By Gabriel Ouzounian
Review staff writer
It seems that one address was not enough to detail the entire state of the township.
In the early hours of Thursday, Feb. 3, Orion Township Supervisor Matthew Gibb took the stage once again at King’s Court in Olde World Canterbury Village to further detail how the township fared. This time he, concentrated more on Orion’s achievements.
Achievements such as the relatively speedy organization, planning, and construction of the Orion Senior Center.
‘Back in 2010’s State of the Township address, we said ‘this community needs a new senior center, and we think we know how to do it,?? said Gibb. ‘Here we are, just a year later, almost to the day, and were four months away from an operating facility.?
Gibb continued, mentioning breaking ground on the new amphitheater in Civic Center Park on Joslyn Road, and beginning construction on the new water tower on Brown Road.
He went on to mention upcoming events, including the Growing Green Earth Day Expo, the Dragon Dash, the Senior Expo in May, and free concerts in the park as part of the Concerts in the Park series.
Gibb also discussed Orion’s current economic state, including Michigan’s loss of over 850,000 jobs from 2001 to 2010, declining personal income rates, and declining taxes as a result of being a percentage of personal income.
Yet despite the bad news Gibb delivered, he had a number of examples to show that Orion’s state was getting better.
Mentioning fLipSpot Gymnastics, a new business that opened in Orion Township, Gibb poked fun at Orion Township’s former reputation as a community that is difficult to do business in.
‘fLipSpot Gymnastics has opened, and they came here in the last week of November, and their grand opening was two weeks ago,? said Gibb. ‘They completely remodeled the interior of the building, and we got them through the planning process.
‘Can you believe that, in Orion Township, we got someone through the planning process here from November??
He also mentioned the reopening of the Orion Assembly Plant, noting that more cars are sold in China than in the United States.
‘You know what that means for Orion?? said Gibb. ‘That means that we’re going to be building the cars that are selling in China, and will probably be one of the fastest selling products in China.
‘We build a quality product.?
During Gibb’s previous State of the Township Address, he focused on what Orion was doing to make itself more appealing to businesses, what businesses were interested in opening in Orion, and why Orion was attracting these businesses.
Over 100 people were in attendance at the Feb. 3 address, including members of the Lake Orion Village Council, Orion Township Trustees, and state representatives.