KSFR Local
(2007-04-05)
(SANTA FE, NM)
(KSFR) -
A proposal from the city's information technology and telecommunications division aims to replace the chamber's wiring and technical equipment using high-quality presentation and broadcast equipment. The project will cost an estimated $135,000 and still requires council approval. Funding will come from fees paid to the city by Comcast Cable as part of its agreement to operate in the city and capital-improvement project funds.
"I am confident that these upgrades will result in high quality audio/visual signal for television and radio broadcasts; in addition to quality audio output within the City Council chambers," Thomas Williams, the city's information-technology and telecommunications director, said in a memo.
The city Finance Committee this week recommended approval of the upgrades, which must still be ratified by the whole council next week. The committee had put a hold on a previous proposal last year, seeking to lower the price of the project. The new proposal reflects a savings of several thousand dollars, Williams said.
The technology now used in the chambers -- from the buzzing microphones that sometimes don't work, to the cameras that deliver fuzzy pictures and the plasma monitors that can't hold an image -- is out of date and overdue for replacement.
"Nobody thought it would be this long before it was replaced," said Barton Bond, film and video coordinator for Santa Fe Community College. The college produces the meeting coverage that Comcast distributes to subscriber homes.
Bond said the existing television and radio technology used at City Hall was cobbled together from used college equipment and some purchased by the city six years ago. He can often be seen prior to council meetings chasing down wiring problems in and outside City Hall.
Williams said Albuquerque-based Advanced Presentation Systems, the company expected to do the rewiring and provide the equipment, also set up the Albuquerque City Council's technology.
Figures on the number of people who watch council broadcasts on cable television were not available. But more people should be able watch government proceedings since the technology upgrades will eventually allow Internet video streaming, which has become increasingly popular on municipal Web sites nationwide.
"It's an important first step," Williams said.
Listeners of KSFR-FM 90.7 should also see an improvement in the radio broadcasts of City Council meetings, should the council approve the upgrades. Broadcasts are often laced with intermittent bursts of static over the voices of councilors and other speakers.
"I used to think that councilors who didn't want to be on the record would mess with their microphones," joked Dal Dearmin, the station's general manager. He said fixing the problem has been a concern for a while and hopes the technology upgrades will alleviate the problem. "It's got to get fixed," he said.
Inside the council chambers, the proposal calls for the installation of a lectern with built-in digital presentation technology that allows computer-generated presentations and videos. Currently, most presentations are done on poster board and easels that aren't visible to the public.
Several high-end, LCD screens are planned for the chambers that will allow the public to see the material shown to policymakers. For those nights when the chambers are overflowing, monitors will be available in the hallway.
The proposed upgrades have been only one component in a larger move to increase the use of technology at City Hall during the past year. Williams has said the city is planning a major overhaul of its Web site, allowing for streamed video of council meetings and the ability to pay fines online.
Earlier this year, the city launched Internet bill-paying services, and talks are ongoing about installing wireless Internet access at city libraries and other public buildings. The Planning and Land Use Department is getting new software and computers to better track permit applications and cash flow. And the Office of Constituent Services tracks complaints on computers.
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