Your Board has received lots of complaints about sound quality during Sunday services, and after much research and deliberation we are recommending that acoustic panels be installed on the ceiling and walls of Fellowship Hall. We are soliciting comments from the congregation at two public meetings, to be followed by a congregational vote October 8th on whether to spend the money.

Sound Panels for Fellowship Hall

Echoes in the hall currently make it very hard to understand someone speaking at the podium. (This is not a problem for those attending on Zoom, because our sound equipment “cleans up” the sound before broadcasting it.) Over the summer Keith Henderson convened an Acoustics Task Force to evaluate the problem and test out various solutions.  They replaced the podium mic and re-aimed some of the speakers, but the improvement was minimal. Sound-absorbing panels are what made the biggest difference.

They investigated further and decided to go with a bid from New York Soundproofing to install the panels for $19,000. They reported their findings to the Board at a special meeting on August 20th, and the Board voted unanimously in favor of moving ahead with their plan. Since the cost is over $10,000, the Bylaws require that we hold a congregational vote. 

We realize this is a significant amount of money, and we are very grateful to Ann Thorpe for setting up a fund to cover expenses like this. Still, I’m sure many of you have questions about the plans. We’re going to hold two meetings during September to introduce the specifics and get your input (dates TBA – one in person and one on Zoom). Finally, the vote will happen at a brief congregational meeting after the service on October 8th. Two thirds of those voting must approve it for the proposal to pass.