Central Coast Council has partnered with 38 tourism related businesses to co-fund a new visitor campaign for the Central Coast – Have a Little Adventure.Council Connected Communities Director, Julie Vaughan said that Have a Little Adventure will be the largest, most extensively researched campaign that has been launched for the Central Coast in over twenty years.“The intent of the campaign Have a Little Adventure is to show how visiting the Central Coast is something you can do many times a year – it’s so easy to have so many great experiences here on the Coast, and to have your own kind of little adventure,” said Ms Vaughan.“This campaign will feature on TV, online videos, online banner ads and social media targeted to potential visitors living beyond the Central Coast. According to our research, Have a Little Adventure will particularly appeal to Sydney travel intenders, who are a lucrative and year round visitor market that could deliver many more visitors for the Coast.

Central Coast Council has excavated and removed timber material that has been largely buried underneath the sand on Terrigal Beach for almost 80 years.

Several major road upgrades on the NSW Central Coast are now complete, including works on Ryans Road in Umina Beach, Davis Street in Booker Bay and the intersection of Langford Drive and Woy Woy Road in Kariong.Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said completion of these key local road projects showed the Turnbull Government’s commitment to supporting jobs and investment opportunities on the Central Coast.“These upgrades will ensure Central Coast residents and visitors can now get around more safely and efficiently – whether it’s a parent trying to get their kids to school on time, or a tradie able to get to four jobs in a day rather than three,” Mr Fletcher said.“The Turnbull Government is committed to improving infrastructure on the Central Coast, from our $196 million investment in upgrades to the M1, to our co-funding of a business case into whether we can get faster rail from Newcastle to Sydney.”Federal Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks said the intersection upgrade in Kariong was a fantastic outcome for the 3,000 residents who signed our petition to address this intersection, which is close to a community centre, a childcare centre, a school, homes and businesses.“Works included the construction of a roundabout and the realignment of nearby Dandaloo Street to create a more cohesive access point for all incoming traffic.

Work is starting on the installation of 450 ‘smart parking’ sensors that will help ensure Central Coast residents and visitors spend less time stuck in traffic.Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said the project would see the installation of 250 parking sensors in the Terrigal CBD and 200 sensors in the Gosford CBD, allowing drivers to link to available parking information via apps.“This project is designed to solve the perennial problem of finding a parking spot – it’s a great example of how the Turnbull Government’s $50 million Smart Cities and Suburbs Program is helping to make our cities and regional areas more liveable,” Mr Fletcher said.“The Smart Cities and Suburbs Program supports exactly this type of clever solution to local problems, with the ultimate goal of spreading good ideas to other cities, suburbs and regions.“This particular initiative is big news for the local area as it will help reduce heavy traffic congestion in the heart of Terrigal and Gosford.”Federal Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks said up to 30 per cent of traffic congestion in the business centres of the Central Coast was due to people looking for free parking spaces – a problem the smart parking initiative would soon address.“Central Coast residents park around train stations before commuting to Sydney or Newcastle in their thousands every day, making finding a parking space at Gosford and other centres problematic, but we are now partnering with Council to help resolve these long-standing issues,” Mrs Wicks said.“I have heard from the community about the struggle for car parking in Gosford and Terrigal and that’s why I am delighted to see work starting for locals across the Central Coast as it will help reduce heavy traffic congestion in the heart of our business centres.“As well as reducing congestion, this project will help reduce air pollution, improve road safety and boost ease of access to local businesses for potential customers.”Central Coast Mayor Jane Smith said adequate and available parking was key to activating town centres.“We believe these innovative parking sensors will go a long way to alleviating the frustration of finding a parking spot,” Cr Smith said.“Earlier this year, we talked to the Terrigal community about the benefits of these sensors as part of Let’s talk Terrigal and we will shortly be engaging in a similar way with consumers of parking in Gosford as part of developing the Gosford short term parking strategy.“Similar sensors are already working well at The Entrance and thanks to this funding, visitors to Gosford and Terrigal will benefit too by getting real-time information about the availability of parking via an app which will identify available parking spots.“We welcome the Australian Government’s investment in this initiative, which will help us make a real difference to the lives of local residents in terms of saving time, reducing frustration and minimising town-centre congestion.”The project is one of 49 under Round 1 of the Australian Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program - forty per cent of successful Round 1 projects are located in regional areas like the Central Coast.More information is available at https://cities.infrastructure.gov.au/smart-cities-program.The Turnbull Government has committed $104,735 to the project while the Central Coast Council and Reino International Pty Ltd will together contribute $150,812.

Last week marked the 70 year anniversary since both Woy Woy and Gosford Library branches first opened their doors to help meet the needs of a rapidly growing community.Council Local History Librarian, Geoffrey Potter, explained the creation of the Library Service was among the first major decisions made by the then newly instituted Gosford Shire Council, which officially began operating on 1 January 1947.“Our Library Service commenced operation on 13 August 1948 at Woy Woy, and 16 August 1948 at Gosford in the former Council Chambers of the Woy Woy and Erina Shires, respectively,” Mr Potter said.“Miss Phyllis Bennett, a well-respected educator and library board member was card holder Number 1, and she was always very proud of this fact.“At the time of opening, the Library collection was small but reflected the agricultural production interests of local farmer’s and subjects such as citrus-orcharding and vegetable-growing.“After four months of operation there were 5,000 items and 3,000 borrowers registered.“By the time the first purpose-built Gosford Library was opened in Mann Street in December 1951, there were 8,000 borrowers, which represented 40 per cent of the district population, and the Library collection was equally divided between fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.”Council’s Library Service has come a long way since its humble beginnings, now with 11 branches, two community branches and a Bookmobile helping to service residents of the Central Coast.“We now have over 112,000 members and boast one of the largest catalogues in the state with around 315,000 items, including books, DVDs, magazines, audiobooks, large print books, graphic novels, CDs,” Geoff added.Last financial year saw more than one million people visit one of Council’s library branches and over 1.5 million loans from the physical and online collections.Council Acting Unit Manager Libraries, Beth Burgess, said Council’s Library Service is as relevant today as it was back then and has evolved to meet the needs of residents.“We have grown to become so much more than books,” Mrs Burgess said.“Libraries are constantly adapting to meet the changing expectations of our community, while simultaneously enhancing education, learning and recreational needs.“From storytime sessions to family history, knitting clubs to gaming meets, we offer something for all ages and interests.“In this day and age we also understand the need to be available 24/7, so many of our key services are available online giving people the freedom to access them, anywhere, anytime - this includes eBooks, eMagazines, research databases, music and film streaming, language tools, online homework help services and much, much more.“Our Gosford branch has served us well, though, like many of our branches, we are constrained by the building’s size and capabilities to continue changing to meet our community’s expectations.“The proposed multi-use Regional Library will ensure we can meet the contemporary and the future needs of our increasing population and provide an active and welcoming social space for people to meet, collaborate, research and exchange ideas.“Libraries have always been at the heart of creating liveable and connected cities through lifelong learning and that is definitely what we want to see continue, to help our region prosper.”The designs and cost estimate for both the Regional Library and Regional Performing Arts Conference Centre will go back to Council at the 28 August Ordinary Meeting.Those who work, live and study on the Central Coast can sign up for free at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/jointhelibrary and take advantage of the great range of resources and services on offer.ENDSPhotos can be found at flickr.com/photos/gostalgia/6514407849/in/album-72157628436707621/

Central Coast Council Mayor Jane Smith has welcomed the collaboration between Council and Transport for NSW which will see 49 mature trees retained at Kangy Angy around the proposed new access road to Orchard Road.Local residents have been calling for a change to the plans to save the trees and this has been achieved with a reclassification and redesign of the new access road to Orchard Road.

Residents will have the opportunity to talk to their local Ward Councillors about what matters to them and their suburb as Central Coast Council kicks off a series of Councillor Listening Posts across the coast this September.Councillor Listening Posts will visit each of the five Wards across the Central Coast between September and December this year and provide the community with one on one access to Councillors that represent their local area.Mayor Jane Smith said Councillors wanted the opportunity to engage directly with their community on local issues and get a better understanding of the things that matter in suburbs and local neighbourhoods.“Councillors want to understand first-hand community concerns so they can be addressed at the local level,” said Mayor Smith.“Councillor Listening Posts will be held on weekends at local shopping centres or community events in each Ward, to reach as many members of the community as possible.”The first Councillor Listening Post will be held at Lake Haven Shopping Centre in the Budgewoi Ward on Saturday 1 September from 10am til 12pm.Councillor Listening Posts will be held in Gosford East Ward on 15 September, Gosford West Ward on 20 October, The Entrance Ward on 18 November and Wyong Ward on 1 December.“I encourage the community to drop by a Councillor Listening Post near them and engage with their Councillors on the issues that matter to them,” Mayor Smith said.For more information on Councillor Listening Posts visit www.yourvoiceourcoast.com/listeningposts

Central Coast Council has a Risk Management Plan (Plan) in place as well as trained staff working with experts to remove asbestos containing material at Wamberal and Terrigal beaches.

The $1.48million revamped Koolewong Boat Ramp was officially opened this afternoon by Central Coast Council and Roads and Maritime Services.Recreational boaters on the Central Coast can now enjoy the extensively upgraded Koolewong boat ramp and surrounding foreshore.Council Acting Director Assets, Infrastructure and Business, Boris Bolgoff said the upgrade had delivered what was promised – an enhanced experience for boating enthusiasts.“In addition to providing more user-friendly, recreational boating infrastructure, this extensive upgrade will increase usage capacity, from now, well into the future,” Mr Bolgoff said.“Not only have we constructed a dual-lane boat ramp with an on-ramp pontoon and an L-shaped floating pontoon, but we have also delivered improvements to car parking, as well as landscaping and ancillary works.“This upgrade is just one of six boating infrastructure projects we will deliver in the next year, with Council investing a combined total of $2.29million across these projects.”Mayor Jane Smith said one of Council’s priorities is to deliver enhanced recreational experiences on the Coast and the delivery of this upgrade meets that need for the growing number of boating enthusiasts, and the broader community.“Recreational boating is a popular pastime in New South Wales, with over 515,000 people in the state holding a boat licence, and 233,000 people with a registered boat and there are plenty here right on the Coast,” said Mayor Smith.“With its close proximity to the freeway, Koolewong is the perfect place for such a facility, as it can be utilised by both locals and boaters visiting the area for the day.”This project is jointly funded by Central Coast Council and a $750,000 contribution from the NSW Government’s Boating Now Program.NSW Member of the Legislative Council Taylor Martin said the delivery of this upgrade through the Boating Now Program was a great example of how different levels of government can proactively work together.“Since starting the Boating Now Program back in 2014, we have been able to commit funding to more than 250 boating projects across 50 local government areas in NSW,” Mr Martin said.“There are an additional two Boating Now projects under way in the Gosford electorate, which have been made possible with $1.42 million Boating Now funding.

Small businesses can now access subsidised expert mentoring and coaching services at the Gosford Smart Hub under a new three-month partnership between Central Coast Council and not-for-profit agency the Business Centre.Based at the Gosford Smart Work Hub each Monday until late October, a Business Centre Strategist will meet with individual business owners to provide expert guidance.