Councilors raised repeated complaints at the Dec. 9 work session about poor sound quality during events at the Keizer Community Event Center and asked staff to pursue concrete fixes and vendor reports.

Multiple councilors described garbled and muffled audio during events; staff said they invited six AV consultants including local firms, but consultants’ assessments varied — some reported no problems while users continued to identify dead spots and microphone interference. Councilors asked staff to compile the consultants’ reports and consider local AV contractors; one councilor offered to connect staff with local Allied Video owners for a site assessment.

Separately, staff reported an electrical/lighting issue in parts of city facilities, including the event center, linked to older compact fluorescent fixtures that are now obsolete. The city has contacted Energy Trust of Oregon for a lighting evaluation; staff said Energy Trust previously helped the Cultural Center obtain replacements and incentives for some fixtures, and the city is awaiting a report and incentive determination. Staff cautioned that incentives may be smaller now because the energy savings from fluorescent-to-LED conversions are less than older incandescent-to-fluorescent upgrades.

Why it matters: unreliable audio undermines public meetings and community events; aging lighting can affect safety and audiovisual upgrades. Staff said short-term fixes may be limited until the lighting inventory and structural assessments (for ceiling-mounted screens and fixtures) are complete. Councilors and staff discussed sequencing: resolve light-fixture and ceiling-structure issues before installing large drop-down screens or other AV mounts.

Next steps: staff will share consultant reports with councilors, pursue Energy Trust lighting findings and provide options and cost estimates for AV and lighting upgrades as part of future budget discussions. No contract awards or purchases were approved at the work session.