MEMO 4.21.2006

MEMORANDUM

Project:AshlandCity Council Chamber

Date:April 20, 2006

To:Ann Seltzer, Project Manager City of Ashland

From:Eric Gunderson

DRAFT - REVIEW COMMENTS FOR DESIGN ALTERNATIVES

City Manager, Department Heads and City Staff (Morning Session)

Option 1:

Provide minimum of 60 seats

Option 2:

Add flat screen monitor

Option 3:

Raised dais limits flexibility of seating

Court clerks space too small

Option 4:

Room for more seating

Hard to loose GroveBuilding as a Parks resource

Existing chamber good for expansion of city functions

Move record storage to existing chamber building

Existing chamber building could be used for police expansion

EOC move to the Grove could result in added funding

Move flat screen TV closer to audience (middle of room)

Use Grove lobby for meeting space

Provide TV monitor above speaker position making speaker visible to audience

Staff: There may be 4 to 5 presenters

Suggest screen enclosure covering food service area

View is desirable

Preference Vote:

Option 1: 0

Option 2: 0

Option 3: 2

Option 4: 9

Downtown: 1

Councilors, Court, Recorder, RVTV (Afternoon Session)

Option 1:

People will sit in food service counter, change to enclosed cabinet

Inadequate

Delete food service, replace with bench or seating space

Option 2:

Rear screen too far away

Consider expansion toward parking lot

Door from clerk’s area reduces counter. Counter too small

Door from clerk’s area makes room into a corridor

Bad for courts

Option 3:

Expensive

Prefer court clerk’s located south side with view of street and public

Consider “flipping” rest rooms and court clerk area so clerks are at front.

Option 4:

Expensive

Like this option, but has political issues

Recorder must be adjacent to staff at Dais (near Attorney and Administrator)

Speakers should not fee intimidated

Speaker should not see self image projected (intimidating)

Raised dais helps audience site lines

60 seats are minimum

Provide center aisle in audience seating

It would be nice to have a break room for courts staff

Resolve type of microphone to be used, some like lapel type, some like goose neck

Remember courts use of space

Think long term

Put EOC in new Fire Station 2

Design dais for 7 or 9

Planning commission 9 plus 3 staff

Spend little money, need new building (David)

Provide gable at front for prominent entry from street (flip chamber in 3)

Preference Vote:

Option 1: 3

Option 2: 1

Option 3: 5

Option 3 flipped1

Option 4: 4

Downtown: 0

Raised dais:Kate,

Flat floor:Alex, Jack, David

Neutral:Russ

Public Comment (Afternoon)

Locate speaker for visibility from audience, but not on TV (2 votes)

Provide acoustic wall between lobby and chamber (lobby is noisy), also rest rooms

Curve audience seating

Locate audience seating out of camera view

Do not raise dais (3 votes)

Consider mixed use building, add floors to current building, include housing

Planning Commission staff person keeps minutes, too busy to operate AV controls

Locate City Recorder near entry door (public drops off forms)

Staff and council should appear separate

Make flexible tables pie shaped to allow arched shape (oval)

School board meetings often have large audience, room often full

Need public user manual for room

Downtown is the right location but too expensive

Need good sound system and acoustics

Itemize cost estimate, break out technology costs, finishes, furniture

Lighting fixtures near ceiling is a good idea

Provide aisle in seating

Preference Vote:

Option 1: 0

Option 2: 2

Option 3: 1 (make room square)

Option 4: 1

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