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.

While sportsgrounds and sport facilities have been closed in line with COVID-19 restrictions, Central Coast Council has completed the installation of a new multi-purpose digital scoreboard at Woy Woy Oval.Completion of the new scoreboard was made possible with combined funding from the Australian Government, Council, Woy Woy Rugby Union and Woy Woy Rugby League by way of a grant from the State Government.The multi-purpose digital scoreboard will deliver outstanding quality presentation of game scores with the ability to display player names or statistics and provide local Associations, Clubs and other users new opportunities to secure sponsorship.

Following the latest easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Council will reopen additional facilities as outlined below with a range of safety measures in place.Peninsula Leisure Centre – reopened from Saturday 13 June 2020GymCreche (limited numbers)Group fitness (limited numbers)Indoor pools for lap swimming and rehabilitation (limited numbers)Leisure and play swimming not permittedLearn to Swim and Aqua Fitness programs start date still to be determinedCasual basketballLimited change rooms will be available24 hour gym start date to be advisedFor further information call 4325 8123Lake Haven Recreation Centre – reopened from Saturday 13 June 2020GymCreche (limited numbers)Group fitness (limited numbers)Casual basketball/squashLimited change rooms will be availableFor further information call 4304 8020Gosford Olympic Pool – reopened from Saturday 13 June 2020Outdoor pool reopened with updated restrictionsIndoor pools for lap swimming and rehabilitation (limited numbers)Leisure and play swimming not permittedLearn to Swim and Aqua Fitness programs start date still to be determinedLimited change rooms will be availableFor further information call 4304 7250Niagara Park Stadium – reopened from Monday 15 June 2020Bookings and casual programsFor further information call 4325 8194Gosford Regional Gallery – reopened from Monday 15 June 2020From 15 June – Coastal Sanctuaries by Robyn Pedley will be exhibited in the Foyer GalleryFrom 22 June – Emerging will be exhibited in the in the main GalleryLimited number of visitors in line with the four square metres per person requirement and timed entry to reduce queuesMust book onlineFor further information and to book visit centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/galleriesToukley Aquatic Centre – reopened from Monday 22 June 2020Indoor pools for lap swimming and rehabilitation (limited numbers)Leisure and play swimming not permittedLearn to Swim and Aqua Fitness programs start date still to be determinedFor further information call 4304 8060At all Council facilities reopening the following is in place/required for visitors, staff and volunteers:increased cleaning regimehand sanitiser units installedremoval of some seating and other touchable itemsaccess limited to ensure capacity limits are maintained – short waiting periods may be experiencedcontact details (name and mobile number or email address) will be recorded for a period of at least 28 days.

Central Coast Council thanked the efforts of all blood donors and urged everyone to consider blood donation during National Blood Donor Week from 14 June.Red Cross Lifeblood Service spokesman John Feist said blood donation centres follow strict sanitisation protocols, and that additional hygiene measures have been implemented due to COVID-19.“Maintaining Australia’s blood supply is absolutely vital and helps save the lives of cancer patients, road crash victims, new mums and babies and many other seriously ill Australians,” said Mr Feist.“Over the last 12 months blood donors on the Central Coast rolled up their sleeves almost 12,000 times to help save the lives of some of Australia’s most vulnerable patients.  “In the last 12 months, Australia has faced unparalleled challenges, from devastating bushfires to the Coronavirus pandemic, yet one thing has remained consistent;

Central Coast Council has released two draft Floodplain Risk Management Plans and Studies for public consultation.The two documents, one for the Wallarah Creek catchment and the other covering the combined Killarney Vale/Long Jetty catchments, utilise information from floodplain risk management studies, offering options to mitigate the risk of overland flooding caused by excessive rainfall.Central Coast Mayor, Lisa Matthews said that Council understands these communities have been through a lot recently, and that the consultation period has been extended to allow all voices to be heard.“The communities that these floodplain plans and studies address have been directly impacted by either bushfires or flooding in the last six months.

Central Coast Council has demonstrated that a road project – including road base, road surface, kerb and guttering, footpaths and drainage – can be built with over 90 percent recycled material.Significant environmental benefits have been achieved on what looks like a typical road upgrade in Wyongah – with the majority of materials sourced from recycled household and construction products.Council Director Roads Transport Drainage and Waste, Boris Bolgoff said the project recycled over five million glass bottles, 270 kilograms of plastic and thousands of tonnes of used concrete and road gravel.“This project represents a milestone in Council’s commitment to sustainably develop and maintain the Central Coast’s 2,200 kilometre road network,” Mr Bolgoff said.“We started from the bottom and worked our way up – instead of virgin sand we used recycled glass for trench backfills and the sub-base of the road, and the road base itself is made from recycled crushed concrete and the existing road pavement.“For kerb and guttering and the footpath we used a ‘Green concrete’ made from fly ash (a by-product of coal fired powered stations) and recycled glass sand, with the reinforcing made out of recycled plastic, saving the equivalent of 50,000 plastic bags.“We also used the latest construction techniques to save over six thousand kilograms of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere – that’s the equivalent of a 25,000 kilometre car trip.“Our goal was to build a road project predominantly out of recycled material without compromising on quality or costing any more than a standard road project and we are thrilled to have achieved that objective.”The materials used, and technology developed for this project, will be rolled out across Council’s road construction program to generate significant environmental savings on a yearly basis.Mayor Lisa Matthews said Council is combining its commitment to sustainable practices and methods and delivering for the Coast’s large road network.“To complete every element of a road project with over 90 percent recycled materials is an incredible achievement and a reflection of Council’s commitment to sustainability and innovation,” Mayor Matthews said.“This project demonstrates that we can deliver projects with a significantly reduced impact on our environment without impacting the cost or the time it takes to get the job done.”Further innovative products and techniques recently used by Council to deliver for the region’s road network include:Australian-first ‘road train’ technology to lay foamed bitumen in a way that reduces construction time, increases use of recycled road pavement, reduces greenhouse emissions and delivers a more consistent road surface.Use of ‘Reconophalt’ road surfacing product made from plastic bags, glass bottles, used printer cartridges and reclaimed road asphalt.Sourcing of waste from local primary schools – chip packets, muesli bar wrappers, sandwich bags – for recycling into Reconophalt.

Council is piloting new technology to help commuters find available car park spaces faster and more easily whilst reducing traffic congestion caused by drivers looking for car parking.The Smart Parking program is now being trialled at the West Gosford’s Racecourse Road car park using cameras equipped with smart parking analytics that identifies if a space is available.

In line with the NSW Government’s further easing restrictions of COVID-19 restrictions, Central Coast Council’s Gosford administration office will reopen for customer service transactions, including planning-related enquiries, from Monday 6 July.Customer service transactions are also available at five libraries:

Central Coast Council continues to inspect and repair critical sewerage infrastructure across the Coast as part of its rolling program to improve the performance and reliability of the network.Sewer mains in 45 Central Coast suburbs have been rehabilitated this financial year using an innovative technology that extends the life of the infrastructure by up 50 years.Council Director Water and Sewer, Jamie Loader said that Council’s maintenance program has improved reliability, lowered the risk of environmental discharges and ensured the Central Coast is well positioned to cater for future population growth.“We have an ongoing maintenance program for our extensive 2,649km sewer network and our focus is on rehabilitating damaged sewer pipelines or replacing end-of-design-life equipment,” Mr Loader said.“We’re using an innovative technique to rehabilitate damaged sewer pipelines with structural re-lining, rather than replacing the infrastructure, and we start by clearing the pipe and assessing the conditions of sewer lines via CCTV camera.“If required, we insert a liner that reinforces the existing pipe structure, sealing any leaks and significantly reduces the risk of future damage – particularly from tree roots, the number one cause of sewer blocks and overflows.“This technique also eliminates the need to excavate in most cases, which minimises disruption to the community and reduces repair costs.”Mayor Lisa Matthews said significant investment in critical infrastructure now will ease the pressure on the network from a growing population while also enhancing the liveability for residents.“The Central Coast region is a fantastic place to live and it is essential we plan for the future to ensure we have adequate and sustainable infrastructure to meet expected demand,” Mayor Matthews said.Council actively monitors and tests the effectiveness of our sewer mains network across the Coast and these results indicate areas due for maintenance.Residents experiencing any water or sewer concerns are urged to contact Council immediately – any time day or night – on 1300 463 954.Find out more about our key water and sewer projects that happening this year online at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/waterandsewerprojects.

The quality and responsible use of water across the Central Coast remains firmly on our agenda with two new policies now on public exhibition for 28 days.Throughout July, residents will be able to have their say about both the Draft Drinking Water Quality Policy and Draft Recycled Water Quality Policy online.The Draft Drinking Water Policy consolidates the previous policies of the former Wyong Shire and Gosford City Councils and demonstrates Council’s commitment to providing continuous supply of drinking water that is consistent with the requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.Additionally, the Draft Recycled Water Quality Policy, based on the former Gosford City Council Policy, reinforces Council’s commitment to the responsible and sustainable management and use of recycled water that is consistent with the Australian Guidelines for Recycled Water.Consolidating the two policies allows us to focus on the immediate water needs of the Central Coast as well as begin to take the first tentative steps of planning for future population growth.The drought of recent years and having to constantly monitor the dam storage levels clearly reminds us that water is a precious resource and we can’t afford to waste it.Have your say online on both water policies at yourvoiceourcoast.com   Mayor Lisa MatthewsCentral Coast Council