Central Coast Council is working to distribute and complete a customer satisfaction survey about Central Coast library membership services currently available for readers and visitors.

The next phase of the new state-of-the-art Mardi Water Treatment Plant has been locked in with the contract being awarded to Abergeldie Contractors Pty Ltd.The $82.5 million project will not only provide a significant boost to jobs but will help secure the region’s water future by providing up to 160 million litres of drinking water every day.The NSW Government provided $6.85 million through the Safe and Secure Water Program along with over $75 million from Central Coast Council.Director of Water and Sewer Jamie Loader said it was time we brought the plant into the 21st century.“The Mardi Water Treatment Plant typically provides around half of all drinking water to the Central Coast, future proofing this asset and ensuring it can continue to deliver safe and secure water to our customers is a key priority.“Early works have already been completed to prepare the plant for this major upgrade including remediation of the sludge lagoons, upgrade of lagoon inlet structures and clearing of the south-western lagoon for the first time since it was constructed in 1982.“This will provide a reservoir to capture any untreated water during testing and commissioning of the new processes,” Mr Loader said.Desludging of the lagoon commenced in November 2019 and was completed in May 2023, removing over 30,000m3 of sludge from the lagoon.Central Coast Council Administrator, Rik Hart congratulated Abergeldie Contractors Pty Ltd on being awarded the contract.“Mardi Water Treatment Plant was built in 1982 with the last major upgrade of the facility completed 10 years after that.

Thirty-two nations, one dream, one trophy – forever world champions.

Council’s Public Forum trial was concluded following the June 2023 meeting.

Central Coast Council is appealing to residents to be careful with what they put in their waste and recycling bins and bulk kerbside clean ups, following several recent incidents where collected household waste has caught fire.

Central Coast Council is once again inviting emerging and established makers and creators to join Creative Spaces with the opportunity to occupy the program’s container activations.The new location for the popular gallery container will be at Toukley’s Village Green, with the opportunity for the creative community to deliver installations, exhibitions, and creative workshops in three-month blocks.

As the Central Coast gears up to host Germany and England for their team base training camps during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia &

Central Coast Council adopted the 2023-24 Operational Plan at Tuesday night’s Council Meeting.The Operational Plan identifies a focus on maintaining our road networks, caring for community open space, as well as working on improving the response time for development applications.

School holidays start next week, and once again Central Coast Council has lots of free and affordable activities and events. Council Director of Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said our popular school holiday program is delivered from a range of facilities including the Gosford Regional Gallery, libraries, leisure centres and theatres.“This winter we have a mix of activities to entertain and capture the interest all ages – from a supersized gym room, stop motion workshop, glow rooms, art and craft, gaming, indigenous virtual reality and lots more,” Ms Smith said.“One of the highlights of this holiday program is the celebration of NAIDOC week through virtual reality technology, as the Pamagirri group transports viewers (in a full 360-degree view) to Far North Queensland where they will demonstrate songs, legends and art.“Gosford Regional Gallery events often book out fast, and this winter program looks to be no different.

Central Coast Council is calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for three community members to join the Chain Valley Colliery Community Advisory Panel.

The life stories of the famers who call the Central Coast home are set to come alive in a visual spectacular this Saturday for one afternoon only.When These Mountains Speak is an innovative series of pictures and stories that highlight the stories of seven farming families from diverse backgrounds.

Solar and battery systems have been installed at 20 Rural Fire Stations across the Central Coast to ensure services can continue to operate independently should a grid power fail occur during natural disasters.Central Coast Council’s Director Environment and Planning, Dr Alice Howe said the initiative will be of particular importance to the many community members who live in isolated and vulnerable areas across our large Local Government Area, who have previously faced limited access to basic needs such as power and vital emergency services during natural disasters.“The installation of solar and battery systems at local Rural Fire Stations will provide the community with the assurance that they can access emergency services during times of need,” Dr Howe said.Dr Howe said Council has partnered with NSW Public Works to manage this initiative, which is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.“The ability to generate and store renewable energy also provides economic benefits, including savings on the consumption and cost of electricity.”Council Administrator, Rik Hart said this is a great move towards further ensuring that our community and local emergency services are prepared when faced with natural disasters.“It is crucial that our local fire services can maintain operational during a bush fire and these new resources will help to achieve that.

With just 36 days until kick-off in the opening matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia &

Five professional and two emerging local creatives have been selected to deliver innovative and contemporary new works as part of Central Coast Council’s ‘Creative Art Central’ program 2022/23.Creative Art Central is an annual commissioning program which offers funds for established and emerging creatives of diverse disciplines living on the Central Coast.

National touring exhibition William Kentridge - I Am Not Me, The Horse Is Not Mine will be travelling to the Central Coast’s Gosford Regional Gallery from 17 June to 27 August 2023.I Am Not Me, The Horse Is Not Mine premiered at the Biennale of Sydney in 2008 and was gifted to the Art Gallery of New South Wales by Anita and Luca Belgiorno-Nettis in 2017.Central Coast Council Regional Gallery Director, Tim Braham said William Kentridge is one of the most powerful voices in art today, with this ambitious moving image installation now the most significant work by the artist in an Australian museum collection. “Emerging as an artist during the apartheid regime in South Africa and grounded in the violent absurdity of that period in his country’s history, William Kentridge’s artworks draw connections between art, ideology, history and memory,” Mr Braham said. “I Am Not Me, The Horse Is Not Mine is a deeply immersive large-scale, eight-screen video installation.

12 months ago the Central Coast became the second only destination in NSW to achieve international recognition as a sustainable destination through Ecotourism Australia’s ECO Destination Certification program – just in time for World Environment Day.Now as one of only seven ECO Destinations in Australia, Council is proud to be home to seven ECO Certified tourism businesses on the Coast, with another 10 local operators having commenced their journey to achieve ECO Certification.

 Artists from around Australia are invited to submit works to compete for the Central Coast’s major institutional art prize, the annual Gosford Art Prize. The Gosford Regional Gallery is accepting submissions online now until entries close on 24 July 2023 at 4pm.Gosford Art Prize offers an exciting range of opportunities for visual artists working in any art form to showcase their work to a large audience and potentially become an acquisition of the Central Coat's art collection.

Central Coast Council Water and Sewer is seeking feedback from Central Coast residents and businesses about Council’s water and sewer services.The community is encouraged to share their feedback in an online survey which will be launched on Council’s website on Monday, 5 June. Council’s Director of Water and Sewer, Jamie Loader said community participation will help identify Council’s water and sewer key focus areas moving forward. “Greater participation in the survey will ensure that Council’s water and sewer services and investment are focussed towards the areas that our customers and community values most.“The survey is the third and final phase of the current community consultation, however we will continue to engage with our community into the future. “Phases one and two consisted of face-to-face forums and focus groups.

Central Coast beach patrol season came to an official close on Tuesday 25 April 2023, with the 2023/24 season to recommence on Saturday 23 September 2023.The year’s summer season saw over 3.7million visitations on the Coast’s 15 patrolled beaches during Council lifeguard and Surf Life Saving Central Coast patrolling periods.

Council’s 2023-24 Community Grant Programs are now open, with $900,000 in annual funding available.