MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Mountain View County council has approved upgrades to the audiovisual system in council chambers, at a cost of $175,000.
The move came by way of motion during a recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
The current AV system in council chambers is aging and will soon need to be replaced, administration said in a briefing note to council.
The county recently engaged the services of AVI-SPL to carry out a needs assessment regarding the system. The company evaluated the current AV system and engaged key stakeholders, including staff and council, with one-on-one phone interviews and questionnaires, the note states.
“From the information gathered from these sessions AVI-SPL presented a detailed proposal with three levels of upgrades. The proposal included the functional schematics and budget required for each level.”
The updated AV system will include one portable screen with three wired locations, the addition of streaming and recording capabilities, the addition of a second microphone at the presentation table, and new overhead screen lighting.
The system will include a viewing screen in the lobby for overflow sessions.
Coun. Greg Harris said he would like to have seen other options for upgrades of the AV system presented for consideration.
Coun. Dwayne Fulton said he considered the cost of the upgrade to be high.
Coun. Angela Aalbers said she supports the upgrade.
“We need it,” said Aalbers.
Harris voted against the motion approving the recommended action; all other councillors voted in support.
The upgraded system must still be tendered and brought back before council for consideration.
