The Granite Town Media Advisory Committee approved funding Thursday to install heating, ventilation and air conditioning for two offices and a server room at Granite Town Hall, enabling the committee to move its broadcast servers from the high school after the school district requested removal by August.

The committee’s vote authorized up to $50,000 for HVAC work, including rooftop penetrations and a small roofing “dog house” for proper flashing; the motion passed in a roll-call voice vote and was announced as passing by the chair. No individual mover or seconder is recorded in the meeting transcript; the committee noted the expenditure will come from its operating funds.

Committee Chair Natalie Watson said the move responded to a July 7 letter from the school district asking that the servers be removed next month to free basement space for educational use. “They would ask that our servers be removed by August,” Chris Jettree, director for the town media operation, told the committee when he summarized the letter and the relocation plan.

Why it matters: moving the servers out of the school and into town hall shortens the technical path between the control room and the studio, which the director said will “lessen the delay” on live streams by removing intermediate network nodes. The committee also emphasized humidity control and reliable cooling for equipment longevity and stream stability.

Most important facts and vote details

- The committee approved a not-to-exceed $50,000 authorization to install HVAC for two offices and the server room in the town-hall rear balcony area. The transcript records the motion and a second and states the motion passed unanimously; individual vote counts are not specified in the meeting record.

- The committee reviewed two written contractor estimates. One estimate from a firm identified in the record as ENE totaled roughly $97,000 (cited as “97,000 and change” in the discussion) for a cooling-only approach. A second bidder, referred to as Joyce in the transcript, quoted about $38,881 for a combined solution that included electrical work, crane and police detail for roof access; committee members favored the Joyce bid as providing necessary electrical work and warranties at lower cost.

- Committee members discussed an additional roofing/flashing cost for the roof penetration (described in the transcript as roughly $3,700 in quick math during the meeting). The motion ultimately authorized a $50,000 cap to allow a contingency for that work and other minor adjustments.

Technical and implementation details discussed (discussion vs. decision)

Discussion-only items (no formal action recorded): contractors’ differences in scope and pricing; whether to add quiet heating for the office spaces; whether the rooftop units would be visible from the street (the director said they would not); the power draw and UPS capacity for the servers; and whether the existing auditorium wiring and fiber links between town hall and the school would require additional work. Committee members pressed staff to confirm UPS capacity and to provide exact power/BTU figures to contractors before final scheduling.

Directions and operational next steps (staff assignments, not formal policy changes): the director said he and Andy Carapolos will coordinate with DPW and the chosen contractor to schedule installation; DPW will perform physical moving of racks and equipment on the agreed date; Comcast business and fiber contractors will coordinate the new drop; the committee agreed staff should notify the public in advance of any streaming outages.

Formal action: the HVAC authorization (decision)

- Action: Approve HVAC installation for two offices and the server room, not to exceed $50,000.
- Outcome: Approved (motion passed; transcript records a roll call and the chair announcing the motion passes). The meeting record does not list mover/second by full name or an itemized vote tally.

Other relevant details and constraints

- The school district letter (dated in the transcript as July 7) requested removal by August but offered flexibility and willingness to work to a reasonable timeline; the director said the district conceded reasonable negotiation on date.

- Comcast agreed to perform the service move without charge because the committee’s account includes one free move; the director said Comcast and the fiber contractors will coordinate the fiber drop and a business-class changeover to the new location. The committee expects on-site work to be done in one to two days and the physical server move to be completed in a single day, although exact dates depend on contractor scheduling.

- DPW owns and manages the building utilities and will assist with physical moving, roof access and site work; the committee discussed the need for properly flashed roof penetrations and police detail/craning for rooftop installation.

- The director noted redundancy considerations: adding dedicated circuits and reviewing UPS battery capacity were recommended to reduce outage risks; staff will follow up if upgrades are required.

Ending

Committee members said they would receive formal scheduling details when Comcast and the chosen HVAC contractor provide a firm timeline. The director said he will notify the committee and the public of the planned outage window before the move. No further committee actions on procurement or contract award were recorded at the meeting.