County's first Quality of Life Report released

Data shows where county excels and needs improvement , By Nancy Kriz SUGAR LOAF — The Orange County Citizens Foundation has released its first Quality of Life report, intended to provide initial data on approximately 120 indicators in nine different categories showing where the county excels and has issues of concern, all of which impact residents. The report, released last week, is the first of its kind for Orange County, according to Nancy Proyect, president of the foundation’s Board of Directors, who views this report as a reference point for the quality of life within the county. She expects it to define policy directions for the foundation and hopefully for Orange County. The foundation is a membership-based public policy organization that advocates for the greater public good in Orange County, Proyect explained. For the past 35 years, its goal has been to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Orange County. “We have two basic goals for this report,” said Proyect. “One is to use it as a baseline and prepare updated reports biannually. The second is to get people to look at these indicators. If you find one that is of interest to you and take note of it and start talking about it, the perhaps discussions can start and action can be taken. That’s where we’ll be successful.” “People should look at this with an ‘it is what it is’ thinking and with ideas as to how to move forward,” said Proyect. “It will give us a baseline for which to focus our efforts on in the coming years. Instead of anecdotal information, we have hard numbers.” Proyect knows the information can be interpreted in different ways. For example, Proyect noted a finding where the number of people age 25 to 34 has increased in Orange County. Is this because these younger-aged people can’t afford to live on their own and are living at home with parents, or are they migrating into Orange County because surrounding areas are too expensive and the county is more affordable? “I’m not sure what the answers are,” she said. “But we hope this report will get communication going. There are different ways to look at the data.” Proyect agreed the report should be viewed without judgment and as a launching point for potential future improvements. “It’s easy to say what’s great about the county but difficult to say what’s wrong,” she said. “We hope this puts pressure on community leaders and elected officials to act.” The foundation commissioned the School of Business at SUNY New Paltz to conduct the research, which began in December 2006. Copies of the report will soon be available at Orange County libraries. Interested parties can also contact the foundation at 469-9459 for a free copy as well. The report can also be downloaded at www.occf-ny.org.