Webstreaming standing committee on finance (SCOF) meetings from the east boardroom in St. Albert Place won’t be as easy as webstreaming regular council meetings, but it can be done, councillors heard Monday night.
The proposal, passed during 2012 budget deliberations with a budget of $25,000, would see two cameras and a microphone added to the boardroom, as well as the ability to link the projector with the camera to transmit its image to the webcast.
Maya Pungur-Buick, director of corporate communications and marketing, said she was in the process of soliciting quotes, saying installation would not take place for another three to four months.
“We anticipate the same quality of production as council meetings,” Pungur-Buick said.
But some committee members also want to enhance the sound quality in the room. Coun. Wes Brodhead, who pushed to add webstreaming to the east boardroom, said he’s heard complaints from members of the public about difficulty hearing what is being said depending on where in the room they are sitting.
“If we’re not going to improve sound quality of the meeting, that seems like a missed opportunity,” Brodhead said.
The room faces two main challenges, neither of which can be easily remedied, according to planning and engineering manager Guy Boston. A bulkhead protruding from the ceiling interferes with sound waves, while the roar of the building’s HVAC system easily penetrates the walls.
Committee members suggested installing a separate microphone and some speakers in the room to improve sound quality. Pungur-Buick also noted the $25,000 budget does not contemplate additional microphones and speakers.
“I can expand it. It might change the configuration and if it’s over $25,000, we’ll come back to council,” she said.
The budget also includes $2,500 for hourly pay of a videographer. Coun. Malcolm Parker asked if any thought had been given to letting other committees and the public use the space and its webstreaming abilities.
“You could even go one point further and even use it as a revenue stream,” Parker said.
Acting city manager Chris Jardine said council’s direction never contemplated that alternative.
“That was not the direction we received. In the short-term, once the room is set up, we could webstream whatever we want,” Jardine said.
The committee might also have to change how it conducts business. The boardroom is much smaller than council chambers and SCOF has traditionally conducted itself in a more informal fashion, sitting around tables, conducting votes by hand and referring to one another by first name.
“We may have to change our process,” Jardine said.
The room might also need to be re-arranged to optimize picture quality, and members will need signs with their names on them.
“There are limitations to what cameras can do,” Pungur-Buick said.
