Residents in a coastal community are pushing back on a council plan to spend $600,000 on three new ‘welcome’ signs, despite ongoing complaints from locals that general maintenance is lacking across the region.
On the NSW Central Coast, frustration is growing among residents after the council proposed spending $600,000 on three new six-metre-high welcome signs at Coast entrance points on the M1 at Kariong, Tuggerah and Warnervale.
The project is reportedly being pitched as a way to strengthen the Central Coast’s brand, tourism profile and sense of place.
But hundreds of locals have since spoken out, questioning the $600,000 price tag, with many arguing the money could be directed to other priorities.
Green Point resident Joy Cooper told Yahoo News Australia she would rather see the funding — which has not yet been allocated by council — directed towards environmental works and other community projects.
“There are median strips that have weeds taller than I am,” she said.
“For them to suggest they wanted nice entry signs for tourists, well, once they come here, there’s rubbish along the drains and median strips.
“That’s certainly not a nice welcome to the Central Coast.”
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The Welcome to the Central Coast sign at Kariong before locals’ efforts to restore it.
(Lisa Bellamy)
The Kariong Welcome to the Central Coast sign was restored by local volunteers.
(Supplied/Joy Cooper)Questions over decision to install new welcome signs
As for the existing welcome signs, Joy believes they simply haven’t been maintained.
“Putting in a new sign is not going to fix that,” she said.
“Maybe they should be thinking about some of the more basic things to beautify the area rather than high-cost vanity signs.
“There’s no money in the budget to do the signs in any case. They’ve adopted a resolution with no money in the budget for that.”
Joy said some community environmental groups had previously been prevented from carrying out bushcare work by council, prompting residents to take a more informal approach to local clean-ups.
The community are now “not asking for permission from council anymore”.
“We’re just getting out there and doing the things that need to be done when we get a chance,” she said.
The existing signs are about 10 years old.
(Supplied/Joy Cooper)
That was most evident this week, when residents, led by the Kariong Progress Association, undertook a full refurbishment of the welcome sign at Kariong.
The clean-up effort involved a range of local volunteers and businesses.
It even included a sandstone restoration specialist donating professional cleaning products and expertise, community groups supplying native plants, and nearby businesses helping provide equipment and water.
Others pitched in with weeding, mulching, rubbish collection and landscaping work around the sign.
“When we heard about the proposal, we wanted to send a strong message to council,” Progress Association President Lisa Bellamy told Central Coast Council Watch.
“Council is telling residents that rates need to increase as a matter of urgency, yet they are prepared to spend (more than half a million) replacing welcome signs.”
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Joy believes so many people got involved to demonstrate their pride in where they live.
“I went up there to do the work. I didn’t do it for me; I did it for the Central Coast to show that community care, we all love where we live,” Joy said.
“I’m speechless with the amount of places that I go around and see crud that’s on the median strips or in the gutters and drains that don’t work.
“We need maintenance, not a fancy sign.”
Council weighs in after residents speak out
Yahoo News Australia sought comment from the Central Coast Council regarding the residents’ concerns, including a request for details on the breakdown of costs, what condition assessments were undertaken on existing signs, and why replacement was preferred over maintenance.
Questions were also put to the council about how it justifies the investment in new signage in the context of other reported maintenance issues and whether the project is fully funded within existing budgets.
“Council resolved to investigate the feasibility of strengthening entry and exit statement signage and installing Regional Welcome signs on the M1 Motorway,” a spokesperson said in response.
“No final report has been presented, and no funding in Council’s budgets has been allocated.”
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