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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/03/09 Technologies March 3, 2009 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TECHNOLOGIES BOARD HELD ON March 3, 2009 The Regular Session of the TECHNOLOGIES BOARD of The Colony, Texas was called to order at 6:00 pm on the 3rd of March, 2009 at CITY HALL, in the City Managers Conference Room, City Hall, 6800 MAIN STREET, THE COLONY, TEXAS, with the following Technologies Board members present: Jack Turner Tim Tomlinson Beverly Jones Steve Hoffman With four out of six members present a quorum was established and the following items were discussed. 1.0 Call Meeting to Order: 6:00 P.M. Meeting called to order at 6:03. 2.0 DISPOSITION OF MINUTES Acceptance of Technologies Board Minutes for a meeting held on December 9, 2008. 3.0 CITIZEN INPUT None 4.0 AGENDA ITEMS 4.1 Receive presentation from the Video/Audio Volunteer's group, discuss and receive recommendation from Technology Board about the purchasing of used TV production equipment. Bruce Maker introduced Duane Sanders and Scott Von Strohe as volunteers for the City of The Colony. Mr. Sanders gave a brief presentation explaining the need for the video equipment. Mr. Sanders explained that they tape the high school football games to be aired on The Colony government channel. The current equipment is ten years old and was purchased to be used inside the building. They are not capable of doing far off shots on the football field. They also film events such as the parade, Christmas tree lighting and Pirate Days. Steven Hoffman asked if these videos are posted on the website for citizens to view. Mr. Sanders said they would be in the future. Mr. Sanders explained that this year they have expanded the volunteer base and are now capable of using up to three cameras for each show. Mr. Von Strohe explained that with the current cameras they are not able to get close enough to film the events due to the lenses they have. To get close enough they will have to stand in the middle of the crowd and in the line of view of other attendees. Mr. Hoffman asked what the zoom is on the equipment. Mr. Maker said it is 16 1 March 3, 2009 by 9. Mr. Sanders explained that one of the good things about the proposed equipment is that it is all matching equipment. Mr. Hoffman asked who we would be purchasing the new equipment from. Mr. Sanders said it is from a non-profit religious organization. Mr. Sanders explained that the current switcher is not a commercial type product and it has gone down a few times in the past year. The new switcher has seven inputs and will allow for up to seven devices to be used and switched back and forth. Mr. Tomlinson asked if Mr. Sanders knows how to use the proposed new equipment. Mr. Sanders explained that he has a background of thirty years in radio and television. Mr. Hoffman asked if they would still utilize the existing equipment with the new equipment. Mr. Sanders said they would. Mr. Tomlinson asked about the life expectancy of the proposed equipment. Mr. Sanders said the equipment is approximately seven to nine years old and has an expected ten more years of life. Mr. Sanders explained that the number of people handling the equipment is very small and the equipment is handled very carefully. He said that purchasing new equipment would cost an estimated $100,000. Mr. Tomlinson asked if the equipment would do digital. Mr. Sanders explained that it does not but they purchased a new laptop and video capture device on their own last year and it allows them to digitize the production for Mr. Maker to upload to the Toastmaster device. Mr. Hoffman asked about service for the proposed equipment. Mr. Sanders said there is a company in Plano that services cameras of this type. Mr. Maker said they had one repaired last year and it was around $1,200. Mr. Tomlinson asked what the disadvantages of purchasing the proposed equipment rather than buying new equipment. Mr. Sanders said in purchasing the new equipment they would have to purchase upgrades to configure it into the current Toastmaster system and the proposed equipment will configure in easily. Mr. Von Strohe explained that they really are looking at the cost when proposing this equipment. Mr. Turner asked how often they utilize batteries when filming. Mr. Sanders said they use them when they go onto the field or are in the crowd. Mr. Von Strohe explained that another attraction to this package is that all of the cameras have custom hard cases which are good for traveling. Mr. Tomlinson asked what the typical battery life expectancy would be because the proposed package contains batteries that are untested. Mr. Sanders said it is about two and a half years depending on how the batteries are used. Mr. Hoffman asked what the price of a new battery would be. Mr. Maker said a new battery would cost anywhere between $80 and $250. Mr. Hoffman asked if there was a way to test the proposed batteries. Mr. Von Strohe said it may be possible to negotiate with the seller about the batteries. Mr. Turner asked what the time frame is to get the equipment. Mr. Sanders said they have been talking to the seller since December about the equipment and have been speaking with IT about this for the past three weeks. Mr. Hoffman asked if the board approved this how long it would take to get the equipment purchased. Mr. Maker said they would have to present the item to City Council because it is an unfunded item. Mr. Hoffman asked when the next meeting will be held. Mr. Maker said it will be held on March 16t". Mr. Hoffman said he feels this would be a good purchase because it would help the volunteers to promote the City. Mr. Turner asked if it would be worthwhile to look at what new equipment would cost because the proposed equipment is very old and outdated. Mr. Sanders said that he has looked at the proposed equipment and it is in very good condition. He said that to purchase new equipment they would spend in the range of $250,000 or more and one camera costs around $45,000 to $80,000. Mr. Turner asked if the Council will be receptive to the proposed equipment. 2 March 3, 2009 Mr. Sanders explained that one of the broadcast partners is Councilman Allen Harris and he is acquainted with all of the Council Members personally. He said they have had opposition over the years about the expansion of the program the volunteers run but he feels that there are several Council Members that see the need for this equipment and to expand the technology. He sees this as a band aid for what they really need but it is about cost and this will help them do their job better. Mr. Von Strohe thinks this will help them to promote the City in more ways and build community pride. Mr. Hoffman suggested that they ask for $13,500 from the Council with the prospect of trying to get the proposed package at a reduced cost and then using the overage to purchase new batteries if needed. Mr. Turner asked where the cost of repairs comes from. Mr. Maker said that it comes from operating costs. Mr. Tomlinson asked if this package includes two cameras. Mr. Sanders said it has four cameras. Mr. Tomlinson asked if all four cameras have the capabilities that they need. Mr. Sanders said they do and one has a teleprompter which needs a replacement glass. Mr. Tomlinson asked who would be presenting this item to the Council. Mr. Maker said he will present the item to Council. Mr. Turner asked what Mr. Maker thought of the equipment. Mr. Maker said he could not research it in depth he could not really say. He said that the little research he has done he thinks it would be good equipment. Mr. Hoffman asked if he would be researching it more before the Council meeting. Mr. Maker said he would. Mr. Hoffman made a motion to approve a recommendation for the purchase of the recommended equipment at a price of $13,500 with the contingency that they try to get a reduced price due to the untested batteries. Mr. Tomlinson seconded the motion. Motion carries. John Marshall, City Council Liaison for the Technology Board, asked if there is a significant delta in terms of the technology the equipment offers versus the current equipment. Mr. Turner said he thought it was better technology to some extent but it is more equipment to get better coverage and the ability to zoom in farther and get better shots. Mr. Marshall asked if the lenses are standard lenses. Mr. Von Strohe said the Fuji lenses listed are matched up to the Sony heads. Mr. Tomlinson asked why the current owner is getting rid of the equipment. Mr. Sanders said they have upgraded their equipment and no longer need it. Mr. Maker asked if there was a way to do lens matching to the current equipment. Mr. Sanders said he thought they could do it on one of the current cameras. 5.0 ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:49 p.m. APPROVED: Andrew a~ic , Chairman Betty P plin, Record ng Secretary 7S,-11 Slu O!c 3