Skip to content

Castlegar council cameras and webcasting delayed

Original contract winner unable to fulfill contract
17759234_web1_181206-CAN-counciltable-light
From left, Coun. Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff, Coun. Maria McFaddin, Coun. Florio Vassilikakis, CAO Chris Barlow, mayor Bruno Tassone, corporate services Tracey Butler, Coun. Cherryl MacLeod, Coun. Dan Rye, Coun. Bergen Price.

Castlegar residents are going to have to wait a while longer before they can watch city council meetings online.

The City of Castlegar has had to award a second contract for the installation of cameras and webcasting capabilities in council chambers after the initial contractor failed to fulfill the contract.

The original contract was awarded to DHC Communications based on price, being local, and a proven track record with other systems for the city. The contract specified a completion date of April 22.

According to a report by the city’s IT manager in the July 15 council agenda, DHC lost a key staff person and asked for an extension to June 12 and then shortly after that another extension to July 12.

The city granted the extension, after discovering that alternate proponents would not be available until August.

“Since granting the extension, DHC has not provided the city with a timetable and has proven unable to complete the work,” states the report.

PREVIOUS: Castlegar council meetings will soon be online

The $46,400 contract is now going to MaestroVision, a Montreal company that originally bid on the project. The company has implemented webcasting systems for five other municipalities.

The original proposal from DHS included hosting the council meeting videos on YouTube, with viewers having to access the whole video in order to find the part they want to view.

The new contract will see a different hosting arrangement where viewers will be able to click on the portion of the agenda they want to view and be taken directly to that segment of the video.

The report states that another advantage with Maestrovision’s proposal is that the videos are stored in Canada and are the property of the city as opposed to public property.

The cost for hosting the videos will be $3,600 per year.

The contract also includes a lifetime warranty and free upgrades on the Maestrovision software and equipment and technical support, costing an additional $2,860 per year.

The total ongoing yearly costs will be $6,460.

Citizens can expect to be able to access the meetings online in October.



betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter



Betsy Kline

About the Author: Betsy Kline

After spending several years as a freelance writer for the Castlegar News, Betsy joined the editorial staff as a reporter in March of 2015. In 2020, she moved into the editor's position.
Read more