Quispamsis Will Keep Livestreaming Council Meetings

Quispamsis residents will no longer need to leave their home to attend a town council meeting.

The town unveiled its new digital audio and video system during this week’s regular meeting.

The upgraded system will accommodate people “onsite in Council Chambers as well as online,” according to a staff report from town clerk Cathy Snow.

Mayor Gary Clark said they will also be able to keep livestreaming their meetings, even once the pandemic is over.

“We’re seeing that more residents are tuning in online and we feel it’s very important for them to be able to watch our council meetings and educate them on what we do here in the council chambers and in the town hall,” Clark said.

“It certainly is a sign of the times and we’re making it easier for the residents hopefully to watch our council meetings.”

Council first began livestreaming their meetings in early 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions put in-person meetings on hold for several months.

Clark could not say how many people have been watching the meetings, but the staff report from Snow said they are seeing more than 700 viewers, on average, per meeting.

The previous audio system was using older technology that had been in place since Town Hall was built in 2001.

The town initially set aside $26,000 in last year’s budget to upgrade the microphones, speakers and audio mixing system, but once the pandemic arrived, Snow said they realized there was a need for an integrated audio/visual system.

Council awarded the tender to Ivan’s AV at a cost of just under $86,000.