Six community projects funded from coal revenue

Playground upgrade soon at Chain Valley Bay Progress Hall

School programs at Mannering Park and Lake Munmorah are among the projects to be funded in the 2022 Chain Valley Colliery Community Funding Program.

Road Safety Education Limited will receive $2,128 for its RYDA Road Safety Programs at Lake Munmorah High School and the P&C Association at Mannering Park Primary School received $729.15 to conduct the Whole School Colour Run Event.

Other community projects to receive funding are the Lioness Club of Gwandalan ($9,380) to refurbish the History Sign on Kanangra Dr, Manno Men’s Shed ($3,088) for a metal bending machine and Mannering Park Tidy Towns ($1,745) for battery-powered lawn mowers and ($12,500) for a Graffiti Free Mannering Park project.

Also, $28,314 previously granted in 2017 for the Chain Valley Bay boat ramp landing deck has been reallocated to upgrade the playground behind Chain Valley Bay Progress Hall.

This occurred because of ongoing delays with permission from the State Government over the boat ramp landing deck.

Almost $30,000 was granted to community projects in this year’s round of funding, however, five projects missed out because they didn’t meet the broader community benefit criteria.

The Chain Valley Colliery Community Funding Program is part of the Voluntary Planning Agreement with Delta Coal (formerly Lake Coal) to pay contributions to Central Coast Council at a rate of $0.035 for each tonne of coal produced.

The total revenue from Delta Coal for the 2022 funding round was $53,739.63 with $29,570.25 going to the six projects this year approved by the Community Advisory Panel.

The remaining funds will be held over into the 2023 Chain Valley Colliery Community Funding Program.

A Community Advisory Panel assesses grant applications for projects to improve public infrastructure or projects with broad community benefit specifically in the Summerland Point, Gwandalan, Chain Valley Bay and Mannering Park suburbs.

The Panel, which has been in place since inception of the fund, comprises Council’s Community and Culture Unit Manager, Glenn Cannard; Hayley Wilson representing Delta Coal’s Company Secretary Steve Gurney, and community members John Oakes and Laurie Williams.

Council is now calling for Expressions of Interest to recruit new Advisory Panel members in early 2023.

Sue Murray