Central Coast Council is helping to bring the Coast community together with a fun International Games Day at Gosford and Lake Haven Library from 10am on Saturday 19 November.This international event gives the community a place to explore adventure games, secret decoding games, the latest tabletop games and check out the diverse range of activities the Libraries have on offer.Council’s Library Services Manager, Ms Andrea Edwards said, Gosford and Lake Haven Libraries will join in with over a thousand libraries around the world which are opening up their libraries on the same day for gaming.“This international initiative is supported by the Australian Library and Information Association, American Library Association and Nordic Game Day.

Artists from all over NSW are invited to enter Gosford Regional Gallery’s Emerging 2017 competition and exhibition.The competition is open to artists aged between 18 and 30, who are asked to submit a body of work across any visual art medium.  With over $9,000 in total prize money, the biennial competition and exhibition showcases the talents of emerging young artists across the state, giving them the opportunity to exhibit a series of works or site-specific installation at the gallery.Gosford Regional Gallery Team Leader, Tim Braham, said Emerging 2017 is an exciting opportunity for young artists to enter and compete across any medium.“Selected finalists will form an exhibition at Gosford Regional Gallery from Saturday 8 April until Sunday 21 May 2017,” said Mr Braham.“This is the eighth year that we have held the Emerging competition and exhibition.

Time is running out to nominate a community hero for the inaugural Central Coast Council 2017 Australia Day Awards.These awards are open to anyone from across the Central Coast and include the chance to be named the first-ever Central Coast Citizen of the Year.The awards span seven categories and are designed to showcase locals who have shown outstanding dedication to their community, their workplace or the arts, culture and sport.All too often this work goes unrecognised, and these Awards are about shining a spotlight on those who give back to the Central Coast community.The categories for the Central Coast awards include:Arts, Culture and EntertainmentBusiness Connecting CommunitiesCommunity Service and ActivityVolunteer of the YearEnvironmentalSportsperson of the YearYouth of the YearThe Citizen of the Year will be selected from one of the winners of these categories and will display the highest level of skill, talent and service in their chosen field and act as a role model across all facets of the broader community.To be eligible, applicants must be an Australian Citizen and live in the Central Coast Local Government Area.Nominations must be received by 5pm, Friday 25 November 2016.

Central Coast Council Administrator, Ian Reynolds has welcomed the announcement of funding to deliver CCTV cameras for Terrigal and Copacabana as part of the Federal Government’s Safer Streets Programme.In an announcement from Minister for Justice, the Honourable Michael Keenan and Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks the $550,000 for the project was confirmed.“This is a fantastic result for the communities of Terrigal and Copacabana,” said Mr Reynolds.“Safer Streets funding has already been rolled out through Kariong, Kincumber, Gosford and the Peninsula thanks to first round funding received in September 2014.“The installation of CCTV has gone a long way to ensuring that residents can feel safe in their community while acting as a strong deterrent for anti-social behaviour,” he said.The round two funding will see the installation of 16 new CCTV cameras across a range of locations in Terrigal and Copacabana in addition to upgrading four existing cameras.Installation locations include the Haven, Copacabana Skate Park, the Captain Cook Lookout and shopping strips in both suburbs.Mr Reynolds added that the process to date had included consultation with community representatives and the NSW Police to ensure the project will best meet the needs of the community.“Stakeholder consultation is vital to ensuring a project like this can be as effective as possible.

With the recent fires raging not so far from the Central Coast, now is the time to make sure we are all fully prepared for the bushfire season officially underway.Council, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and Fire and Rescue NSW have a range of tools and documents to help you Prepare, Act, Survive.

Residents in Point Frederick, East Gosford, North Gosford and Springfield can expect cleaner water as Central Coast Council undertakes ice pigging works over a three week period from Thursday 1 December 2016.Council’s Coordinator Water and Sewer Civil Works, Joe Weston, said that the works are an important part of Council’s water mains cleaning program to prevent discoloured water.“Ice pigging involves pumping a thick slurry of ice through the water mains to clean off any sediment and other particles that may build up over time and discolour our water,” said Mr Weston.“It’s a fairly new procedure that Council helped bring into Australia and is very effective as well as environmentally friendly.“During the ice pigging process residents may experience temporary decreases in water pressure and interruptions to their water supply.

Last week, the Somersby Water Treatment Plant was the final location to turn solar power on as part of Council’s solar energy project.Since October 2015, over 1,700 solar panels (totalling 455kW in capacity) have been installed across several Council facilities including the Erina Depot, Peninsula Leisure Centre, Central Coast Stadium, Niagara Park Sports Stadium, Gosford Regional Gallery, Laycock Street Community Theatre and the Somersby Water Treatment Plant.Administrator, Ian Reynolds said the development is part of Council’s Climate Change Mitigation Strategy.“Our analysis showed that it’s more cost effective for Council to install solar systems at these locations than to purchase electricity solely from the grid,” said Mr Reynolds.“We were able to generate greater value from the project by using the solar electricity on site to offset high daytime peak and shoulder rates.”The $910,000 project, which received $360,000 in funding under the Renewable Energy Target, will reduce electricity costs at each of the project sites by approximately 10 percent - saving ratepayers more than $65,000 a year.It also generates about 620MWh of renewable energy per annum, saving 520 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions (equivalent to the electricity consumed by nearly 100 local homes).“We hope the cost savings and benefits obtained by switching to solar will inspire local businesses and residents to follow in our footsteps,” he said.

If you can’t stand the heat in your kitchen this summer, why not get out to eat in one of the Central Coast’s many great restaurants.As the festive season kicks into gear, restaurants across the Central Coast are preparing for a busy period and restauranteur and chef Alessandro Cigola of Osteria A Mano is no exception.“The great thing for Central Coast residents is that there are so many good restaurants across the Coast now, and there is a real variety of places to go,” Alessandro said.A proud participant in the This is the life marketing campaign promoting the Central Coast, Alessandro loves living and raising his young family in our beautiful Central Coast region.“With my one year old son, we love going to the beach and enjoying the bushland areas in our leisure time,” Mr Cigola said.  “It is a really beautiful area, and also close to everything we need.”“There’s a growing sophistication in food on the Central Coast.

Central Coast Council will reveal preliminary plans for Scenic Highway Terrigal at a public meeting to be held in the coming weeks.Immediately following the tragic accident that claimed the life of Annabelle Deall in early August, Council inspected the site and started a detailed review of the road.The draft plans, which include improved pedestrian facilities and roadworks designed to slow down traffic, were shown to Federal Member for Robertson, Mrs Lucy Wicks, in late August so she could begin the process to secure federal government black spot funding.Council’s CEO Mr Rob Noble said Council understands and is empathetic to community concerns and is working on designing a plan for this area.“This was a terrible, terrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to Annabelle’s family,“ Mr Noble said.“We have been refining the initial plans and are now in a position to share them with the local community, who have been galvanised by this tragedy.“Driver education and pedestrian awareness remains a key component of reducing fatalities of pedestrians and drivers alike on our roads.  We will continue to partner with the NSW Police in their endeavours to achieve a zero road toll across NSW.”Council will secure the services of an independent facilitator to run a public meeting near the site, possibly at the Cowrie restaurant itself, before the end of the year with details to be revealed shortly.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Gosford as Central Coast Council’s annual lighting of the Christmas tree takes place in Kibble Park on Thursday 24 November.The festivities will commence at 5.30pm, with Gosford Library holding a Christmas story time on the grass with comfortable bean bags and Linga Longa chairs available for listeners to relax and enjoy.From 6.15pm, there will be plenty of entertainment for the whole family, including performances by Discovered and The Hub Erina Youth Centre, as well as interactive Christmas skits and dance acts.Santa will be stopping by to spread some festive cheer, and anyone feeling creative can try their skills at making a festive hat that is sure to be a hit on Christmas day.Council Administrator, Ian Reynolds, said the event is a Central Coast tradition that brings the community together to celebrate a special time of the year.“Lighting the Christmas tree in Kibble Park is a tradition that Council has proudly held for many years,” said Mr Reynolds.“The community is invited to join us for the free festivities from 5.30pm, with the lighting of the tree at 8pm.“Liberty Church will be holding a free sausage sizzle, as part of their Random Acts of Kindness program.“Everyone is encouraged to bring a picnic rug and chairs and enjoy the evening.