Residents are encouraged to meet with their local Councillors and discuss what matters to them in their Ward, suburb or street at the Councillor Listening Posts.

Everyone is invited to witness the rise of Esports as a spectator phenomenon at Central Coast Council’s first ever ‘Ultimate Gamer’ tournament.For young people aged 12 to 24, the semi-final event will be held at Tuggerah Westfield on 25 May with the grand final at Erina Fair on 22 June.Council Unit Manager Community Partnerships, Glenn Cannard said the events will also feature a side of giant games, DJ workshops and chillout zones.“This is Council’s first Ultimate Gamer tournament and altogether 60 young people have made it through to the semi-finals from heats at six shopping centres across the Coast,” Mr Cannard said.“It’s been really rewarding to see so many gamers connect with each other, and a privilege to create opportunities where all young people feel welcome to participate in community life.“Because it is our first Ultimate Gamer tournament, we are welcoming any feedback from the community to help us shape next year’s event and feedback can be provided via iPads at the final tournament events.”Esports has had a meteoric rise since 1972 when the first known video game competition took place at Stanford University in the US.

Damage to our 2,500 kilometre network of sewer pipelines can be unpleasant and the big culprits are tree roots and the flushing of inappropriate items.Over the next four years Central Coast Council is rolling out significant upgrade and expansion works across our sewerage network including an $11million region-wide project to renew targeted gravity sewer infrastructure.Council Acting Director Water and Sewer, Jamie Loader said Council is using an innovative technique to rehabilitate damaged sewer pipelines but there is more we can do together as a community to ‘Save Our Sewers’.“A lot of people don’t know that we have more than 320 sewerage pumping stations and eight sewage treatment plants which treat over 80 million litres of sewage on the Central Coast every day,” Mr Loader said.“Damage to our sewer network can be unpleasant and while tree roots are one of the primary causes of partial and total blockages, there are things we can all do to ensure everything works effectively.“Only ever flush the three Ps down your porcelain throne – that’s poo, pee and paper – everything else needs to go in the appropriate bin.

Central Coast Council will replace Sohier Park timber bridge at Shirley Street, Ourimbah with a larger and improved concrete bridge through a project jointly funded by Council and the NSW Government.  Council Director Roads Transport Drainage and Waste, Boris Bolgoff said the new $1.36million bridge would provide improved access from Ourimbah to Sohier Park and the nearby residential area. “This new bridge is an important piece of infrastructure for Ourimbah residents and visitors,” Mr Bolgoff said. “The current bridge is drawing to the end of its asset life and will be replaced with a concrete bridge that is 11.2 metres long and 12.78 metres wide, with a pier depth of 20 metres. “As part of the project we will deliver a new shared pathway to connect an existing shared pathway to the Ourimbah railway station. “The timing of this project has been very carefully selected to avoid the Platypus mating season, which finishes in April, and the student exam periods for the Central Coast campus of the University of Newcastle.” Mayor Jane Smith said the replacement of the Sohier Park timber bridge was an important project for the ongoing development of Ourimbah. “Bridge projects are a big part of the capital works program delivered by Council and this often includes upgrading existing timber bridges,” Mayor Smith said. “We are always conscious on the potential impact on the local environment and I am pleased that the design and timing of this project will ensure that the mating season of the Platypus who live in Bangalow Creek will not be affected.”  Work will start on Monday 27 May 2019 and will take nine weeks to complete, weather permitting. The existing bridge will be closed to traffic and pedestrians during works and a detour will be in place via the University of Newcastle’s private road, The Boulevard.

To deliver improved personalised and inclusive services and ensure the meeting Work Health and Safety standards for employees continues, Toukley Library will be getting a small refurbishment.In order for the works to take place, Toukley Library will be temporarily closed from Monday 3 June until Sunday 16 June, inclusive.Council Acting Unit Manager Libraries, Beth Burgess said a key component of the upgrades will be a new, dual height, service counter that will enable Council to deliver a more inclusive customer experience for all visitors to the library to access its services.“The installation of this new dual service counter delivers on our Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) to remove barriers to access and make our facilities and services inclusive for the whole community,” Mrs Burgess said.“Other works to be completed include refurbishments to the office space to improve ergonomic design as well as ensure continual adherence to Work Health Safety standards and practices.“During this time the returns chute will also be closed, though to help reduce the impact on customers no items borrowed from Toukley Library will fall due during the works.”The closest branches for those wishing to borrow or return items during this time are:Lake Haven Library:

During National Reconciliation Week Central Coast Council is celebrating Indigenous arts and culture on the Coast with the annual Sean Lonergan Schools Project, Maliga 2019 Exhibition, plus a special ‘Colours of Country’ exhibition. Mayor Jane Smith said Council is committed to supporting reconciliation through the celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. “Our annual Maliga Showcase provides a great platform for local Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to creatively express their own stories that connect country, identity and community,” Mayor Smith said.

Central Coast Council’s biggest youth employment forum ‘Thinking Out Loud:

Tune your guitars – The Battle is back Central Coast Council’s ‘Battle of the Bands’ (BOB) competition for young people aged 12 to 25 returns to the stage in June. Fledgling bands are encouraged to register, with minimum band requirements being two members and two songs. Council Director Connected Communities, Julie Vaughan said since starting in 2004, BOB has helped launch a number of bands, and this year resets to ground zero. “We’re calling for both beginner bands and really tight groups.

Winney Bay Clifftop Walk to manage safety constraintsCentral Coast Council has tonight confirmed the design of Stage 2 of the Winney Bay Clifftop Walk will have flexibility in the design to allow geotechnical constraints and public safety to be managed.Council also confirmed the materials used in the design may include limited use of concrete, and materials such as fibreglass and composites as utilised in the successful Chertsey Boardwalk project.

Central Coast Council is seeking further community feedback on the revitalisation and activation of Toukley through the next phase of Let’s talk Toukley Town Centre. Council Director Connected Communities, Julie Vaughan said the community could have their say on draft concept plans for the Toukley Village Green developed with the help of their initial ideas and feedback.“It’s time to talk all things Toukley again as we enter the next phase of Let’s talk Toukley Town Centre,” Ms Vaughan said.