Grant to pay for new City Hall audio-visual system

The Port Washington Common Council on Tuesday gave itself a holiday gift — a new audio-visual system for the council chambers at City Hall.

Aldermen unanimously approved a $59,650 proposal by Fearing’s Audio Video Security of Madison to replace the equipment — everything from microphones to cameras and screens.

The project should be completed next month, City Administrator Tony Brown said.

“It looks like it’ll be a Christmas present,” Ald. John Sigwart said, both for officials and residents.

That’s especially true, he said, since “other than sidewalks, I’ve had more complaints about our A-V system than anything.”

Meetings of the Common Council and Plan Commission are broadcast and live streamed, and Brown said aldermen have told him that the quality of the broadcasts is among the top complaints of constituents.

And as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage across the state, more and more people are participating in meetings telephonically, which is difficult at best with the current AV system, Brown said.

“You can’t hear what the aldermen are saying,” he said of people who phone in. “They can’t hear you either.”

The current system would make it virtually impossible to have online meetings if they are needed, Brown added.

“I hope we don’t get to that point, but at least we’ll be prepared if we have to (with the new system),” he said.

The city is using a Route to Recovery: Local Government Aid Grant, intended to pay for things municipalities need to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, to fund the new AV system.

The system will include gooseneck microphones, eliminating the noise of aldermen shuffling through papers at their desks, high-definition cameras and two 75-inch screens in the council chamber that will allow both aldermen and the audience to see presentations clearly.

New projectors, hardware and software and staff training are included in the price.

Ald. Dan Benning said the current system is cobbled together, noting that technicians now have to turn on 13 switches to get it up and running. The new system, he said, has one touch pad to click it on.

Brown told aldermen that several other communities, notably New Berlin and the Town of Brookfield, have used Fearing’s Audio Video Security for their systems and are happy with the work.

Benning noted that the city talked to other consultants who quoted a higher cost for the work.

The new system should be up and running by the January council meeting, Brown said.