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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Clayton Muhammad, Chief Communications & Equity Officer
Ken Schroth, Director of Public Works
Mike Pegues, Chief Information Officer
Jim Birchall, Superintendent of Fleet & Facilities Maintenance
Tony Martinez, Director of Communications
DATE: April 25, 2022
SUBJECT:
A Resolution authorizing the remodeling of the City of Aurora Council Chambers, Conference Rooms 5A & 5B and the addition of a press room and communications control center using the City of Aurora Job Order Contracting Program for $1,768,086.23, plus a contingency amount of $176,803.00.
PURPOSE:
To enhance Council Chambers and improve transparency for city residents by providing better methods of producing video recordings of public meetings and audio-visual communication.
To improve the use of the 5th floor conference rooms and to establish a dedicated area for holding press conferences and other Aurora Community Television (ACTV) programming.
BACKGROUND:
The City Hall for Aurora is located at 44 E Downer Place, Aurora, Illinois 60505. The building is a five-floor structure that contains office space for numerous City of Aurora divisions as well as a council chambers on the 2nd floor. The 5th floor is divided into a partitionable conference room (5A & 5B) and currently unused office space.
To date, City Council meetings have been video recorded using a stationary camera and streamed to Facebook and other social media sites. Audio from City Council meetings and Council Committee meetings have been made available via the City website. These methods did not provide the degree of transparency expected by staff or city residents.
Upgrades to City Council Chambers will allow for better use of the room, increased safety measures within the Chambers as well as create increased transparency for city residents by providing better methods of producing video recordings of public meetings. The improvements on the 5th floor will allow for more effective use of conference rooms 5A & 5B as well as create a dedicated space for holding press conferences and other Aurora Community Television programming.
DISCUSSION:
Staff hired Kluber, Inc. to assist with drawings for this project and F.H. Paschen, S.N. & Nielsen LLC, the City of Aurora's Job Order Contracting program vendor (R20-221), has proposed to remodel Council Chambers, the 5th floor conference rooms 5A & 5B, and establish a press room and media control center for $1,768,035.78 (proposals and slide presentation attached). Construction and audio-visual upgrades and improvements are summarized per area as follows:
City Hall Council Chambers:
Construction Upgrades
- Removal and replacement of all lighting, flooring, ceiling grid and acoustical tile, public seating, dais seating
- Extension of the existing dais to allow for City Clerk and Corporation table to be removed from lower platform
- Architectural cladding of the dais, existing columns
- Installation of two new lecterns
AV Upgrades
- New microphones for all aldermen and alderwomen. New microphones and wireless microphones for presentations.
- Monitors between each aldermen and alderwomen seats.
- New touchscreen control panels and software to control what is displayed on the screens for the public and council members.
-Six (6) pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras will provide high-quality video recording of all meetings in the room. The cameras will be positioned to capture video from all angles of the room. This will provide better views for the public watching the meetings online.
- New in-ceiling speakers will be installed throughout council chambers.
- Television monitors will be relocated from their current position to the sidewalls and one mounted to the face of the dias. There will be a total of six (6) television monitors throughout the council chambers.
- All of the video and audio feeds will be routed up to the 5th floor control room for live public broadcast onto ACTV, the City's website and social media simultaneously.
City Hall 5th Floor Conference Rooms A & B:
No reconstruction will occur in these rooms
AV Upgrades
- Four new monitors will allow for improved sightlines for committee members and those in the audience.
-Six pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras will provide high-quality video recording of all meetings in the room.
- The room will consist of an all-wireless microphone setup so the room can be more flexible when there are no meetings taking place.
- All of the video and audio feeds will be routed up to the 5th floor control room for live public broadcast onto ACTV, website and social media simultaneously.
- The conference room monitor will be able to display all video and audio feeds from council chambers in the event the room is used as an overflow room for community events.
- New in-ceiling speakers will be installed throughout the room.
City Hall Press Room & Studio
Construction Upgrades
- Removal of the existing divider wall between Conference 5C and the adjoining offices
- Construction of an elevated platform with a lectern
- Installation of new flooring, ceiling grid, and lighting
AV Upgrades
- Powered green screen for TV productions
- Three studio cameras will provide high-quality video for recording of press conferences, interviews and other events.
- Projector and projector screens for video presentations.
- Audio connections for press cameras during press conferences.
- podium and raised platform for press conferences and TV programming.
- All of the video and audio feeds will be routed up to the 5th floor control room for live public broadcast onto ACTV, website and social media simultaneously.
5th Floor Control Room
Construction Upgrades
- Construction of the Control room wall with new door and window
- Installation of new ceiling grid, lighting, and flooring
AV Upgrades
- This control room will allow city staff to control content and produce high-quality video recording and streaming of public meetings and press conferences whether they occur in Council Chambers, Conference Rooms 5 A & B or the new Press Room/ TV production studio.
- Video and audio outputs will be controlled by the New-Tek Tri-Caster which will allow staff to control the audio and video from each room and to broadcast the finished product via ACTV, website and social media.
A ten percent (10%) contingency of $176,803.00 is requested for this project.
Funding for this project will be available in the accounts below. A budget amendment will be necessary to move funding into the Capital Improvements Fund and to bring forward budget funds from 2021 for the project.
--- 287-4010-417.38-05 -- $1,166,041.00 This funding will come from the City's ARPA allocation.
--- 340-4010-417.38-05 -- $602,045.20 This funding is provided through cable television franchise fee revenue.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
The completion of this project will enhance the physical and virtual accessibility of City Council and committee meetings. This will also enable the City to efficiently broadcast public meetings live on its social media, website, and public access channel simultaneously to increase transparency and civic engagement.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends that City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the remodeling of the City of Aurora Council Chambers, Conference Rooms 5A & 5B and the addition of a press room and communications control center using the City of Aurora Job Order Contracting Program for $1,768,086.23, plus a contingency amount of $176,803.00.
cc: Finance Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution authorizing the remodeling of the City of Aurora Council Chambers, Conference Rooms 5A & 5B and the addition of a press room and communications control center using the City of Aurora Job Order Contracting Program to FH Paschen, S.N. Nielsen and Associates for $1,768,035.78, plus a contingency amount of $176,803.00.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, increasing accessibility and safety within City Council Chambers is highly desired, and;
WHEREAS, city residents expect a high degree of transparency or public meetings, and;
WHEREAS, these upgrades will greatly improve the capabilities of Aurora Community Television; and
WHEREAS, the city selected FH Paschen, SN Nielsen and Associates and their Job Order Contracting vendor with resolution R20-221; and
WHEREAS, funding for this project will be available in accounts 287-4010-417.38-05 ($1,166,041.00) and 340-4010-417.38-05 ($603,045.20). A budget amendment will be necessary to move funding into the Capital Improvements Fund and to bring forward budget funds from 2021 for the project.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: that the City Council of Aurora, Illinois approves the remodeling of the City of Aurora council chambers and conference rooms 5A & 5B, and the addition of a press room and communications control center using the City of Aurora Job Order Contracting program for $1,768,035.78, plus a contingency of $176,803.00, and hereby authorizes the Purchasing Director to issue the necessary purchase orders.