24 DECEMBER 2020
ISSUE 274
News
The Palm Beach to Ettalong and Wagstaffe Ferry will continue to run on schedule despite calls from some residents for a suspension of the service during the Northern Beaches COVID-19 cluster period. See page 3
Out&About
More signs of COVID on the Coast Central Coast residents are being urged to continue being tested for COVID-19 if they have even the mildest symptoms, with a COVID positive Western Sydney resident having visited Avoca Beach on December 20 and virus fragments having been discovered in a sewage treatment plant at Kincumber. The COVID positive resident, who is in isolation in Western Sydney, visited the Saltwater Bistro at Avoca Beach Hotel on December 20 between 7.40
and 8.30pm. Anyone who attended the bistro at the specified time is considered a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative test result. They should then continue to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days and if any symptoms occur, get tested again. The business had a COVIDsafety plan in place and casual contacts are being contacted, with the case having been linked to the Avalon cluster. Meanwhile, the state’s
sewage surveillance program detected traces of the virus at the Kincumber sewage treatment plant, which services multiple suburbs to the south of the region, on December 21. There are currently two confirmed cases in the Central Coast Local Health District, both of whom are being monitored. Central Coast Local Health District has reinforced the importance of physical distancing, good hand hygiene and remaining alert for symptoms, which include a fever, cough, sore/scratchy
throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, and loss of taste or smell. In addition to testing clinics at Gosford and Wyong hospitals, a walk-in COVID-19 testing clinic has been established at the Woy Woy Hospital, next to the kiosk, on Ocean Beach Rd, which will operate every day until Thursday December 24 (inclusive) between 8am and 4.30pm. Residents are reminded that home gatherings are limited to 10 people, with a slight easing of restrictions announced by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian
allowing children under 12 to be excluded from the number count over Christmas (December 24-26 inclusive). Berejiklian reinforced the fact that this is the maximum number allowed, more than one group of 10 visiting at different times of the day is not permitted. On December 27, restrictions revert to a maximum of 10 persons visiting a home, including children. Source: NSW Health website Media release, Dec 23 Central Coast Local Health District
This latest loan sees Council’s total borrowings for the year reach $200M, with a $50M loan taken out with NAB in May to be repaid over 20 years, and another $50M borrowed from an unnamed financial institution in November – a principle and interest loan with
a fixed five-year term amortised over 15 years. The latest loan was approved at an extraordinary meeting on December 18 and is a fixed threeyear loan amortising over 15 years. Details of the loan were discussed in closed session and remain commercial-inconfidence. A Council spokesperson said the loan will assist Council with a positive budget for the next financial year and long term 10-
year financial plan. Council resolved at the December 18 meeting to authorise Administrator Dick Persson and Acting Chief Executive Officer Rik Hart to execute all documents relating to the facility agreement between Council and the financial institution. The Council also resolved that the report should remain confidential in accordance with section 10A(2)(d)(i) of the Local Government Act as it “contains
commercial information of a confidential nature that would, if disclosed, prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied it”. The minutes also say that consideration of the matter in open Council would, on balance, be contrary to the public interest as publication of all tendered amounts would discourage potential tenderers from submitting commercial information in future. Meanwhile, Council continues
See page 17
Education
In a competition between 666 schools, the Terrigal Primary School debating team, Terrigal Tigers, have been named runnersup in the NSW Premiers Debating Challenge. See page 35
Sport
Spot us another $100M: Council Central Coast Council has taken out another loan – this time for $100M – as it continues to work through mitigation measures for its cash crisis.
You can experience breathtaking work from four of Australia’s leading surf photographers at Gosford Regional Gallery this summer.
its path to financial recovery and sustainability under its business recovery plan, the spokesperson said. Reductions have been made in the capital works program, sales of assets are underway, an employee savings target has been set and a voluntary redundancy program has commenced, as well as notification to IPART for a special rate variation of 15 per cent. CCN report
Central Coast fishers will soon be bream-ing with excitement, with a Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) recently deployed to ocean waters near Terrigal. See page 40
Puzzles page 22
Office: Level 2, 86-88 Mann St, Gosford - Phone: 4325 7369 - Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 - E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net - Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au