Opened in 1965, the Function Centre was heavily financed by community fundraising and then built by local tradies who in the years following, danced to the likes of the Easybeats, Billy Thorpe, Normie Rowe and Johnny O'Keefe, and then watched their kids graduate there.

Despite its enduring place in the community's heart, the Function Centre is in desperate need of an upgrade and Orange City Councillor Tammy Greenhalgh said she was disappointed nothing had been allocated towards that in the 2022-23 budget.

At Cr Greenhalgh's request, which was unanimously backed by council at its May 3 meeting, council staff were asked to provide a report on the building and its future viability. It was also encouraging community feed-back through a YourSay online survey.

The survey will be a first step towards creating a masterplan for the building and could lead to some soul searching by residents who must decide if they wish to maintain and upgrade the almost 55-year-old building.

Or for that matter, if they feel council should be responsible for operating a function centre in the first instance.

"Before we begin an investigation of how much it's worth spending, it's time to hear from the community about what they value about the building and what's the best way of meeting that need," Cr Greenhalgh said.

"Is there a role for the Council or should we leave it to other organisations to provide venues like this?"

Cr Greenhalgh said she believes the building is worth protecting.

"My opinion is not to bulldoze it," she said.

"I think that it's in a prime location and I think it holds a lot of history for the town."

"And I just don't think we can rely on someone else, or another business in town to provide that sort of service with the pace that the town's growing and expanding. I don't think we can sit on our hands and say maybe [a commercial operator], or someone will do that at a later date."

But, she said, it's up to the community to have its say.

"My biggest thing is I don't think it's responsible to leave it there at the standard that it's at."

The only venue capable of hosting 600 or 700 patrons, the centre took 27 bookings during 2021 which was impacted by the pandemic but this year has more than doubled that number with 78 so far.

An eight-year-old assessment of the Function Centre prompted spending on a number of maintenance projects to address potential safety issues. That maintenance work has continued.

That investigation also found it would take around $3 million to fully renovate the building which would include installing a new kitchen and up-to-date conference facilities.

OCC allocates around $300,000 a year to cover the operating loss of the function centre.

First known as the Amoco Hall, the building has been operated by Orange City Council since 1990 when it was handed over by the East Orange Sports and Social Club.

"Over the years it's been a hub, a place where the Orange community gathers together for large-scale events. Whether it's a black-tie ball, a school graduation or an antique fair, that building has been a great venue for many events every year. A room of that size is not something the community will want to lose," Cr Greenhalgh said.

"On the other hand, there's the cost of maintaining a 50-year-old building. The council could spend a lot of money on bringing it up to scratch ... but at the end of the day we'd still have a 50-year-old building."

To have your say about the future of the Orange Function Centre go to yoursay.orange.nsw.gov.au/function-centre-future

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