Council remains committed to sustainable water supply management The Central Coast will remain on Level 1 Water Restrictions until at least November 2020.

Residents may have already spotted the first of a series of artworks popping up on the side of local roads recently as a number of nbn™ network nodes have been wrapped in striking indigenous designs.Council’s Director of Connected Communities, Julie Vaughan said the designs were created under the Maliga program in collaboration with local schools across the Coast - Kincumber Public, Kincumber HS, Wyong HS, Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College (both The Entrance and Berkeley Vale Campuses) and Wadalba Community School.“This inclusive project brings together the rich tapestry of our community and supports reconciliation through the celebration of Aboriginal arts and culture,” Ms Vaughan said.“These designs truly display the meaning of Maliga which is to ‘shine’ in Darkinjung language and they certainly take pride of place in our neighbourhoods.

Central Coast Council is helping young people 'help a mate' with a series of online workshops and video-based sessions exploring youth mental health and providing practical tips on coping with stressful life events.Kicking off this Wednesday with an online session from the Black Dog Institute, the series explores typical life events such as school or work transitions and exam pressures, along with the added crisis of living through a global pandemic.Council’s Director Connected Communities, Julie Vaughan said when Council asked for young people’s input into the Coast’s Youth Strategy, they identified their own and friends’ mental health as being one of their top priorities.“With the help of Council’s Youth Action Team Y4Y, we’re providing ways young people can identify when they or a friend are at risk of experiencing poor mental health and giving practical tools to cope with stressful circumstances and build resilience,” Ms Vaughan said.“We’ve enlisted the expertise of one of Australia’s most respected mental health organisations, the Black Dog Institute, to talk about teens and young people and their mental health.”Suitable for young people, carers, parents and teachers, the full series of Help A Mate events is:Black Dog Institute online session, 15 July, 12pmVideo release – yoga, 29 July, 12pmAction Education online session - 12 August, 6pmVideo Release – meditation, 26 August, 12pmVideo Release – Y4Y - R U OK video tips & tricks, 9 September, 12pmMayor Lisa Matthews said helping young people learn how to be resilient through stressful times is an important investment society can make in creating a better future.“Our young people matter to us all, and we want them to move forward into their futures with the attitude and tools which will help them to find success and happiness in life.Register now for Wednesday’s online session at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/help-a-mate

Central Coast Council is calling for community members who live with a disability, family members or carers of someone living with a disability and people who work in the disability sector to submit an Expression of Interest to join its Access and Inclusion Reference Group.The Reference Group assists Council in implementing its Disability Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the actions Council will deliver to enable people with disabilities to better access mainstream services, facilities, information and support to be fully included and able to participate in community life. Council’s Director Connected Communities, Julie Vaughan said this Reference Group will have an additional role.“The current Action Plan is in its final year, so the Reference Group will have the important task of helping us develop our new Disability Inclusion Action Plan which will help shape access and inclusion in our community from 2021-2025,” Ms Vaughan said.Mayor Lisa Matthews urged people with a lived experience of disability to get involved.“To be a truly responsive and inclusive community, our Coast needs to hear the voices of people who live with disabilities and understand the barriers they experience to full community participation,” Mayor Matthews said.Submissions are now open and close 5pm Thursday 23 July 2020.Further information available at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/EOI or by contacting Disability Inclusion Officer Jodie Frost Foster, 4325 8109 or Jodie.Frost-Foster@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au

Parthenium weed has recently been found in a Ravensdale chicken yard on the Central Coast.The weed causes health problems in humans and livestock, reduces carrying capacity of farmland, and contaminates grain.Central Coast Council Unit Manager of Environmental Management, Luke Sulkowski said that although the weed is uncommon in NSW, we need to be vigilant.“This finding of parthenium at Ravensdale, and at Engadine in southern Sydney earlier in the year have both been linked to contaminated, organic wholegrain chicken feed produced in Queensland,” Mr Sulkowski said.“This is a devastating weed, and the community plays a vital role in preventing it take hold in NSW.“If you think you have seen this weed on the Coast please contact Council immediately, or the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Biosecurity Helpline 1800 680 244, and our weed officers will help identify if it is parthenium and if so, help eradicate it.”NSW DPI State Priority Weeds coordinator, Nicola Dixon said with 20 infestations this year, NSW has had the highest number of parthenium incursions since 1999.“The community has played an important role in finding the weed and allowing Council weeds officers to remove and manage all infestations,” Ms Dixon said.“We have been able to successfully detect and eradicate parthenium weed in NSW since 1982, thanks to the actions of the community and weeds officers across the state.”More information about parthenium weed and how to identify the plant at different growth stages is available from DPI weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/PartheniumWeedYou can also use an online form to record any weed sightings, biosecurity.transactcentral.com/Biosecurity/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=report-a-biosecurity

Date – Thursday 16 July 2020Time – 8.30am to 10amZoom link (to participate in event) – https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-Yw64mniSHeTMtRo-lYKXgRSVP – Register via Eventbrite by 15 July 2020Central Coast Innovation Breakfast Series (online) July 2020As we move through the economic challenges from the impact of COVID-19 restrictions, it’s important for us to stay connected and focus on how we can use innovation to get us through this time and grow stronger into the future.Central Coast Council, with support from The Fifth Element incubator accelerator, are proud to bring you the online Central Coast Innovation Breakfast Series.July topic - Future of EducationIf we suddenly lost our memories and had no concept of education, what would the learning journey look like?

Central Coast Council is hosting an online Innovation Breakfast Series event focused around the theme of ‘Future of Work’ on 18 June 2020.As we move through the economic challenges from the impact of COVID-19 restrictions, it’s important for us to reconnect and focus on how we can use innovation to get us through this difficult time and be stronger into the future.This free innovation breakfast brings guest speakers, Christina Gerakiteys (SingularityU) and Jessica Mizrahi (Deloitte) to talk through what the future of work might look like and how we can harness this information to propel our region’s businesses forward.If you’re a business owner or operator on the Coast or a community member who is interested, curious or passionate about innovation, join in for June’s Innovation Online Breakfast Series event.Event highlightsInsights from futurists and experts in the innovation space.A space to share your experiences, challenges and ideas and learn from an engaged community.Make a cuppa and join us for a fun, interactive and inspiring morning.Event detailsDate – Thursday 18 June 2020Time – 8.30am to 10amZoom link (to participate in event) – https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-Yw64mniSHeTMtRo-lYKXgRSVP – Register via Eventbrite by 17 June 2020Gain insights from experts in the innovation space, join the discussion, ask questions, and share your experiences, challenges and ideas.Make some toast, bring your coffee and join in via Zoom on Thursday 18 June, 8.30am to 10am for a morning of innovation and collaboration.For more information and to register go to Eventbrite

Central Coast Stadium has received the go ahead to allow corporate guests into the venue.The Stadium will be the first venue under this year’s NRL Premiership to welcome corporate sponsors into the venue, ahead of three NRL events scheduled over the weekend.

The events sector has been hit hard by COVID-19 and this has included a host of events presented by Central Coast Council.To keep the events’ magic alive Council has looked to develop online versions of some of its most popular events including Live Well, Harvest Festival and ChromeFest.Council Unit Manager Community Partnerships, Glenn Cannard said local providers had been engaged to capture event highlights and create engaging video packages.“Whilst COVID-19 restrictions are easing, it will be some time before our usual events schedule can resume and we have made the difficult decision to cancel all physical events to the end of October 2020 – this unfortunately encompasses our much-loved ChromeFest event,” Mr Cannard said.“We’ve been thinking outside the box to create new ways to bring some of our events safely into the living rooms of our community and those that would usually travel to the Coast to experience our events.“The Live Well Festival was the first to go online – with local health and well-being providers giving us insight into how we can make healthier choices and positive changes in our lives.“Harvest Festival is currently rolling out online and gives us a glimpse behind the farm gate through four engaging video packages – Taste of Harvest, Paddock to Plate, Embrace the Adventure and Farmers’ Story.“We’re currently working out how to showcase some of the best features of ChromeFest 2020 online – so that we can experience the ‘show and shine’ and ‘twist and shake’ fun of this great event from our homes.“Also stay tuned for updates on how we plan to deliver our events from November onwards in smaller innovative format programs that meet current restrictions.”Mayor Lisa Matthews said the Coast’s reputation as an events destination would continue to grow.“With restrictions easing, our stunning region is open for business and we’re thrilled to welcome back visitors to the Central Coast,” Mayor Matthews said.“Some of our flagship events may not be going ahead in their traditional formats this year however it’s exciting that we can partake in some of the fun from the safety of our homes.“We can also assure that our major events will return bigger and better than ever as soon as possible.”Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch said the NSW Government was providing funding from the Bushfire Community Resilience and Economic Recovery Program.“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives and livelihoods, but bushfire recovery and support remains front-of-mind for the NSW Government,” Mr Crouch said.“Council has received $25,000 to continue the Harvest Festival event in 2020 so that local businesses can be better promoted online and in a way that encourages our Central Coast community to buy local.”Online events are featured on Council’s new Coast Connect YouTube Channel – centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/youtube – and Harvest Festival and ChromeFest will be available on the Facebook pages for the respective events.For a full list of COVID-19 event cancellations and information on venue closures and re-openings please visit centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/COVID-19.

Central Coast Council is continuing to progress with developing a Masterplan to upgrade and redesign Mt Ettalong Reserve to make it more accessible, functional and safe for the community.Between February and March 2020 Council conducted an initial survey to understand how the community uses Mount Ettalong Reserve and what changes they would like to see incorporated into the Masterplan for its redesign.Due to the restrictions on public gatherings Council was unable to deliver a planned community engagement workshop, however public submissions are still welcomed on the project online.Phase two of consultation with the public involves Council seeking feedback on the draft concept designs, which have been informed by the results of the initial surveys.Our community can explore the concept plans for Mount Ettalong Reserve Masterplan and fill out the feedback form by Thursday 4 June to have their say: