The Sherburne County Government Building expansion project should be completed in April, and one of the highlights is the renovation of the county board room.

 

Currently, county board meetings are being held in the emergency operations center while renovations continue.

 

Tuesday, Administrator Steve Taylor gave a presentation to the board about all the changes they’ll see once the room is done, which is set for some time in March. 

 

He said there will be a newly-positioned entrance to the room with a vestibule to keep out sound. In the past, every time someone opened the door, noise from outside could be heard in the meeting. The double set of doors will prevent that from happening.

 

Taylor said the podium will be re-positioned to the side, so everyone in the room can see the board and the presenter at the same time.

 

“It’s kind of rude that your back is to the people who are here to listen to the testimony and local government legislative activities,” said Taylor.

 

That podium will be more than just a place to stand. It comes complete with a microphone, a county PC for county documents, a hookup for a laptop and an iPad to control videos.

 

“The person who is providing the presentation is controlling what’s on the screen,” said Taylor.

 

There’s also a wall-mounted video monitor and another projection screen recessed into the ceiling. In addition, a monitor will be located outside the room in case the board room happens to be filled to capacity.

 

In addition to the main entrance, there are two other doors, one leading to a conference room where workshops could potentially be held.

 

Each commissioner area comes with a video monitor and microphone. The room is equipped with 13 speakers in the ceiling, and the acoustics have been improved so everyone in the room can hear the proceedings.

 

One of the biggest changes will be the video system. Four cameras will be mounted at strategic points within the room to cover the action. Meetings will be recorded, with the cameras and sound controlled by a person in an audio-video room.

 

Taylor said the county’s Information Technology (IT) department will provide a person initially to do the camera and sound work.

 

“We’re also purchasing software so names and titles and the agenda items can be typed in,”  he said. 

 

The videos will be available the same day on YouTube, and the plan is to stream the meetings live.

 

IT Director Brian Kamman said before anything is streamed live, he wants to have a trial run.

 

“I would like the board to see the results of the video before we publish it live and see what’s going on,” he said. “Then we can make any changes that we see in the system or in the presentation.”

 

The goal is to be in the room for the second meeting in March and possibly record the first meeting in April. Streaming live may take place the following meeting.

 

“We’ll have to play it by ear,” said Taylor.