Answer Man,
We need help!
Some of us in our retirement community like to have a small happy hour on Mondays to watch the Rochester City Council meetings on television. We applaud or boo the actions of the members from our former wards.
It’s been a real problem lately, since cable channel 180 has either a blank screen or we can only see the “action” but no sound.
Please don’t tell us to attend the meetings in person; we would probably have to be escorted out of the chambers.
And don’t suggest any electronic devices; we don’t have or want any.
A friend of ours has tried to get help by calling the City Clerk’s Office, since 180 is a government-access station, but the calls get transferred to voicemail, and there is never a call back. She even called Spectrum and was told that this is not their problem.
Please, please help! We need another excuse for a happy hour.
Civic-minded seniors
P.S. We hope you still accept snail mail.
Seniors,
I personally have never needed an excuse for a happy hour, and I’m not sure watching the sausage-making process of our local government is a recipe for true happiness.
I would rather watch my mailbox in hopes that more snail mail arrives than plan a social engagement around a city council meeting.
Nonetheless, I did check out a few things, and unfortunately you might need to find other fodder for your social gatherings — at least for the rest of the month.
City staff are well aware of the cable-related issues, and I’m told they are working to address them.
City Clerk Kelly Geistler told my City Hall minion that the current plan calls for an upgrade later this month, but likely not in time for the council’s Aug. 21 meeting.
“I’ll believe it when it happens,” she said, adding the work has been delayed by supply issues.
Geistler said the primary issue is that the single video feed is being used on three different formats — the city’s live online feed, the Spectrum and Metronet cable feeds and the city’s live Zoom meeting format, which allows staff and residents the ability to make comments at appropriate times.
“We are really trying to do three things through one wire,” she said.
Like that garden hose that is used to provide water to lawn sprinklers, the streams diminish as more attachments are added.
With that in mind, the Rochester City Council decided in January to put the priority on the live cable feed, while maintaining the cable feed as much as possible. The unanimous decision was intended to ensure at least one avenue of live viewing is available when technical issues arise.
I know it’s not the answer that you asked for, but the solution for at least the next meeting is to gather around someone’s laptop or smartphone and access the online feed at
rochestermn.gov/meetings/council-meetings.
While not ideal, it will make the return of a reliable cable feed something to truly celebrate at a future happy hour.
As an alternative, I’d suggest a happy hour designed to create letters to your truly. Challenge each other to pose the most compelling questions possible and drop them in the mail to Answer Man, 1700 Greenview Dr. SW, Rochester, MN 55902.
I’ll be waiting by the mailbox.
Send questions to Answer Man at
answerman@postbulletin.com
.
