While hoping to return to in-person meetings in October, Tarentum will spend nearly $40,000 in grant money on audio and visual equipment that will allow it to continue broadcasting council meetings.

Livestreaming council meetings because of the covid-19 pandemic has created a new way for residents to participate in local government, council President Scott Dadowski said. Borough residents recently have been able to view and participate in meetings live on Zoom and YouTube and watch recordings after they’ve concluded.

Upgrading the borough’s facilities will allow for residents to continue to participate virtually from their homes, for whatever reason they may have, he said.

Council approved paying Dobil Laboratories about $38,700 for an audio-video system in council chambers at the borough building. The cost breaks down to about $24,700 for the equipment and $14,000 for labor, borough Manager Michael Nestico said.

The price was obtained through the state’s cooperative buying program, CoStars, and therefore competitive bidding was not necessary, Nestico said.

Nestico said the borough is eligible for $100,000 from the federal CARES Act based on its population and spending for police wages alone. The audio-visual equipment is an eligible expense, he said.

In addition to broadcasting council meetings, Nestico said the equipment will be used for internal borough meetings and conferences.

The setup will include three monitors and an overhead microphone system. It would be tied into the phone system, Nestico said.

The recording system will display council as a whole and zoom in on individuals speaking.

“That will allow us to broadcast meetings live,” he said. “We won’t need some sort of audio-video technician or someone behind the scenes to do video editing. The software kind of makes that able to be done through the technology itself.”

Mayor Eric Carter called the project “a little pricey” but also a great idea that will be beneficial to people.

“There’s a lot of people that have moved out of this borough that still follow what goes on in Tarentum. They’re interested in what we’re doing, how it’s going on and they have no way to attend,” he said. “This gives them an opportunity to join in with the meeting and see what’s going on and keep up to date.”

Councilman Jim Bonner voted against the project. He said he wanted to be sure the borough has the money from the grant to pay for it before going forward.

“I know you’ve gotten assurances, but sometimes things don’t happen or they get delayed,” he said. “I’d hate to commit to this and then find for some reason that money got old or misdirected.”

Bonner asked if the borough should have sought bids even if they were not required.

Nestico said the grant repays the borough after it spends the money, which he again said will be sought based on police wages.

“We’re going to use the police wages as a very simple approach to request the funds,” he said.

Dadowski said he is hopeful council will be able to resume meeting in-person at the borough building in October. The next regular council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)