Council announces second phase of service openings

Blue Mountains City Council will partially reopen some library and cultural facilities from Tuesday, 2 June. The volunteer Bushcare program is also recommencing.

Libraries - Katoomba and Springwood Libraries are reopening with reduced hours (11am to 4pm on weekdays) for a new ‘Select & Collect’ service. The Libraries will only be open for the collection of items (patrons will not be able to stay on the premises to browse at this stage) and it’s the first step on the path towards recommencing the full Library Service. All items will also be quarantined on return. Go to library.bmcc.nsw.gov.au for more information.

Blue Mountains Cultural Centre will open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm weekdays (and 10am to 4pm on weekends). New City Gallery exhibition, Occupied, will be available for those ready for a culture fix after restrictions. The Cultural Centre Café will also operate on weekdays only, 9:30am to 2:30pm. Public programs continue to be suspended, but VIRTUAL INSIGHT, a curated selection of digital content, is still available online. Go to bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au for more information. 

Blue Mountains Hub is reopening to tenants only, at this stage. Blue Mountains Theatre remains closed.

Bushcare volunteer activities are also commencing, with restrictions on the numbers who can gather for activities and social distancing being observed.

Mayor Mark Greenhill said: “This is the second phase of reopenings Council is rolling out, in line with the NSW Government’s approach.

“We’re cautiously reopening some of our facilities and will be relying on people to be vigilant,” Mayor Greenhill said. “We all play a role in ensuring our community remains safe during COVID-19.”

Council is implementing a regime of strategies to enable facility and services to recommence in a phased way, and to help protect Staff and the community.

“We need to ensure a sustainable recovery for our people and our businesses,” Mayor Greenhill said. “There is no precedent for this and the State Government’s messaging has been mixed, but we will be honest and open with our community, while doing what we can to give people increased confidence.”

To keep up to date on Council’s services go to: bmcc.nsw.gov.au/coronavirus-closures 

Supporting our community during COVID-19