After roughly 30 years of use, the council chamber at City Centre will be getting some major upgrades this year.
City council approved $570,000 in upgrades for its civic meeting room during the 2023 budget process, which will bring "significant" renovations aimed at making meetings more accessible for the public.
“The renovations are going to allow the front of the chamber and areas of the public seating to be fully accessible,” said Renee Recoskie, the city's manager of property and environmental sustainability. “There's going to be a ramp added so that it's just a more friendly and welcoming space.
"The main driving force in what they will improve is accessibility and public access."
Improvements to the seating layout, technological upgrades, and the removal of the currently raised platform between council and the audience – by raising the plane of the rest of the chamber – are among the upgrades planned.
Recoskie listed a variety of technological upgrades slated for the chamber’s audio visual system.
“There's going to be a brand new microphone system and sound systems for members of council and for the public listening in. There's going to be a new monitor display behind where council sits currently, so that there's improved visual systems in place in that chamber as well,” she said.
“There's going to be, essentially, a control system … that's all going to be able to be centrally managed by the clerk staff running the meetings, so that we can have much improved control of what's displayed, how sound is heard, how those council meetings are broadcasted,” she said.
The chamber upgrades originate from a 2019 budget request, Recoskie said, noting council originally approved $530,000 for the project in 2022. However, all bids exceeded the approved budget at that time.
Constructed in the early 1990s, the chamber has seen smaller upgrades over the years, but Recoskie said it’s “really at that point where this investment is needed to continue to use the space in a professional and acceptable way,” with regard to accessibility and growing technological needs.
“Especially being in municipal government, ensuring that any members of the public have the same access to that space is critical,” she said. “To ensure we have that space high-functioning, (we’re) able to run those meetings efficiently, able to have the public engaged and participating in those meetings … an investment that the city is required to make.”
Ward 4 councillor Tim Lauer agreed the upgrades are needed to meet the evolving demands of public accessibility.
"Council meetings can now be accessed from anywhere in the world, live or at any time following the meeting. Residents can now participate remotely in meetings," Lauer told OrilliaMatters in a statement. "Councillors, if warranted, can participate remotely. All these new developments need the best systems possible to operate effectively."
Lauer also noted the technological upgrades bring the potential to record council's votes on every item.
Recoskie said construction for the council chamber will begin this summer.
