Meeting was held in the Anderson School and started at 10:10.
IT Plan: The committee gave a tour of the school rooms to the IT personnel at the Madison County School system. There will be one room that is a representation of a historic school. The two remaining rooms will be “learning rooms” with modern technology and updates. The committee is considering having headsets, TV monitors/projectors, and a living cultural/social museum that displays African American mountain heritage.
Projectors/monitors: The school IT staff mentioned that projectors may be easier to use than TV monitors. Projectors cost as low as $800 (does not include cost of ceiling mount) and lasts as long as a TV. The staff recommended that the committee visit the central office to see the kinds of technology that are available. The ceiling will be bead board. Normally ceiling-mounted projectors have a 9-ft set back. Most schools are drop ceiling, so that could become an issue with using the standard ceiling-mounted projectors as the equipment does have weight. It would have to be reinforced. May need to use an ultra-short throw projector that can be mounted on a wall.
Outlets: IT staff recommended that if student groups with laptops are here working all day, then there should be as many outlets as possible so that there is little need for extension cords. If the capacity of the building is 75, we should plan for the use of 30 laptops at one time. Plugs should not be on the floor as it creates a problem for cleaning. They recommended outlets coming off the stage and walls at normal height from the floor. IT staff requested a copy of the architectural drawings; Willa will email a pdf.
Wi-fi: This will be managed under the school system. Funds through the e-rate program will handle the costs of getting fiber to the school premises. French Broad EMC would do the installation. IT staff recommended having three access points.
Screens: The screen contractor with the school system will be in town next week; the IT staff will have the vendor stop by the Anderson School and get his opinion on the best option for screens. It will likely be a white board that can also be used as a screen. We discussed the use of an interactive board (MEMIO). IT staff recommended that a computer system placed in a screen cabinet may be the easiest set up.
Audio: The committee needs to think about where the placement of audio speakers should be. Omar has equipment for musical performances. With the use of headsets, the committee would like have an experience similar to the Biltmore audio tours. Each panel would have some audio tied to it. We will talk with Les about the advantages of having headphones with recorded audio versus using wireless bluetooth.
Panels: The committee is considering having 12-15 printed panels at a time in the school. The committee needs to consider the max number of people that can view each panel/station. Will there be lighting over printed panels? If yes, we need to think about power sources. Willa recommended looking at the movable panels at the Hot Springs visitor center.
The back room will be a meeting room/classroom. There will be two unisex restrooms. The IT staff recommended that a white board with projector (probably short throw) rather than a TV monitor may work best in that space due to its size. Speakers would be needed.
The IT staff needs to know the location of the electrical panel as the communications equipment/rack may need to be co-located with it.
Minutes Review: The committee will review minutes during the December 2016 meeting.
Alumni Update: A meeting was not held at the Lee Stephens Center this month. Alumni meetings will be suspended until the spring.
Construction: We are waiting to get an update on the installation of the permanent rails for the steps/ramp. All bills have been submitted and paid. Next items to focus on are getting two exterior doors and repairing as much of the exterior. Dan has been looking for 5-panel exterior doors in Asheville and online. New mahogany doors go for $5000 each. We need to look at the Old Huff House; the university is planning to burn it for firefighter training. There’s tongue and groove flooring inside of the house and probably bead board. Dan may visit the university today and see if he can get a waiver to go into the house and see what materials may be available. Willa will also give them a call and see if someone can visit next Thursday.
We need a rough in on the electrical/plumbing; need to have Scott (architect) place markings on walls. We also need to get in touch with Ryan Bayer (new neighbor) for assistance with work.
We will have weekly workdays on Thursdays at 10 AM. The focus will be on removing the bead board ceiling.
Fundraising/Budget Review: No new updates
General updates: Quarterly report is in process. Draft should be ready by December 2016 meeting. In the report and general fundraising campaign materials, we need to highlight that not all windows have been named. Lauren will assistant in creating graphs/charts demonstrating how much more needs to be raised to complete the rehabilitation.
Due to Hurricane Matthew, Mr. Floyd was unable to attend today’s meeting.
The next committee meeting will be held at the school system’s central office in Marshall. The committee can see a demo of the technology options available for use.
Meeting adjourned at 11:45 AM