Council reviews major AV overhaul for El Mirage council chambers, staff to seek acoustician and camera upgrades

City officials on Monday reviewed options to upgrade audio-visual systems in the El Mirage City Council chambers, focusing first on reducing jet noise and improving intelligibility, then on cameras and captioning that would better serve residents and people with hearing loss.

TPI Technology Providers, Inc., the vendor invited for a discovery session, told council members that “the preferred method would be to quiet down the space” and then “use technology to help with the sound,” recommending an acoustician’s evaluation before purchasing noise‑cancelling systems or microphones. TPI representatives said noise-cancelling systems alone are ineffective in large, variable seating rooms and that acoustic treatments (curtains, ceiling/roof work, carpet or acoustic tiles) give better results for intelligibility…