WESTFIELD — Members of the public who have attended meetings in City Council Chambers and have found themselves unable to hear what was being said, even into the microphones in the room, are not alone.
Media Systems Specialist Peter Cowles said the high walls and paneling in the expansive room of the 1892 building tend to swallow sound, and microphones, which are calibrated to record sound for television broadcasts, cannot be turned up without audio interference.
However, Cowles said there is finally a solution. Working with Information Technology Manager Lenore Bernashe and with Mayor Michael McCabe’s approval, Cowles invested $4,000 from his budget in hardware to install Sennheiser MobileConnect assistive listening, which allows members of the public who attend meetings to download an app and listen through their smartphones with earbuds or Bluetooth wireless headphones.
