Orne Council - Alain Lambert’s Blog

The Council’s ‘Permanent Commission’ (composed of elected representatives)  meets every month to vote on projects to help the county and its inhabitants. The Commission last met on the 27th March 2009 and took, amongst others, the following decisions…

► Promoting cultural events and employment

The council voted a budget of 250,000 euros for village and ‘intercommune’ structure initiatives to promote quality cultural events. The county’s Music Teaching Scheme is one of such initiatives - it aims to employ qualified music teachers in order to ensure an optimal level of teaching. That is why the Conservatoire in Alençon recruited three people in 2008: a music teacher/choir master, a stage manager and an administrator for the ‘partothèque’ (a sheet-music library). The council participated in this recruitment by funding 50% of their salary costs for 3 years, which amounts to a total of 79,000 euros.

► Creating and sustaning employment

Two companies, SARL Prod’homme in Athis-de-l’Orne and SAS Grimbert in Putanges-Pont-Ecrepin have benefited from Council aid for their expansion plans. SARL Prod’homme in Athis-de-l’Orne specialises in excavation and material wholesale. It wishes to expand its wholesale business to meet the needs of local professionals and will be extending its site by the addition of a 1,200 m2 building. Currently employing 16 people, this increase in trade is expected to lead to the recruitment of a further 6 people in the next 3 years. The County has offered a grant of 140,000 euros to help with this expansion.

SAS Grimbert in Putanges-Pont-Ecrepin manufactures palets. It was founded in 1974 and currently has 16 employees. It plans to build a new storage area to ensure a better ambiante environment for its stock (less humidity). The Council has offered a grant of nearly 13,000 euros.

► Developing rural heritage

The Council offers a grant for the planting of hedgerows which is based on the pre-tax cost of plants and weed-suppresors. It amounts to 1 euro per metre planted, with a minimum of 200 metres for private individuals and 2 euros per metre if it’s part of a village scheme.

The ‘Communauté de communes’* de la Haute-Varenne et du Houlme has decided to instigate a campaign of hedge-planting, with a plan of putting back 5km of hedgerows. The Council has awarded them a grant of 10,000 euros to help with the project.

► Get moving!

The Council aims to help those interested in sports at either a competitive level or for leisure and fitness. That is why is has just awarded:

• nearly 230,000 euros to 35 sporting committees offering facilities across the county
• 25,000 for sporting events: the 12th Trail de la Vallée de la Vère on the 26th April; the 14th Badminton tournament in Aigle on the 28th and 29th March; 15,000 euros to Karting 61 which is organising the European Championship Finals (KF1 and KF2) from the 30th July to 2nd August at the West International Circuit in the Pays d’Essay. This top-class event will be welcoming 40 of the sport’s elite from around the world.
• Over 20,000 euros is being given in grants to two outstanding sportsmen: Laurent Chartrain, French D2 Rally champion in 2006 and Adrien Clémenceau, French N2 althetics champion in 2007, and 4th in the French 60m indoor hurdles championships.

► The wellbeing of the elderly

For the last three years the Council has given 12M euros towards renovating care homes for the elderly. Between now and 2012 it plans on spending a further 15M euros on works programmed in 30 retirement homes and hospitals. This year 3.5M euros have been attributed to:

Retirement homes:

• Les Hauts Vents Flers - 193,106 €
• JB Lecornu Flers - 36,537 €
• Longny au Perche - 100,485 €
• La Miséricorde Sées - 183,948 €
• Bagnoles de l’Orne - 31,077 €
• Le Pin la Garenne - 90,000 €
• Coulonges Sur Sarthe - 86,305 €
• Damigny - 89,637 €
• Occagnes - 200,000 €
• Echauffour - 20,000 €
• Les Epiceas Tinchebray - 97,420 €
• L’Esprit de Famille Tinchebray - 100,000 €
• Trun - 324,307 €
• Chanu - 100,000 €
• Bretoncelles - 200,000 €
• Couterne - 300,000 €
• CH Mortagne au Perche - 420,000 €

Hospitals:

• Argentan - 50,000 €
• Sées - 22,300 €
• Flers - 50,000 €
• CHIC des Andaines - 250,000 €
• Hopital Local de Bellême - 644,514 €

* A ‘Communauté de communes’ is a an inter-village cooperative structure defined in law and regrouping several villages/towns which are geographically connected. It is run by a council of elected representatives from the villages concerned and aims to put in place projects which will help with economic development, land management, quality of life, environment, roads, sanitation, sport and culture… There are almost 2,400 CDCs in France, and the number is constantly growing.