The future of the Orange Function Centre is up for discussion with Orange City Council asking the community for its views on how the building should be used and developed.
The Council will engage with the community about the future use of the centre as the first step towards drafting a new masterplan to guide the development of the building.
The review was a result of a motion from Councillor Tammy Greenhalgh at a 3 May Council meeting. Council decided to ask for an update on recent upgrades and called for information about the cost of possible future work.
The building in Eyles Street, first known as the Amoco Hall, was built in 1965 as a community volunteer project. It has been operated by Orange City Council since 1990.
Cr Greenhalgh said with the number of bookings at the venue starting to rise following the economic recovery after the pandemic, it was an ideal time to look at its future.
“Like most entertainment venues, the Orange Function Centre has been quiet in recent years due to the pandemic, but that’s starting to turn around,” Cr Greenhalgh said.
There were 27 events at the centre last year during the pandemic, but this year there are already more than 78 bookings. The Council allocates around $300,000 a year to cover the operating loss of the function centre.
“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 by installing a modern kitchen or turning it into a contemporary conference centre, but at the end of the day we’d still have a 50-year-old building. That’s what we need to look at closely. I want to make is clear I don’t want to bull-doze the existing building.”
In 2014 an assessment of the function centre building prompted spending on a number of maintenance projects to address potential safety issues. That maintenance work has continued since then. That investigation also found it would take around $3 million (in today’s money) to fully renovate the building.
“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?”
To have your say about the future of the Orange Function Centre go to YourSay Orange.
