🚘 WEEKLY ROAD WORKS UPDATE Each week, we have road work underway across the Coast to deliver improvements and maintenance works.

Return to school got you feeling like this Great Barred Frog?

Congratulations to Council Director for Water and Sewer Jamie Loader who has been awarded with the Australian Fire Service Medal, among the highest honours available to emergency services personnel, in the 2024 Australia Day Honour List. The medals are awarded to recognise distinguished service demonstrated by leadership, dedication, commitment and achievement.So much of what emergency services personnel do speaks to the community spirit of generosity and looking out for neighbours. There are many transferrable skills Mr Loader has gained from his experience at Fire and Rescue NSW that he has brought to his leadership role at Council and vice versa. As the Captain of Wyong fire station (Central Coast) and in his capacity leading the Central Coast’s water and sewer services, Mr Loader oversees emergency incidents, is responsible for the safety of crew members and determining the appropriate strategy to resolve an incident. There is also the use of specialised equipment and working closely with the community in a purposeful culture. Mr Loader’s pathway to leadership at Council is a terrific example of the diverse career opportunities available.A career at Council and within a local government agency provides diverse opportunities for staff to shape the future, rewrite the narrative, and create something bigger than each of us. “There are many ways to test out your leadership skills for young people starting their careers,” Mr Loader said. “Leadership can be seen in how you approach problem solving within your team. “I believe my work experience at Fire and Rescue has helped me get other roles – it demonstrates other aspects of my skills such as willingness to work for the benefit of the community, managing competing priorities and time management.”Fire and Rescue are looking for on-call firefighters.

I was delighted to attend the 2024 Australia Day Awards ceremony last week, where an outstanding group of Central Coast citizens were awarded for their incredible contributions to the community. These annual awards are a way for Council and the wider community to celebrate and recognise individuals and organisations who have positively impacted the community. Our 2024 ‘Citizen of the Year’ was 18-year-old Matthew Blakemore, who was awarded for his advocacy and awareness-raising about the needs of young people with a disability.

Central Coast Council is inviting businesses, community groups and event organisers to propose an event or activity to be a part of the annual 10-day Lakes Festival program celebrating the Coast’s diverse waterways. The Lakes Festival, scheduled to run from 8-17 November 2024, is an annual reminder of the variety of waterways available on the Central Coast.

Central Coast Council Water and Sewer is turning to ‘man’s best friend’ to look for solutions to help solve leaking issues in the water and sewer network.Council’s Water and Sewer team met with Sydney Water Lead Detection Dog Team to understand how sniffer dogs detect leaks, as part of Council’s proactive leak detection program.The teams recently joined two energetic Springer Spaniels, Joey and Hydro and one Cocker Spaniel named Winnie as they ’sniffed out leaks’ over 25km of water mains and 10km of sewer rising mains across the Central Coast.Over five days, during wet and dry conditions the dogs demonstrated expertise in detecting leaks undetectable to the human senses.

Central Coast Council has officially opened the new Community Hall and playground at Norah Head, with a celebration event attended by members of the community. The $1.7 million project has been completed after Central Coast Council received $935,000 from the NSW Government, with Council funding the remaining contribution of $765,000 from planned capital expenditure. Council Director for Community and Recreational Services, Melanie Smith said the opening of the new hall and playground is a fantastic outcome, and one to celebrate, with the event being attended by residents and community groups. “Council undertook community consultation to inform the design and construction of the venue, which has resulted in a fabulous modern facility, transforming what was previously in place,” Ms Smith said. Key features of the new facility include a multi-functional hall, kitchen, storage, accessible family friendly amenities, a children’s playspace and picnic area.

Central Coast Council Water and Sewer is turning to ‘man’s best friend’ to look for solutions to help solve leaking issues in the water and sewer network.Council’s Water and Sewer team met with Sydney Water Lead Detection Dog Team to understand how sniffer dogs detect leaks, as part of Council’s proactive leak detection program.The teams recently joined two energetic Springer Spaniels, Joey and Hydro and one Cocker Spaniel named Winnie as they ’sniffed out leaks’ over 25km of water mains and 10km of sewer rising mains across the Central Coast.Over five days, during wet and dry conditions the dogs demonstrated expertise in detecting leaks undetectable to the human senses.