ITEM:		ACTION ITEM
17.	CONSIDER CONFERENCE ROOM UPGRADE TO FACILITATE USE FOR BOARD MEETINGS
Meeting Date:			December 13, 2004	Budgeted:	$20,000
From:			David A. Berger,	Program/
			General Manager	Line Item No.: Fixed Assets
Prepared By:			Rick Dickhaut	Cost Estimate:	$30,000 or $35,000
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on December 6, 2004 and recommended ___________________.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: Regularly scheduled District Board meetings are currently held in the City of Monterey Council Chambers at a fee of approximately $500 per meeting. The fee includes use of the chambers as well as City owned audio and video equipment. In addition to this fee, District staff spends a considerable amount of time and effort transporting equipment and materials to and from the site, setting up and taking down equipment, configuring the room for use, and cleaning and restoring the room to its original configuration after each meeting.

As directed by the Board at its January 2004 meeting, District staff has investigated the costs of upgrading the District’s conference room to accommodate Board meetings. Staff recently consulted with representatives from Access Monterey Peninsula (AMP) and determined that the cost to install audio and video equipment in the District’s conference room to allow Board meetings to be televised would be approximately $30,000. The required equipment includes three or four cameras, a camera control unit, a camera switcher, a DVD recorder, four LCD monitors, approximately ten microphones, other miscellaneous equipment and installation. Additionally, risers to elevate the Board and improve audience-to-Board visibility could be purchased for approximately $5,000, or perhaps be constructed by District staff for a lesser amount.

The capacity for the conference room as determined by a representative of the Monterey Fire Department is 49 persons. The room as configured on Exhibit 17-A would accommodate the Board Members, General Manager, General Counsel and two other staff members at tables, as well as an audience of 38. When required, an additional 30 – 40 people could be accommodated by setting up chairs and using a television monitor in the lobby.

RECOMMENDATION: District staff recommends that the District’s conference room be upgraded to accommodate Board meetings at a cost not-to-exceed $30,000. If the Board elects to install risers to improve visibility, the not-to-exceed cost would be $35,000. The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on December 13 and voted _ to _ to recommend __________________________.

IMPACT ON RESOURCES: The 2004-2005 budget includes $20,000 for upgrading the District’s conference room to accommodate Board meetings. If the upgrade is approved, an additional $10,000 would be incorporated into the mid-year budget adjustment. If the Board directs that the upgrade includes risers to improve visibility, the amount added to the budget would be $15,000. Based on the cost of approximately $500 per month to utilize the Monterey Council Chambers, the payback time for the conference room improvements would be 60 to 70 months depending on which option is chosen. This payback is within the standard time interval to justify a capital investment. Additionally, there would be a considerable reduction in the staff time required to prepare for and clean up after the meetings.

BACKGROUND: Prior to January 2004, District staff conducted an extensive investigation of potential meeting locations within the District’s boundaries. Many of the locations investigated were found to be unacceptable due to limitations in scheduling, parking and available equipment. At the January 29, 2004 Board Meeting, the Board elected to move regularly scheduled Board meetings to the Monterey City Council Chambers starting in March 2004. Staff was also directed to continue to evaluate the District’s conference room as a potential site for future Board meetings.

EXHIBITS

17-A Proposed Conference Room Layout

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