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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-09-15-CAC-min RECEIVED 2023 '1 ,Jain, &55 am TOWN OF LEXINGTON TOWN CL,ERK COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE LEXINGTON MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 CONDUCTED BY REMOTE PARTICIPATION 1. Call to order and roll call. Communications Advisory Committee (CAC) Chair Kenneth Pogran called the meeting to order at 6:35 PM and called the roll. The meeting was conducted remotely via Zoom. Members Present (via Zoom): Ken Pogran, Chair; Dave Becker, Dave Buczkowski, Smita Desai, Dorinda Goodman, Steve Kaufman, Nick Lauriat, P.K. Shiu, Rita Vachani. Members Absent: Bob Avallone, Ramin Taraz Quorum: A quorum of members was present. Others Present: Doug Lucente, Select Board; Florence DelSanto, LexMedia; David van Moritz, Astound. Materials Referenced: Draft minutes of the June 16, 2022 CAC meeting; Astound Rate Notice Letter; Astound Rate Notice Information; Town Manager"Board and Committee" memo; Draft CAC contribution to the Town Annual Report. In addition, the following materials were provided for information: Revised minutes of the May 19, 2022 meeting; LexMedia contract extension; LexMedia contract amendment. 2. Review and VOTE to approve minutes of the CAC June 16, 2022 meeting The minutes of the June 161h meeting, as amended, were reviewed and approved by all other than Dave Buczkowski. Dave Buczkowski abstained as he was not present at the June 16d' meeting. 3. Select Board liaison report: Doug Lucente Doug Lucente noted that the Fall Special Town Meeting will kick off November 1, 2022, and the Select Board is focused on that. Nothing on the proposed warrant for the Town Meeting pertains to the CAC. He also mentioned that the FY24 Budget Cycle will be starting soon. As per agreement at the May 23rd 2022 Select Board Meeting, we would like to request supplemental funding for LexMedia in the FY24 budget. Rita Vachani will follow up with Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager Finance, to check if any additional information is needed from the CAC to support the funding request. Doug Lucente will also check with Jim Malloy, Town Manager. 4. Service provider reports Dave von Moritz did not have any new developments to report. Dave Becker asked a question regarding Astound's rate changes: For customers who have a higher than basic tier package, would the new added charges be cumulative, and hence result in a potential $18-$20 increase in their monthly subscription charges? Dave von Moritz answered that he would have to follow up to get an accurate response, and he would get back to Ken Pogran with an answer that could be shared with the Committee. 5. Chairman's Report: Ken Pogran Ken Pogran noted that 3 of the current CAC members -- Dave Buczkowski, Ken Pogran and Rita Vachani — are up for reappointment and are waiting for confirmation of their appointments from the Select Board. On a related note, there was discussion about the Town Manager's recent memo regarding "Boards and Committees" in Town, specifically the proposal that the CAC appointments be made by the Town Manager. Dave Becker reminded everyone that the MA Department of Telecommunications and Cable authorized the Towns to create Cable Advisory Committees to advise the Issuing Authority (for Lexington that is the Select Board) on technical issues and help negotiate the cable licenses. Doug Lucente clarified that the memo is a starting point for a broader discussion on "How do you reimagine Boards and Committees in the Town" to make sure there is best use of the talent in Town, to reduce duplication across Committees, and to use the time of the Town Staff and the Select Board most effectively. The Select Board has heard from a large number of Town residents at the Select Board Meeting as well as via emails on the changes proposed in the memo and will be considering all these inputs as they deliberate further. Doug Lucente emphasized that the Select Board will meet with the CAC before any changes to the appointment process/reporting structure are made. Ken Pogran then discussed several administrative items: i. Continue CAC meetings on the third Thursday of the month. There were no objections to this schedule ii. Recording secretary and Complaints assignments: The same rotation to continue for both activities and Ken Pogran will send out the updated rosters. iii. Working group assignments for the year: After some discussion, it was decided that we should have a written description of each group's charge and then revisit the membership of each group. Ken Pogran will take the lead on creating this document. iv. Remote or in person meetings: The State has approved all public meetings can continue remotely till March 2023. The Town is working on procuring equipment and software to enable hybrid meetings in the future, allowing for some remote participation. There was discussion about what the CAC members would prefer—Dave Buczkowski and Dave Becker said they would like to have the option to attend remotely when they cannot make it in person; Nick Lauriat and Steve Kaufman both expressed the view that there is a loss of community when the meetings are remote and so we should aim for in person meetings when possible. It was also confirmed that the zoom (remote) meetings do not need to be recorded, as the minutes of the meeting are the official record. So, the meeting recordings can be stopped going forward. However, the transcript option should continue for accessibility. 6. LexMedia Update: Florence DelSanto Florence DelSanto reported that LexMedia had a very successful summer class for middle school kids, with 11 students signed up, and also had 4 interns (3 from college, 1 from LHS). LexMedia staff dipped their toes into news broadcasting by producing 2 news segments. The show, called LexLocal, is focused on hyper local issues, and is in a prototype stage. One of the segments can be viewed on the On-Demand channel. The team needs to assess if the show can be sustained with existing staff and determine what next. Florence DelSanto mentioned that the terms of some of the Board Members of LexMedia will be expiring soon, including that of Jim Shaw. She expects that Jim Shaw will continue as Chair and most of the Board Members will also continue, making for a very stable Board. LexMedia's Annual Meeting will be an in-person meeting in November. The annual financial audit for LexMedia was completed over the summer and the report will be available prior to the Annual Meeting. Florence DelSanto reported that there were a few issues with equipment and service over the summer. The broadcast server was upgraded($30,000 capital expense) and after a few hiccups, it is functioning well. The air-conditioning in the server room blew out and to prevent damage to the equipment, the servers were shut down. LexMedia could not broadcast for a week until the issue was resolved. The cameras in Cary Hall seem to be off and LexMedia is working with the A/V person on site to resolve that. As usual, LexMedia is gearing up for a busy fall with several community events and school activities to be covered. 7. Comcast Cable Television License Renewal Update: Ken Pogran, P. K. Shin, Dave Becker, Dave Buczkowski, Nick Lauriat Ken Pogran mentioned that the Comcast license will expire in 2024 and the Select Board has directed the CAC to proceed with license renewal discussions. P.K. Shiu will lead the effort and will publish a timeline for the activities. 8. Should CAC have a Vice Chair: Ken Pogran After a short discussion, the Committee agreed that it was not necessary to have a Vice Chair at this time. 9. Review and VOTE to approve CAC contribution to the Town Annual Report: Ken Pogran The CAC contribution to the Town Annual Report was unanimously approved. 10. Town IT Update: Dorinda Goodman Dorinda Goodman noted that the IT department is still dealing with the failure of the cooling system at Bedford Street due to delays in getting replacement/new parts. They are making do in the interim with stop gap measures. Dorinda Goodman reported that the IT department has been working on a proposal for a town- wide fiber network connecting all the Town buildings, and money from a State grant and Town Capital was expected to fund the network. However, at the RFQ stage, they found out that the cost to install fiber had increased by 40% and the cost of the equipment had gone up almost 5 times since the original proposal. So, the IT department has to now work on the additional capital required to go ahead. Dorinda Goodman also updated the CAC on progress with the AT&T tower. The engineering design and architectural sketches are at a stage that they can be sent for approval to the Historic District Commission, and work can then proceed. 11. Wireless Facility Applications: Nick Lauriat Nick Lauriat reported that there has been nothing for the CAC to review in the permitting system. This was followed by discussion on whether the CAC still needed to be involved in the Wireless Facility Applications process, given the changes in zoning/permitting/FCC shot clock ruling. Nick Lauriat and Ken Pogran both said that it seems that the CAC should get out of this review process. Ken Pogran will coordinate with Doug Lucente to confirm if CAC can be dropped from this process. There was discussion that the CAC efforts should shift to working with the Wireless Carriers to improve coverage in town. Steve Kaufman and Nick Lauriat both commented that there are several areas in Town where cell coverage, specifically high speed data service, is very poor. Ken Pogran said he would convene the Wireless Services group to discuss this issue. 12. Complaints There were no complaints in the period June— September(to-date). 13. Election of Committee Chair, 2022-2023 Ken Pogran was unanimously elected Chair of the CAC for 2022-2023. 10. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 7.58 pm. Respectfully submitted, Rita Vachani Recording Secretary