By Myoshi Price

The Orange Leader

Orange County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) met at Lamar State College-Orange Thursday, September 22, to come up with new ideas that could bring more business to the Orange area. This was one of the two meetings held this week to hear from the citizens of Orange County.

The EDC was formed in 2003, but disbanded last year due to lack of funding and results. Executive Director Jessica Hill began with an overview of the meeting structure. The ideas were put into a SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats) Analysis that could be used for development plans for the next three to five years.

The future of a new H.E.B. or Chick-fil-a are looking slim to none as land vacancies comes into play. The vacant lots throughout the county aren’t as easy to identify as the owners have abandoned the properties without a forwarding address or listed them as vacant at all.

Among other topics discussed were the EDC $180,000 budget, employment opportunities, and community reputation. The need of citizens to attend and increase membership with in this organization would spread the positive message Orange County needs to build. The EDC is making a start with cleaning up the reputation with a Facebook page and a new website for residents to view and leave inputs.

To find out more information and the next meeting dates visit http://orangecountyedc.com.