Stonehaven pitches wireless downtown audio system to New Bern advisory committee

Michael Egan, a presenter for Stonehaven Sight and Sound, told the Municipal Service District Advisory Committee that his company could install a modular, distributed wireless audio system covering New Bern’s downtown without street digging and with limited traffic disruption.

The presentation, which the Chair described as information-only, outlined a phased deployment centered on a server rack at City Hall that would broadcast to remote receivers and directional Technomad speakers. "You're buying equipment that's gonna last," Egan said, describing Technomad speakers as weather-resistant and widely used in marine and stadium settings.

Why it matters: the system is pitched not only for music and visitor experience but also for public-safety messaging. Egan said wireless microphones and pre-recorded scheduling could be used for urgent alerts and routine announcements — for example, parking reminders or parade notifications — and that the design allows prioritizing emergency messages over entertainment audio.

Inverted-pyramid details: Egan described a distributed IP-network architecture in which each speaker location contains a receiver and local amplification, avoiding a single, centralized wired amplifier. He said the base "central module" used to manage the system would cost roughly $6,000 and that a typical first-speaker location (two-speaker pair) was roughly $5,000. Crew labor was estimated at about $2,500 per day for a five-person crew; an example two-day phase install was presented at about $31,000. The vendor characterized these figures as preliminary, based on Google Earth estimates and a short site walk, and recommended a detailed on-site survey before firm pricing.

Egan also discussed radio-link constraints: the radios use narrow-beam, line-of-sight links and may require additional relay radios where foliage or overhangs block signals. He noted mounting radios on existing streetlights could be an efficient option if city rules allow. "These radios function just like Ethernet cables," he said, adding that the recommended deployment is a closed network not connected to the public internet.

Warranty and maintenance: Stonehaven said its workmanship carries a one-year installation guarantee; the vendor described Technomad component warranties spanning two, five and ten years depending on the part, and said Monroe installations had been reliable for many years. The vendor said city IT staff could manage radio firmware updates and offered service plans for periodic maintenance.

Council and committee response: Committee members asked about interference, life cycle, power availability at pole locations, effects on existing business speakers, and the possibility of separate zones (for music vs. public-safety announcements). Egan and his co-presenter said the system can be zoned and volumes tuned to avoid broadcast overlap with store systems and that separate intakes/mixers can be used to create isolated announcement channels.

Costs and next steps: Egan presented a broad illustrative total of about $8,085,000 to cover the entire proposed project as shown; he repeatedly framed that number as a high-level, rough total and said it would be refined after an on-site survey. Committee members agreed Foster would travel to Monroe to inspect the system in operation and bring recommendations back at the committee’s August meeting. No formal procurement decision or vote was taken at this meeting.

Other business: During the public-comment portion, a resident praised recent crosswalk improvements at Pollock and Hancock and thanked Public Works. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn; the transcript records the motion but does not record a vote.

Ending note: The committee will consider the vendor’s report and Foster’s site visit findings at the next regularly scheduled meeting, when formal action or a recommendation to the aldermen could be taken.