VENTNOR A problem in getting parts for a new audio system is delaying the installation of microphones in the public meeting room that would improve sound quality for audio files posted to the city's website.
According to Network Administrator James Pacanowski, the equipment needed amplifiers and mixers are on backorder, buthe hopes to have the new audio equipment in place over the next three or four weeks.
Our vendor said the equipment we need is on backorder, he said in a telephone interview Friday, Oct. 12. It's not just us, it's affecting multiple clients.
The system will go from a one-amp service to a two-amp service, allowing each microphone in the meeting room to be on its own channel, which will improve sound quality and allow those speaking to be clearly heard.
We will be replacing all the microphones, adding new mics on the front tables and adding two speakers in the front of the room, which will project sound to the audience, he said.
The microphones will be flexible and longer, so they will be closer to those speaking, he said.
We're going from 11 inches to 20-inch mics, he said.
Pacanowski said the city will also be purchasing Willliams headsets for the hearing impaired, which will bring the city into compliance with the Americans with Disability Act.
They are expensive, around $1,250 each, so we will get one this year, and budget for one or two next year, he said.
Pacanowski said he has been working several months to upgrade the city's technology, including a revamp of the website and installation of the audio and video recording equipment, but audio has been posted on the website since June.
The new sound system will provide a direct feed to the video equipment when we get it, he said.
The city is planning to do live streaming and archiving of all meeting recordings, probably early next year.
Our budget season is almost over and based on the time frame for getting the audio equipment installed, the installation of video will probably be early next year, Pacanowski said.
Although certain community members have complained about a lack of transparency, the city is trying to be pro-active, not reactionary, he said.
The upgrades were based on requests from the commissioners, and the poor sound quality in the meeting room forced the upgrades.
We've been looking to make these changes for quite a while, more than a year, especially video, but with all the other projects we've got going, it's taking longer than expected, Pacanowski said.
Pacanowski is a one-man show in the technology department.
He said it would be ideal to post videos on the Comcast public access channel, but the service is provided through a contract with all three Downbeach communities, and the equipment would likely be installed in another community, making it cumbersome to do, he said.
So, we plan to post everything to our website and stream to YouTube or Facebook Live. We will archive everything to the website, he said.
The cost for the audio portion of the upgrades is about $14,000, Pacanowski said.
We're still getting quotes for the video, he said.
