The time of the season for change
Rocky River council chambers to get makeover
By Jennifer Mitchell
Rocky River
Published Dec. 13, 2006

As a new year approaches, the city is gearing up for a fresh look. The City Hall Council chamber will soon get a long-awaited facelift to bring it into 2007.

The space where council meets weekly was originally created for the Rocky River Municipal Court, and, if nothing else, it could use a fresh coat of paint. Money was budgeted this year in the Building Maintenance fund to give it much more. A new speaker system, carpeting, lights, a dropped ceiling, drywall and removal of exposed ductwork is expected to cost under $15,000 with city crews doing much of the work. Removal of the ductwork will allow air to enter the room through vents in a dropped ceiling. It will also hide the wiring for the speaker system.

Because the space is also used by many of the city’s boards and commissions, City Council is also discussing the possibility of adding equipment to project presentations, such as those in Microsoft PowerPoint, to a screen mounted at the front of the room. Such equipment is allotted for in the budget.

According to Councilman Frank Gollinger, City Council, the Planning Commission, Design Board and Board of Zoning Appeals often have drawings and renderings that the public would like to see. Such equipment would allow that. The cost ranges from $7,000 to $11,000.

Gollinger said he would also like to see two projectors, one pointed toward the audience and one toward the council desks, projected on either side of a screen, so everyone could get the same view at once.

Council members had previously discussed the possibility of purchasing portable equipment so that it could also be used at the Civic Center, but at the Dec. 4 meeting, members said they would prefer a permanently mounted unit.

Mayor Pamela Bobst is expected to supply bids to council members for companies that can do the work, which may be done at a later date.

The rest of the chamber remodel, which began yesterday, is expected to run close to six weeks. That may require council to temporarily relocate some of its meetings.