By Dawn Burleigh

 

Orange Director of Public Works and Engineering Department Jim Wolf, P.E., R.P.L.S. heard a citizen comment during a recent city council meeting.

What people did not notice was Wolf taking notes as the man spoke.

Mr. Dixon spoke on the issues he was having when it rained and not being able to flush his toilet. He even pointed out what he believed was the problem – a manhole.

Dixon, 93, was in Iwo Jima when ‘that little bomb was dropped’, as he put it.

Wolf said he was going to see Dixon first thing in the morning and see what could be done to correct the problem.

Checking in with Wolf a couple of days later, he confirmed he had seen Dixon first thing Wednesday morning.

Wolf said he thought the manhole cover was missing when he heard about the issue at the Tuesday evening city council meeting. However, that was not the case. The situation was quickly remedied.

A repaired manhole may not be the complete answer for the problem, so Wolf offered a suggestion as well of the pros and cons of going that route. At this time, Dixon is weighing the option before making a decision.

City staff and employees quite often do not hear of a problem until citizen comments at a city council meeting. However, as witnessed as I sit behind different department heads, someone starts making notes so it can be addressed as soon as possible.

Orange City Manager Dr. Shawn Oubre will ask the citizen for his or her phone number so someone may follow up on the issue.

This is just one example of how the city of Orange cares about the residents.

Mayor Larry Spears Jr. wants to have an ordinance changed, which would allow ice cream trucks to sell in residential areas in the city of Orange.

Changing the ordinance would have a two-fold effect.

First, children could enjoy hearing the sound of ice cream trucks jingles as they approach. Second, it would open new economic possibilities to the area. Residents would buy ice cream; drivers would buy ice cream and gasoline to drive the routes. Sounds like a win-win for the city as both help improve the quality of life.

It is everyone working together which will bring such changes. While Spears is striving to make changes, he cannot do it alone. It will take all citizens, the staff and employees of Orange and the council working together for a brighter future.

So when the mayor says he would like to see about changing an ordinance to bring ice cream trucks back to Orange, we need to have his back and show our support.

 

Dawn Burleigh is editor of The Orange Leader. She can be reached at dawn.burleigh@orangeleader.com