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Item 2
<br />September 5, 2017, Work Session
<br />Page 3
<br />very high utilization of the system compared to other cities in the Commission.
<br />Draft versions of an Equipment List, Video System drawing, and Audio System drawing are
<br />attached. The design is from CTV North Suburbs, primarily Patrick Cook, Senior
<br />Technician and Facilities Coordinator, with input from Jarame Berneche, Mobile Truck
<br />Technician. Vanessa Van Alstine, Cable Television Coordinator, has been working with
<br />them as a collaborator and contributing experience from the upgrade project at the City of
<br />Little Canada in September 2015. The drafts are still a work in progress. There are many
<br />options for equipment, and the right choice in a design is a balance of cost, reliability,
<br />compatibility, suitability for the task, manufacturer support, ease of use, ongoing costs,
<br />personal experience, and other considerations.
<br />While the core technology choices of terminal equipment, router, switcher, cameras, and
<br />audio control have been identified, there are still several parts of the system that can be
<br />modified to best serve the needs of the people interacting with the system. Staff would like
<br />direction in these areas.
<br />1. Build system in one year, or spread across multiple years. The overall cost of the system
<br />is being refined, but the current estimate is about $190,000. Previous versions of the
<br />system have ranged from $160,000 to $250,000. Staff is working to narrow the possible
<br />range and bring forward a budget for 2018 for discussion at the October Work Session.
<br />The system could be done in one budget year, with a complete teardown of the existing
<br />system and replacement with all new equipment in one phase. Certain systems could also
<br />be split off and replaced in a second or third year.
<br />Advantages to replacing the systems in one phase include fastest replacement of
<br />aging/failing equipment, fewer disruptions to facility availability, no need for temporary
<br />accommodation of legacy equipment, no changes to availability of planned purchases, full
<br />benefit of new equipment immediately, and less staff time on project management.
<br />Advantages to replacing the systems in two or three phases include spreading the cost
<br />over multiple budget years, possible opportunity for improved performance as new
<br />equipment comes to market, staggered system age for future replacement planning.
<br />2. Room PA. The design of the in -room speaker system was poorly done. The existing
<br />speakers cause feedback into the microphones so the system is not used except for videos
<br />being played on the laptop. There have been complaints from residents that it is hard to
<br />hear people in the Chambers. Without sound reinforcement in the room ("Is this on?")
<br />many people ignore microphones available at events like the Town Hall Meeting, which
<br />means their comments are not picked up in the recordings of the events.
<br />The system design adds an amplifier, equalization, and multiple speakers in the Chambers
<br />to support multiple zones of sound reinforcement. The intended zones are dais, meeting
<br />tables, audience, and lobby. To prevent feedback, the programming of each zone can
<br />include audio from microphone from outside that zone but omit the sources in it. For
<br />example, the dais zone would include the podium, ceiling, and audience microphones, as
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