Council is investing in the quality of life of our local community, with more than  $2 million in play spaces underway.With more families living and moving to the Coast, we need better play spaces to meet this growing need.

Central Coast Council will broadcast proceedings of tonight’s meeting by live webcasting for the very first time.A fixed camera has been installed in the Gosford Chambers and residents will be able to watch the proceedings live from 5pm.Council agreed to trial webcasting to provide the community with an additional and convenient means of seeing the decision-making of Council first-hand.Meetings are open to the public to attend and now can also be viewed live on Council’s YouTube Channel.Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of every month alternating between Gosford and Wyong Chambers.  This meeting will be held at the Gosford Chambers in Mann Street.

A friendly face at this week’s State Firefighting Championships at Norah Head on the Central Coast will be Wyong firefighter Matt Perry.Matt is one of the local stars of the This is the life social media campaign which tells the story of what’s great on the Central Coast.“I agreed to be in the This is the life campaign because I think it is really important that we tell people about the wonderful things that are here on the Central Coast,” Matt says.A proud Coastie who grew up in Mangrove Mountain, then spent 10 years in Sydney and now lives in Wyong, Matt says the Central Coast gives him everything he needs to live a happy and balanced life.“I love the sense of connection to the community, the outdoors, the people and the lifestyle on the Central Coast,” he says.  “You’re close to lots of great spots for camping, four-wheel drive and fishing, I particularly like fishing near The Entrance.”With a wish to give back to community and a long term dream to become a firefighter, Matt jumped at the chance when a part-time position as a retained firefighter became available at Wyong Fire Station shortly after he returned to the Coast.His role is heavily involved with the local community and Matthew says the sense of ‘togetherness’ is strong amongst everyone who works at the station.

Wyong Lakes Festival is set to bring out the Coast’s competitive spirit with a number of great sporting events.Colour Ya World on 12 November and TriWyong on 13 November are two fun sporting events at Wyong Lakes Festival that involve getting out and being active by walking, running, cycling and swimming against the stunning backdrop of the lakes.The Colour Ya World Fun Run at Picnic Point involves walking, running, dancing and singing across a simple 5km course.The perfect event for families, participants can move or groove in whichever way they like to the latest tunes being mixed by one of the Lakes’ hottest DJs as they get peppered with liquids, powders and gels of blue, green, pink, purple and yellow, turning them into rainbows.After the success of 2015 some of the nations’ top triathletes are again expected to hit MacKenzie Reserve, Budgewoi for the second Wyong Triathlon Festival.For those who feel like trying something new enter the Try-a-Tri for free, which involves a 200m swim, 8km ride and 2km run – a friendly and achievable distance for newcomers to the sport.Five separate distances will be held over the course of the day, including the signature Standard distance, the high speed Sprint and the more welcoming distances in the Enforcer and Enticer.Race organiser, Elite Energy CEO, Mr Mark Emerton, said “Wyong provides an ideal natural landscape for triathlon and fun run events and is excited to provide two great events for the massive hub of triathletes and locals.“For the kids, we have the ever popular MINIMAN,” Mr Emerton said.Registrations for TriWyong close 9 November at 5pm and entries are accepted on race day.Registrations for Colour Ya World close 10 November at 5pm and children under the age of five are free.

Lakeside Parade at The Entrance is being transformed as the important second stage of the upgrade gets underway.Some $1.2 million has been set aside for this second and final stage of this project, which involves the upgrading of pavement and drainage from Fairview Avenue to Lentara Walk.The first stage of the upgrade cost $900,000 and was completed in the previous financial year.The upgrade includes full drainage and road pavement upgrade, including kerb and channel and driveways.The works are due to be completed in February 2017 and will help to make the area more accessible to residents and holidaymakers.The upgrade complements a number of recent street upgrades by Council in the immediate area including Ashton Ave, Campbell Ave, Oakland Ave (part), the southern end of Lakeside Parade and View Street (part).Upgrade of the nearby Manning Road has also been earmarked for a future project, with a budget of some $1.5 million.

Council Meeting live webcast for the very first time  Central Coast Council is the latest local government authority to open up democracy by holding its first ever live webcast of a council meeting.Local Councils are increasingly opting to live webcast their meetings to give the community a convenient way to see decision making first-hand.Councils in NSW who also live webcast their meetings include Eurobodalla Shire, Lane Cove, Northern Beaches and Newcastle.Administrator Ian Reynolds said even more members of the community would be able to see democracy in action and hopefully understand better how decisions are made.“This is an historic day for Council,” Administrator Reynolds said.“We don’t know how many may want to watch each meeting but the fact that they can without having to be physically in the Chamber is a great outcome.“I hope our residents will gain a better understanding of what Council actually does.”Council is undertaking a six month trial of live webcasting with a report due back to Council following the trial.Meetings can be viewed through Council’s YouTube channel.The next meeting of Council will be held on Wednesday 23 November at 5pm in the Wyong Office Chamber.Council recognises Engineer’s successCouncil’s Senior Asset Systems Engineer, Misbah Khan, has been officially acknowledged and congratulated on his recent Newcastle Professional Engineer of the Year Award.Misbah undertook a research project to look into how authorities, including Councils, could better manage road pavement performance following storms and flooding.  It is believed these results will help road pavement authorities in managing flood-damaged roads with the appropriate treatment and within budget.Administrator Ian Reynolds said this ground breaking work would go beyond receiving a personal award to directly benefiting the wider Central Coast community.“There are many areas on the Central Coast that are subject to flooding and Council is always looking for ways to best manage and improve our local roads so they can cope,” Mr Reynolds said.“We are lucky to have someone working here at Council with the calibre of Misbah who is working hard to find engineering solutions that will directly benefit our community.“I congratulate Misbah on this well-deserved award and will be looking at how his career progresses with great interest.”Misbah has been nominated for the Australian Professional Engineer Award to be held in November this year.Development Application process streamlined across the Coast Council tonight adopted a new policy to process Development Applications (DAs) to apply across the whole Central Coast.Under the new policy DAs with more than 50 submissions will be reported to a Council meeting for a decision and DAs with less than 25 submissions can be determined by staff under delegated authority.Applications with more than 25 submissions will automatically trigger a briefing note to be sent to the Administrator for consideration.   The Administrator can also call up any DA for deliberation at a Council meeting.The new policy is in place following extensive public consultation which highlighted concerns that 100 submissions, to trigger referral to Council, was too many, particularly in smaller communities.Council’s Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said Council now has one approach across the Coast making the process of determining DAs clearer for everyone.“This has always been about adopting one uniform approach so the community is clear about the process,” Mr Reynolds said.“Because the number of submissions required for an application to come to me for determination has been reduced from 100 to 50, development applications with a high level of public interest will automatically be determined by Council.”“I do want to assure the community that all submissions, are taken into account when considering any DA no matter how many are received.  Staff must assess all DAs on their merit and under planning law and I have confidence in staff to do their job effectively.”Rezoning will deliver a new Rural Village for MardiA new rural residential development for Mardi is closer with Council tonight agreeing to support a planning proposal to rezone the land.The rezoning will allow the large parcel of land on Old Maitland Road, just minutes from Westfield and Wyong CBD to be developed with up to 300 rural residential properties.Importantly the rezoning will secure the long term protection of 167 ha of Environmental land which is 75% of the site.The proposed rezoning has been subject to two rounds of public consultation, generating over 100 submissions.  The submissions have been taken into account with the proponent entering into Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) which will require management of the potential impacts of the development relating to biodiversity, bushfire and traffic.Administrator Reynolds said additional rural residential land provides more housing diversity for the growing population on the Coast.“We need more jobs and new housing on the Coast and this development will deliver both of those,” Mr Reynolds said.“It is also about delivering choice in housing.“This is just the rezoning stage.

Everyone loves a good ghost story and Tuggerah Library is presenting two free events about local ghosts in November.Local filmmaker Chris Halling will reveal details of the Coast’s most famous ghost at Jenny Dixon Beach and how hundreds of credible sightings of her over the past 40 years motivated him to make a thriller about her at a talk on Saturday 12 November at 11am.On Thursday 10 November at 2pm Renata Daniel returns by popular demand to present a talk called Ghosts From Our Past:

OneClickDigital and Zinio online library services may be interrupted for up to six hours on Thursday 3 November, while works to update the site in preparation for a new app are undertaken.Between 1pm and 7pm on 3 November library customers may be unable to checkout, listen online or download books via their OneClickDigital and or Zinio site through their app or browser.One Click eBooks and audio eBooks and Zinio magazines will be accessible via the new app in December 2017, making digital library resources easier to access for library customers.Council apologies for any inconvenience.

Central Coast Council’s innovative approach to tackle graffiti will see the local legends of Toukley immortalised as part of a community mural.Council is working with a group of visual artists to create a mural at the Toukley Neighbourhood Centre Precinct and is calling on the community to nominate local legends.Council’s Community Development Coordinator, Ms Shari Young, said the mural is more than artwork, it’s about bringing the community together and creating a sense of pride in the area.“The mural is part of our Graffiti Management Strategy to reduce the amount of blank canvas across the Coast and create murals the local community can identify with,” Ms Young said.“Toukley has been shaped by the people, landmarks and stories that are legendary in the community and we want this to be reflected in our mural.“A local legend can be a person, landmark, event or local story that is significant in the Toukley area.“We have our rich Indigenous history, the Hargraves family and Norah Head Lighthouse, dedicated community members, Canton Beach, Toukley bridge, local sports stars – past and present, great events, our lakes and beaches and the list goes on.“These are only examples and we know there are many, many legends and landmarks out there as well as stories to tell that truly represent the Toukley area.“Make sure you come along and see us at one of our pop up stalls or fun day to nominate your local legend.”A community fun day will be held on Saturday 26 November from 10am-2pm in Heador Street, where residents can go along and nominate their local legend for the mural.The day also includes a free BBQ, petting zoo, games, activities, art workshops with the mural artists and much more.Council staff and the artists will also have a stall at the Toukley Markets on Sunday 6 November and Sunday 27 November taking nominations for the community mural as well as running free art workshops.Council’s Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said this project is a great way to show off the rich history of Toukley.“We want to uncover the legends of Toukley and display them in a community mural for all to see and be proud of,” Mr Reynolds said.“If you know a community member who has contributed to the Toukley area, a local landmark or story, make sure you nominate them.”Nominations close Friday 16 December.

If you have always wanted to know the secrets to cultivating a prize winning garden, now is your chance, as this year’s Garden Competition recipients generously open their green sanctuaries to the public on Sunday 25 September 2016.The 2016 Garden Competition, run by Central Coast Council, dug up a wealth of talent across the region and the public will have the opportunity to explore eight gardens as part of this year’s Open Garden day.This year’s Open Gardens showcase some of the most diverse domestic and commercial gardens in the region.