Government

The repairs to the parking lot at Orange Lions City Park have been completed.

The parking lot had sustained increased utilization over the past few years, causing general deterioration, resulting in potholes, uneven ground, and standing water in areas of the lot.

The refurbished parking lot is a major improvement to the curb appeal of Orange Lions City Park and, more importantly, safer and more accessible for all visitors who come to enjoy the venue.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Gulf Coast Protection Division will be hosting a virtual public information session on Thursday, May 25, 2023, from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm regarding the Orange County Project.

This session will be an overview of the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay (S2G) Program and Orange County Project, which consists of a new levee and floodwall system and affects the City of Orange, West Orange, Pinehurst, Bridge City, and other communities in the area. The project delivery team will give a project status update, followed by a question-and-answer session.

This project will help Orange County be more resilient to future storm and flood events. While the new levee system will help reduce the risk of coastal surge flooding to its design elevation, no levee fully eliminates flood risk.

The main features authorized for the Orange County Project include:

• Approximately 20 miles of new earthen levees
• Approximately 3 miles of new concrete floodwalls
• Approximately 150-200 gravity drainage structures and 14-16 new pump stations, providing interior drainage for areas behind the levee/floodwall
• Approximately 40 closure structures located at road and railroad crossings
• Two navigable sector gates, with adjacent vertical lift gates, at Adams and Cow Bayous
• Restoration of coastal marsh and preservation of wetlands, as mitigation for the ecosystem values lost due to the construction and operation of the project

The public information session can be accessed via the project website at https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/S2G/OrangeCounty

The City of Orange Hotel/Motel Tax committee has released applications for non-profit entities within the City of Orange to apply for a portion of the City’s Hotel/Motel Tax funds. Any 501 (C) organization in the City of Orange that attracts visitors to the City of Orange, Texas, can submit applications to the committee. Under Section 351.101 (b) of the Texas Tax Code, revenue from the municipal hotel occupancy tax may be used ONLY to promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry.

Through the Hotel Occupancy Tax Grant Program, qualified events are able to apply for funds from the City of Orange. The mission of the Hotel Occupancy Tax Grant Program is to provide funds to directly enhance and promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry by applying to one of the following seven statutorily provided categories:

• Funding, improvement, or maintenance of a convention center or visitor information center.
• Paying the administrative costs for facilitating convention registration.
• Advertising, solicitations, and promotions that attract tourists and convention delegates to the City or its vicinity.
• Expenditures that promote arts.
• Funding historical restoration or preservation programs.
• Funding costs in certain counties to hold sporting events that substantially increase hotel activities.
• Signage directing tourists to sights and attractions that are visited frequently by hotel guests in the municipality.

Applications will be accepted May 15, 2023, through July 14, 2023, at 5 P.M. Applied funds must be for activities occurring October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024.

Applications may be submitted via email to lharrell@orangetexas.gov or delivered by mail or in person to City Hall, 812 N. 16th Street, Orange, Texas 77630, Attention: Leigh Anne Harrell.

For additional information, please contact Leigh Anne Harrell at 409-221-3325 or by email at lharrell@orangetexas.gov .

The Hotel Occupancy Tax Grant Application Form can be found here.

The City of Orange would like to introduce Alison Clary as the newly appointed Communication and Marketing Coordinator.

Alison graduated from Little Cypress-Mauriceville before heading to Texas A&M University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and history. From there, she interned with Walt Disney World through the Disney College Program. After completing the internship, she moved back to Texas and worked as a marketer at Harvey-Cleary, a general contracting company in San Antonio. Now, Alison is happy to be back home in Orange and excited to be a part of all the great things happening in the community.

On April 25, 2023, the Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors unanimously voted to appoint Jason Rodrigue of Dow, Sabine River Works, as the new EDC Board President.