The City of Belleville has officially opened its new council chambers.
On Thursday morning, Mayor Mitch Panciuk invited media for a tour of the new digs, which were renovated for the first time since 1988.
Panciuk says work on the $400,000 project began shortly after the 2018 Municipal Election.
“All of us that got elected, we were taking stock of everything in the city, not just positions and how to be effective, but we were also looking at this facility. The big part of the campaign was about electronic voting, where we’d have a record of every single vote.”
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A look at the newly renovated council chambers from the mayor’s seat (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Some of the work included nine high-def televisions, the ability to have deputations from anywhere in the world, new robotic cameras for YourTV (Cogeco) and live streaming, new carpeting, new seating, better accessibility, a brighter finish, and more.
One of the most important parts of the new work is electronic voting. This will allow for real time minutes to be taken.
For those watching meetings virtually, the new cameras will allow for the ability to see who is speaking easier, with better sound technology, and faster internet as well.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk:
“The world has gone through a significant change since 1988-89. We used to have fax machines, there was no internet that was publically available. Every time new technology became available, we added it on to the city council chambers and that really wasn’t a plan, we just sort of reacted. It was important for us to step back, consolidate all that technology, bring in proper technology for the future. We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people who are streaming our meetings, not just of council but also some of our Planning Advisory Committees. It’s made it most accessible for them. I think the new technology that we have is going to serve us well for the next 30 years.”
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At each councillor’s seat, they will be able to hook into high speed internet, charge digital devices, or plug them in. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Brett Forestell is the Chief Building Official and oversees Belleville City Hall.
“The difficult component would have been the electrical. Running the electrical through this whole building, so this whole floor has pretty much been rewired. Certainly this room, we’ve installed a whole new electrical panel.”
Forestell added that the focus was to brighten the place up, and that is the case with a lot of white surfaces, which complement the abundance of sun which can come into the building.
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Bill White (l) oversaw the chamber renovations and the reworking of the 4th floor of Belleville City Hall in 1988. Chatting with Mayor Mitch Panciuk (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
