've got to be passionate about it. We've been voted in by our community to make the right decisions and the numbers do speak for themselves," she said.
"I understand there is an older demographic in our community but things are changing. It's like I said originally, do you as a parent make a conscious decision not to drive past a church because your child because they may see a coffin?
"The mental health of young children is important. Funerals, yes they are confronting but for young children to have the opportunity attend a funeral in an open space .. it just relaxes things a lot more."
Cr Frances Kinghorne asked council had pursued other avenues for feedback other than the online platform, and she asked if the Friends of the Botanic Gardens had been consulted.
Council Director Scott Maunder responded they had and were generally not happy with the idea.
But he said their thoughts had been included in the overall feedback which included other medium other than YourSay. Orange
Cr Mileto said he felt Cr Duffy's amendment was an opportunity to allow flexibility and which could also lead to improvement.
"It just gives us an opportunity to review things and perhaps improve things," he said.
In the end, the original three-point motion was carried.
Play time
Playgrounds were the hot-ticket item at Tuesday night's Orange City Council meeting, with the progression of three discussed.
Council staff were congratulated on their fast work in pulling together plans for the temporary indoor playground which will be opened next month while the construction of the Matthews Park outdoor playground, which had stalled due to heavy rainfall earlier this year was also discussed.
A FutureCity's project, the Matthews Park playground is expected to be finished at the end of this month.
Councillors endorsed a staff recommendation the Orange Indoor Tennis Centre is used as the venue for the temporary playground, subject to final negotiations with the club. Falling that, the event will utilise the Carl Sharpe Cricket Centre as a venue.
Council is also planning to build a rage-cage on the old Moulder Park netball courts.
Cr Jeff Whitton asked for more information of the plan, which was listed on the project activities compiled by Council CEO David Waddell.
"Is that where you go after you meet with Cr Duffy," Cr Whitton quipped.
Director Scott Maunder explained 'rage-cage' was a proprietary name for a multi-sport court.
"If you think of a netball court, for example, around the perimeter of the netball court is fending and then within that there is multiple sport."
He said half court or full court basketball, Futsal or soccer, a netball court, hit up areas for handball or tennis.
"It's a self-contained, multiple sports product," he said adding fencing enables balls to be kept in court.
Name game
The push to have the Northern Distributor Road renamed to recognise the service of former councillor Glenn Taylor has led to a wider consideration of candidates for Orange's street names.
Cr Steve Peterson on Tuesday night asked council to seek community input for the names of people with strong historical links to the city with the goal of compiling a list of candidates fit for recognition with street or road names.
"A list of potential names may make that possibility easier to realise," Cr Peterson's motion said.
According to the Geographic Names Board, a person must have been dead for over 12 months to be considered.
The suggestion to change the name of the NDR is on public exhibition.
Cr Peterson's motion was passed unanimously.
Cr Peterson also asked for council's website and social media pages to feature an updated diary information community committee meeting dates, times and locations which was also fully supported.
The Orange Function centre could be in for a makeover following the acceptance of Cr Tammy Greenhalgh's motion to pursue the community's views on the future use of the building.
Cr Jack Evans agreed with the motion and said his discussion with the business community reinforced the need to update to building, built during the 19702.
Cr Evans and Cr Duffy were nominated as Orange's delegate for the NSW Local Road congress, to be held at NSW Parliament House on June 6.
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